The sign at Palm Beach Yacht Center in Hypoluxo assures boaters that gasoline it sells at the fuel docks contains no ethanol.

By Willie Howard

Most South Florida marinas offer boaters non-ethanol fuel because of problems associated with ethanol use in boats. Boaters who trailer their vessels to gas stations can find “Rec 90” or similar non-ethanol fuel at many gas stations in Palm Beach County.

Although problematic, the E-10 gasoline blend that contains 10 percent ethanol can be used in most modern boat engines.
But boating organizations are warning boat owners against using E-15, the 15 percent gasoline/ethanol blend available at some Florida gas stations.

President Donald Trump recently allowed year-round sales of E-15, previously banned during the summer because of concerns that it contributes to smog in hot weather.

BoatUS, the nation’s largest recreational boating organization, says gasoline containing up to 10 percent ethanol (E-10) can be used in pleasure boats. But gasoline with a larger percentage of ethanol, such as E-15, voids many boat engine warranties, BoatUS says.

Labeling of E-15 at the pump has become a concern in the marine industry.

In May, U.S. Reps. Lois Frankel of Florida and Austin Scott of Georgia, members of the Congressional Boating Caucus, introduced the Consumer Protection and Fuel Transparency Act of 2018, which would require clear labeling of E-15 at the pumps.

“Many consumers assume that all products sold at gas stations are safe, which is not the case when it comes to fueling marine engines with E-15 fuel,” said Martin Peters, senior manager for government relations at Yamaha Marine Group. 

Thom Dammrich, president of the National Marine Manufacturers Association, gives credit to Frankel and Scott for their legislative efforts: “American consumers and 141 million recreational boaters will be better insulated from the danger of improperly fueling their boat engines with an unsafe, unreliable and often incompatible fuel.”

The legislation would require more detailed labeling of gas pumps that dispense E-15, noting that it can damage engines in boats and small engines such as those on lawnmowers, motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles as well as engines in cars built before 2001.

The legislation also would require the Environmental Protection Agency to create a public awareness campaign that advises consumers about the risks of using E-15.

“This bipartisan bill educates people on their fueling options to keep boats running well,” Frankel said in a statement. “In Florida, recreational boating is more than just a way of life. It’s an $11 billion industry supporting more than 56,000 jobs.”

Google mapping waterways by boat

Google Maps, which uses cars fitted with cameras to offer “street views” of landmarks, is going nautical with its first mapping boat to cruise South Florida waterways.

Google Waterway View mapping began in March in Broward County.

Google plans to map the Intracoastal Waterway from Pompano Beach to Lake Worth and from Lake Worth to Jupiter Inlet.

The mapping boat, a 35-foot Boston Whaler, also will head south along the Intracoastal Waterway to the Miami River and to Ocean Reef near Key Largo.

Members of the team on Chips Ahoy led by Capt. Chip Sheehan of Boynton Beach (back row, second from left) celebrate their win in the June 9 Sail Inn KDW Charity Fishing Tournament. The 21-pound kingfish they caught in the final few minutes was the largest fish of the 31-boat tournament, which raised $12,000 for Hospice of Palm Beach County. Photo provided by Chip Sheehan

Chips Ahoy wins Sail Inn tournament

Capt. Chip Sheehan of Boynton Beach and his fishing team on Chips Ahoy caught a 21-pound kingfish to win largest fish in the Sail Inn KDW Charity Fishing Tournament, held June 9 at Palm Beach Yacht Center in Hypoluxo.

Sheehan said fishing was tough that day because of stormy weather. His team caught the winning kingfish on a live cigar minnow in 110 feet just south of Boynton Inlet with only eight minutes left to fish.

Mike Bone and his team on Mojo won top dolphin with a 12.8-pound mahi mahi.

Team Fish Nix weighed in the only wahoo, at 12 pounds.

The 31-boat tournament, organized by the Sail Inn Tavern in Delray Beach, raised $12,000 for Hospice of Palm Beach County.

Florida boating accidents killed 67 last year

Sixty-seven people died and 437 were injured in Florida boating accidents last year, the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission reports.

The FWC released its 2017 boating accident statistics in May, showing a total of 766 reportable boating accidents last year statewide, including 41 in Palm Beach County.

The leading cause of boat collisions last year: inattention or failure to maintain a proper lookout.

“It’s critical for operators to be aware of what is going on around them,” said Lt. Seth Wagner of the FWC’s Office of Boating and Waterways.

Drowning was the leading cause of boating deaths in Florida in 2017. Of those who drowned last year, 81 percent were not wearing life jackets.

Coast Guard Auxiliary member is boating educator of the year

Andrea Rutherfoord, a member of the Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 36 in Boca Raton, was named the state’s 2017 Boating Educator of the Year by the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Rutherfoord, of Delray Beach, has been teaching boating safety classes since 1992, including the About Boating Safely classes held monthly in the headquarters building at Spanish River Park.

She also coordinates annual boating skills training for the Naval Sea Cadets.

She credits the success of the Boca Raton flotilla’s boating program to “the dedication and expertise of all the auxiliary instructors.”

Coming events

July 14: Basic boating safety class offered by Coast Guard Auxiliary, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the headquarters building at Spanish River Park, 3939 N. Ocean Blvd., Boca Raton. Fee $35. Register at the door. Bring lunch. Call 391-3600 or email fso-pe@cgauxboca.org.

July 25-26: Two-day sport lobster season for recreational divers. Daily bag limit 12 lobster per person except for Monroe County and Biscayne National Park, where the daily limit is six. No egg-bearing lobster may be taken. Spiny lobster carapace, or head section, must measure at least 3 inches. Lobster must be measured in the water and landed whole. A Florida saltwater fishing license and lobster permit are required, unless you’re exempt. Call 625-5122 or go to myfwc.com.

July 28: Full-moon wahoo tournament organized by the West Palm Beach Fishing Club. Also Aug. 25. Entry fee $60 per team. (Each fishing team must include at least one West Palm Beach Fishing Club member.) Cash and merchandise prizes. Call 309-1397 or see westpalmbeachfishingclub.org.

July 28: Basic boating safety class offered by Coast Guard Auxiliary, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the classroom building next to the boat ramps, Harvey E. Oyer Jr. Park, 2010 N. Federal Highway, Boynton Beach. Fee $25. Register at the door. Call 704-7440.

Aug. 1: Early-entry deadline for Mark Gerretson Memorial Fishing Tournament, which benefits youth causes in Delray Beach. Captain’s meeting 6 p.m. Aug. 9 at Delray Beach Elks Lodge, 265 NE Fourth Ave., Delray Beach. Fishing day: Aug. 11. Entry fee $200 per boat by Aug. 1 or $225 thereafter. Call 436-0622 or visit mgmft.net.

Aug. 6: Regular spiny lobster season opens and remains open through March 31. Details:   myfwc.com (click on saltwater fishing regulations).

Tip of the month

Diving for spiny lobster this summer? Don’t forget lobster-measuring gauges and diver-down flags.

Use gap gauges to measure spiny lobster in the water. If the lobster’s carapace, or head section, doesn’t exceed 3 inches, release it. Also release all egg-bearing lobsters.

Boats supporting divers should display red-and-white dive flags, at least 20 by 24 inches, from the highest point on the boat. Divers in the water should tow a float-mounted dive flag (or similar diver-down warning device) measuring at least 12 inches square. Boat operators who spot diver-down flags should stay at least 300 feet away on open water — and at least 100 feet away in rivers, inlets and navigation channels. Those approaching closer should do so at idle speed.

Willie Howard is a freelance writer and licensed boat captain. Reach him at tiowillie@bellsouth.net.

Ocean Ridge resident Finbarr O’Carroll and Police Chief Hal Hutchins are working on a proposal for license plate recognition cameras that could save the town tens of thousands of dollars.

O’Carroll, a telecommunications executive with the Kerry Group, thinks he might be able to install a camera system as part of a test program for $13,000, roughly $200,000 less than retail estimates.

An enthusiastic Town Commission told Hutchins to work with O’Carroll and bring a proposal to the June meeting.

— Dan Moffett

Former Ocean Ridge Commissioner Ed Brookes said he got nowhere trying to persuade Boynton Beach to drop the idea of creating a dog beach at Oceanfront Park when he attended the city’s commission meeting in May. Brookes criticized town officials for not going to the meeting and voicing their opposition.

Town Manager Jamie Titcomb and Mayor James Bonfiglio said they can’t oppose what doesn’t exist. They’re waiting to hear what Boynton’s plan looks like. So far, the city hasn’t gone beyond discussion. Ocean Ridge’s ordinances prohibit dogs on the public beach at any time, and the Town Commission has steadfastly maintained that’s not going to change, no matter what Boynton Beach decides.

— Dan Moffett

ABOVE: Members of the Boca Raton Police and Fire Honor Guard pause amid silence during the Memorial Day ceremony at the Boca Raton Cemetery. The May 28 event featured veterans groups, city officials and drills by Boca Raton Community High School’s Navy Junior ROTC.

BELOW: Korean War veteran Larry Boyden and Louise Cammorata applaud to honor the lives of fallen service members.

Photos by Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

Related stories

Mayoral candidate in dispute over repayment of 2003 loan | At least four residents hope to fill empty council seat

By Mary Hladky

Suspended Mayor Susan Haynie has pleaded not guilty to state corruption charges and her attorney has asked that the charges be tossed out.

Bruce Zimet, Haynie’s new criminal defense attorney, contended in a motion filed May 18 that the criminal charges against her are flawed and must be dismissed, although the pleading notes that prosecutors can amend the charging document.

No hearing on the motion had been scheduled as of late May.

Haynie and Zimet, who replaced Leonard Feuer as her attorney, did not comment on Haynie’s plea and demand for a trial. Haynie previously has denied the allegations against her.

Her unexpected arrest set into motion the elevation of Deputy Mayor Scott Singer to the top job and an Aug. 28 special election to elect a mayor who will serve until the end of Haynie’s term of office in March 2020 — unless Haynie prevails in her legal case — and to fill Singer’s seat on the Boca Raton City Council.

Haynie, a fixture in city politics for the past 18 years, was arrested on four felony and three misdemeanor charges, including official misconduct, perjury in an official proceeding, misuse of public office, corrupt misuse of public office and failure to disclose voting conflict. She faces more than 20 years in prison.

Gov. Rick Scott suspended her from office and she withdrew from the District 4 Palm Beach County Commission race.

Prosecutors contend Haynie used her position on the City Council to vote on four matters that financially benefited James Batmasian, the city’s largest downtown commercial landowner, and failed to disclose income she received from him.

The investigation by the Palm Beach County State Attorney’s Office public corruption unit alleges Haynie failed to report $335,000 in income on disclosure forms required by the state, including $84,000 from Batmasian or his company, Investments Limited, from 2014 through 2017.

She told investigators she had no involvement in running two companies she and her husband founded, Community Reliance and Computer Golf Software of Nevada, and derived no income from them.

But subpoenaed bank records revealed she wrote checks to herself totaling $5,300 from the Community Reliance account and received $72,000 from Computer Golf Software, according to the State Attorney’s Office.

The master association of Tivoli Park paid Community Reliance, a property management company, nearly $57,000 over the four years. Tivoli Park is a 1,600-unit apartment complex in Deerfield Beach where 80 percent of the units were owned by Batmasian and his wife, Marta, and most of the board members worked for Investments Limited.

Problems with state’s case?

Zimet, a highly regarded Fort Lauderdale criminal defense lawyer and former federal prosecutor, argues there are problems with the charges filed against Haynie.

The most consequential involves a state anti-corruption law amended by the Florida Legislature in 2016 to make it easier for prosecutors to prove corruption. The law initially said the state had to establish that a public official acted with “corrupt intent.” The amended law changed that to “knowingly and intentionally,” a lesser standard of proof.

But in two of the felony official misconduct charges against Haynie, prosecutors said she acted “knowingly and intentionally” even though her alleged crimes occurred before that language went into effect. Therefore, Haynie was charged with a “nonexistent crime,” the motion to dismiss states.

The third official misconduct count did not lay out how she violated the law, while the perjury count does not say what false statement Haynie is accused of making. The three misdemeanor charges stem from alleged violations of the Palm Beach County Code of Ethics but do not say Haynie’s violation was “willful,” and so do not allege a criminal offense, the motion states.

The Palm Beach County Commission on Ethics, which also investigated Haynie for voting on matters that financially benefited Batmasian, reached a settlement with her on April 16 in which it reprimanded and fined her for failing to disclose a conflict of interest but dismissed a second allegation that Haynie misused her public office.

Commissioners did not determine whether Haynie’s actions were intentional on the conflict of interest charge because they said they did not have enough information at the time of the settlement to decide. On the misuse of public office count, commissioners determined Haynie’s actions were unintentional.

Two attorneys not involved in Haynie’s case who reviewed the motion praised Zimet’s legal work.

“It raises a serious issue that could prove to be detrimental to the state’s case,” Miami criminal defense lawyer David Weinstein, a partner at Hinshaw & Culbertson, said in an email, referring to Zimet’s contention on the two felony official misconduct charges.

Haynie could run again

In a seeming paradox, Haynie’s political career could be resurrected even if she is convicted.

State law requires the governor to reinstate her if she is acquitted at trial or if the charges are dismissed. She would then complete her term of office.

If Haynie accepts a plea deal with prosecutors in which she pleads guilty or no contest to at least one of the charges and the state drops the rest, and her sentence is suspended or adjudication is withheld, one state law says that she nevertheless has been convicted and the governor must remove her from office.

But that would not prevent her from running for another office, according to Weinstein and Fort Lauderdale criminal defense lawyer Bruce Rogow.

That’s because another state law says Haynie is not a convicted felon who loses the right to hold public office if her sentence is suspended or adjudication is withheld, and so she would be able to mount a campaign.

“She could run for office,” said Rogow, who has appeared before the U.S. Supreme Court 11 times. “The best revenge for a disgraced politician is to run for office again and be re-elected.”

Other politicians with broad public support before their arrests have done so, Rogow said.

“People make comebacks and their constituents appreciate their value and they can survive a conviction,” he said.

A plea deal with a suspended sentence or adjudication withheld “wouldn’t preclude her from running for another office,” Weinstein said. “She would not be a convicted felon.”

One of his past clients is Tony Masilotti, a former Palm Beach County commissioner convicted of honest services fraud. Weinstein represented him on post-conviction matters.

It’s impossible to know at this point if this scenario could happen. Haynie is seeking a trial on the charges against her, and Zimet declined to comment on a possible plea.

“All I can say is we are entering a [not guilty] plea and are demanding a trial,” Zimet said in mid-May.

But Robert Jarvis, a Nova Southeastern University law professor, thinks a plea bargain is likely because defendants often don’t want to take the risk of going to trial, being convicted and ending up with a stiff sentence.

“That’s usually how these cases work out,” he said. “A plea bargain gets it behind them quickly. … My prediction is she takes a plea and goes quietly into the good night.” 

Related story: Thrasher returns to public service as interim town manager

By Rich Pollack

By forcing out three town managers in about three years, Highland Beach faces costs — in dollars and in stability — for the high turnover in its top executive position. Since January 2015, when Kathleen Weiser agreed to step down after learning she no longer had support from the majority of commissioners, Highland Beach has paid out an estimated $225,000 in severance packages to Weiser, Beverly Brown and Valerie Oakes, who was fired early last month.

In 2012, Highland Beach spent $215,000 to settle a lawsuit with former Town Manager Dale Sugerman, who claimed the town refused to pay him severance when commissioners did not renew his contract. Sugerman had previously been suspended — with pay — for five months.

People who work with government leaders say high turnover among managers can also have an impact on overall operations of counties, cities and towns.

“The stability gets shaken up — not earthquake level but tremor level,” said Lynn Tipton, executive director emeritus for the Florida City and County Management Association, who was speaking generally, not specifically about Highland Beach. “If the top position changes a lot, employees can feel [leaderless] and projects suffer from a lack of leadership.”

As part of her separation agreement in 2015, Weiser received 20 weeks’ salary, or about $53,000. She said she also received unused sick and vacation time of about $15,000.

Brown, who reached an agreement with the town that allowed her to retire early and receive three months’ salary while not working, estimated she received about $78,000 when she left, including unused sick and vacation time and four months’ health insurance premiums.

Oakes, who was fired with a 3-2 vote last month, said she received more than $53,700 in severance pay, the equivalent of 20 weeks’ pay, and about $15,125 in unused sick and vacation time and $12,000 for health insurance coverage.

Weiser, now Kathleen Meneely, said both Oakes’ termination and her own came after elections changed the commission, which led to a shift in the majority.

In Oakes’ case, Vice Mayor Alysen Africano Nila — who was elected in March — and commissioners Rhoda Zelniker and Elyse Riesa voted to fire Oakes, while Mayor Carl Feldman and Commissioner Peggy Gossett-Seidman voted against Oakes’ firing.

“When I heard about Valerie, it was almost like déjà vu,” Meneely said.

Both Meneely and Tipton say it’s not uncommon for new commissions or councils to change managers following elections or other changes.

“When there’s an election, it is not unusual for new commissioners to want to choose their own manager, it’s just a manner in how they do it,” said Meneely, who now helps run special government districts on Florida’s west coast. “Those of us in city government know this can happen.”

Tipton said that the average tenure for city or county managers in Florida is about 6.5 years, slightly shorter than the national average of seven years.

Part of that, she said, is because elected officials in many Florida municipalities and counties have shorter terms than in other cities.

“Often the turnover of elected officials equates to turnover with the manager,” Tipton said.

She said internal struggles on commissions might also be a factor in turnover.

“When councils are regularly dismissing managers, it is often indicative of their own turmoil or that the managers haven’t matched their expectations with the right skill sets,” she said.

Both Brown and Sugerman, now the manager in Briny Breezes, said similar factors are in play when a revolving door of town managers exists.

“Something weird happens in [small towns and cities] when someone gets elected,” said Sugerman, who said he is not familiar with the current commission and was speaking in general terms. “It’s like a switch goes on and they suddenly believe they’re an expert. That will run headlong into anyone who is a professional.”

Sugerman said the phenomenon is not unique to Highland Beach, but may be enhanced by the fact that it is an affluent community with a large retiree base.

Brown said during her tenure as manager, she worked with a commission that didn’t fully understand the role of the manager as the person who runs the day-to-day operation and the role of the commission as a policy-making board.

“I believe elected officials didn’t and still don’t understand their roles,” she said. “That leads to confrontations between managers and commission members. There are some who believe once they get elected, they can control everything that goes on.”

Riesa, who was elected after Meneely and Brown left and after Oakes was hired, thinks there may be another reason for the turnover.

She points out that both Brown and Oakes were town clerks before being promoted to city manager without a search for other candidates.

“They were not compared to any other candidates,” Riesa said. “We have no idea what we could have gotten from a qualified pool.”

She thinks some of the turnover could have been avoided had the town done a better job of filling the position.

“In the end the town lost money spent unnecessarily for severance and the time wasted would not have been necessary if commissioners initially did things correctly,” Riesa said.

She said she is pushing for a nationwide search that will give Highland Beach the best possible manager. In the interim, former Gulf Stream manager Bill Thrasher is doing the job.

“I want to be sure we find the best and brightest candidate with the perfect leadership capabilities to take our town into the future,” Riesa said. 

BocaWatch publisher Zucaro in race again

By Steve Plunkett

Al Zucaro, who is running for the second time in 17 months to be mayor of Boca Raton, has not repaid a $406,000 business loan a judge ruled that he owed nine years ago, the lender’s lawyer says.

With interest accruing daily, the debt now tops $700,000, said attorney Bernard Lebedeker, who represents hotel owner Joseph Della Ratta’s DR Palm Beach Inc., which lent the money in 2003.

The West Palm Beach lawyer had Zucaro bring copies of his 2015, 2016 and 2017 tax returns and bank statements to a mid-April deposition. He also wanted to see canceled checks and other financial information.

“There’s no indication by him that he’s willing to pay the debt,” Lebedeker said. “The position he’s taken in his deposition is he can’t afford to pay the judgment.”

But Zucaro says he offered Della Ratta a settlement “months ago” to resolve their dispute.

“I made a proposal and I have not gotten a definitive no,” Zucaro said in late May.

Zucaro will face Mayor Scott Singer and real estate agent Bernard Korn in the Aug. 28 special election to fill suspended Mayor Susan Haynie’s seat. Qualifying ended May 30.

Boca Raton pays its mayor $38,000 a year.

Zucaro said he is running on a platform of bringing “open and transparent” government to City Hall.

“There seems to be a lot of things that are negotiated [by city officials], but I find it difficult to find where the negotiators are getting their directions from,” he said.

Despite his outstanding debt, Zucaro financed more than half of his unsuccessful 2017 run against Haynie. Zucaro lent his campaign $15,000 and then wrote checks for $47,750 more, for a total of $62,750. Other supporters gave $48,267.

Zucaro closed out his campaign by repaying himself $82.91 of his contributions, election finance records show.

Haynie in contrast lent her campaign $250 and took in $133,368 in donations. She repaid herself in full following her win.

Zucaro said he does not anticipate spending as much this time around, even though Singer has almost $73,000 in his war chest after opening a campaign account last October.

“I do not believe this campaign is going to be as difficult as the last campaign,” Zucaro said.

Zucaro, 68, an immigration lawyer who also publishes BocaWatch.org, listed his law practice, his International Council of Advisors LLC consultancy and Social Security benefits as his primary sources of income on his 2018 campaign Statement of Financial Interests.

He reported lesser amounts, termed secondary sources of income, from his World Trade Management LLC, his Palm Beach Investment and Finance LLC and in legal fees from Shoppes on 18th Street Inc., a holding company owned by his wife, Yvonne Boice. That business sold Boice’s Shoppes at Village Point shopping center west of the city in 2014 for $12.25 million.

Zucaro, who lives in his wife’s house on Golden Harbour Drive, also reported that he owns no real property. The only liability he listed was his debt to DR Palm Beach.

Della Ratta’s company owns the Best Western Palm Beach Lakes Inn in West Palm Beach, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in May, and the nearby Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham hotel on Lamberton Drive.

DR Palm Beach lent Zucaro and World Trade Management $240,000 in 2003 and sued four years later after not being repaid.

In 2009, Palm Beach Circuit Judge Donald Hafele said the evidence showed Zucaro spent much of the money on personal expenses instead of using it as intended to lure international business to Palm Beach County. He entered a judgment requiring Zucaro to repay the loan with 8 percent interest, making the total then $406,000.

Zucaro, who had come under fire in West Palm Beach for how he managed his struggling World Trade Center, appealed and lost.

Zucaro blames the dispute on “a very serious financial upheaval” the nation experienced.

“The results are what they are,” he said. “It was just a business deal that didn’t work out.”

Lebedeker said Zucaro has taken steps to shield his assets but said Della Ratta might try to put a levy on ownership of the businesses Zucaro operates.

“If push comes to shove, you can always file a petition for involuntary bankruptcy,” Lebedeker said.

He also said he was surprised to learn that Zucaro was again in the race for Boca Raton mayor.

“When you run for office you put your character on display,” Lebedeker said. “The last thing [voters] want to do is put somebody with debt in office.”

Zucaro would not predict whether his debt would register at the ballot box.

“You never know what causes people to vote or not vote,” he said. 

By Rich Pollack

Residents at the normally peaceful Penthouse Highlands community in Highland Beach have been on edge for more than a month after town police found the body of Elizabeth Cabral, 85, in her fifth-floor apartment.

While the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office has stopped short of classifying Cabral’s death as a homicide, detectives are calling it a suspicious death, leaving many in the 82-unit building wondering what happened.

“People are very concerned,” said Alan Croce, president of the Penthouse Highlands Association and a retired high-ranking law enforcement official. “We’ve never had any problems in our building.”

Should Cabral’s death be classified as a homicide, it would be only the second recorded murder in Highland Beach’s almost 70-year history.

The town, which is consistently rated as one of the safest in the state — including a ranking of seventh safest in 2016 by Alarm Systems Review — had only 40 crimes reported to the state in 2017, with larcenies making up the bulk of the incidents.

Croce said the low crime rate is an important factor in residents’ choosing the town. “Safety and security is of the utmost importance,” he said.

A retired undersheriff in Suffolk County, N.Y., and former chair of the corrections commission for the state of New York, Croce said he is looking into enhanced security for the condominium, built in 1969. He is also hoping to get more information from the Sheriff’s Office.

Croce is using what little information he does know to help calm his neighbors’ fears.

“I don’t think it was random,” he said.

Cabral’s body was found April 30, just before 8 p.m., after Highland Beach police were asked to check on her. Police notified the Sheriff’s Office, which responded to the 3100 S. Ocean Blvd. address with investigators from the Violent Crimes Division and Crime Scene Unit.

Cabral, according to Croce, had been living in the building for more than 20 years with her husband, William, who died about two years ago. Croce  said the Cabrals didn’t have any children and he wasn’t sure whether there were other surviving relatives.

“She was a wonderful woman,” Croce said. “She was sweet, wonderful and precious, no one disliked her. For something like this to happen to her is more than just a crime because she was such a wonderful woman.”

Highland Beach’s only confirmed homicide occurred in 1994 when Richard P. Ramaglia, 49, was stabbed to death in his home in the 4000 block of South Ocean Boulevard. Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office deputies later arrested Mary Juhnke, 23.

Juhnke told detectives an argument over whether she should have an abortion led to the stabbing.

Juhnke later pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 17 years in prison in December 1994. A woman with the same name was killed in a 2015 auto accident in Washington state, where Juhnke was originally from.  

Related story: Beach-park director may drop job as its lawyer

By Steve Plunkett

Red Reef Park just had emergency repairs made to its seawall and is in the process of getting two new restrooms east of State Road A1A. Total cost: $710,000.

The Greater Boca Raton Beach & Park District, which pays for upkeep and improvements at the city-owned park, approved building the restrooms and paying for the seawall work at its May 7 meeting, despite having not been told ahead of time about the seawall’s $201,000 in repairs and being surprised by the $509,000 needed for the restrooms, $109,000 over budget to add new roofs and a sidewalk.

“I’ve never heard of building a restroom for $250,000. That’s a lot of money. Am I the only one to think that’s a crazy amount to spend for a restroom?” Commissioner Craig Ehrnst said.

The unexpected expenses made district commissioners hesitant to OK other requests involving Red Reef until their financial consultant could see how the projects will fit into the district’s budget.

Across A1A, the park’s Gumbo Limbo Nature Center is about to see work started on its long-awaited boardwalk and observation tower. Estimated cost: $1.2 million.

Consultant EDSA Inc. is waiting for authorization to further develop its master plan for Gumbo Limbo. Price tag: $200,000.

And a project to build new pumps and piping to bring seawater under A1A to the nature center’s aquarium and sea turtle tanks may cost upward of $3 million.

Commissioners’ reluctance to approve those projects, plus their May 9 request that the Boca Raton City Council help pay for reconstructing the golf course at Ocean Breeze, raised alarms on the city side that the district may be running out of money.

“We’re hearing … that they’re wanting us to participate [in rebuilding Ocean Breeze] and we have no plans or anything in the budget or forecast for funding that sort of thing,” City Manager Leif Ahnell told council members at a May 14 planning session.

“We have a number of other projects that are already on the books to be funded by the Beach and Park District that we’re having concerns they may not be stepping up as our partners to pay their fair share, in the millions and millions of dollars,” Ahnell continued.

On the district side, Chairman Robert Rollins was equally concerned that council members offered no commitments to pay for anything golf-related, even though Boca Raton is selling its municipal golf course west of the city limits for $65 million.

“It was like watching a hot potato getting tossed there on the council — nobody wanted to touch that, ‘Well, we’ll get back with you, we haven’t thought about that yet,’ ” Rollins said at the commission’s May 21 meeting.

Rollins said he would ask again for city participation at the next joint meeting, now scheduled for July.

“I don’t think we should foot the bill for everything,” Ehrnst said.

At the May 9 joint meeting, two residents asked the City Council to commit to paying for Ocean Breeze’s transformation.

“I would encourage you to seriously consider not burdening the new golf course with so much debt when there is a substantial amount of proceeds coming from the sale of the existing golf course,” resident Kevin Wrenne said.

Barry Tetrault called the $65 million a “windfall” for the city.

“I haven’t seen or heard anyone on the City Council even acknowledge the fact that they’re going to put money into the golf course. That’s scary, it really is,” Tetrault said. “Are you going to chip in for the financing of this course?”

Mayor Scott Singer said the council has not discussed how to spend the $65 million. 

By Mary Hladky

Developer and landowner Crocker Partners is making another attempt to keep its proposed Midtown development alive, this time by filing a lawsuit that accuses the city of treating Crocker Partners differently from other property owners and not following its normal procedures for project approval.

The lawsuit, filed May 23, seeks to have a judge compel the city to write land development regulations for Midtown. It also asks a judge to rule that the Boca Raton City Council’s delay in adopting those regulations and its Jan. 23 vote to develop a “small area plan” for Midtown instead are illegal and invalid.

It takes aim at requirements the city imposed on Midtown, which Crocker Partners has long claimed are unconstitutional and create an impermissible building moratorium.

They include a mandate that a new Tri-Rail station be built and operational, all street infrastructure be completed, and improvements to Military Trail finalized before the proposed construction of 2,500 residential units would be approved.

No similar requirements were put in place before the city established regulations for the Northwest planned mobility development in 2015, the lawsuit states. Midtown also is a proposed planned mobility development.

The lawsuit amounts to asking the city “to do its job” by approving the regulations for Midtown that would allow Crocker Partners to submit development plans to the city, said Crocker Partners managing partner Angelo Bianco.

“They were supposed to do this in 2011. We are asking a judge to get them to do it,” he said.

A city spokeswoman said May 24 that the city is reviewing the complaint.

Crocker Partners told the city in April that it planned to file a lawsuit seeking $137 million because the approval delays left it unable to redevelop three properties it owns in Midtown — Boca Center, The Plaza, and One Town Center.

Bianco said if he prevails on the most recent legal action, he would abandon plans to seek that compensation.

“The last thing I want to do is hurt the taxpayer,” he said.

Crocker Partners originally joined with other landowners in the Midtown area in an ambitious plan to redevelop about 300 acres between Interstate 95 and the Town Center mall. They envisioned a “live, work, play” transit-oriented development where people would live in up to 2,500 new residential units and walk or take shuttles to their jobs, shopping and restaurants.

But delays in the city’s creation of land development regulations caused the group to break up, and some are moving ahead with individual redevelopment plans. They include mall owner Simon Property Group, the now-closed Sears building owner Seritage Growth Properties and Glades Plaza owner Trademark Property Co.

Even so, Bianco thinks he can create a smaller version of Midtown, with fewer residential units, on about 80 acres that Crocker Partners controls, provided the city sets parameters for what can be built in area.

The city showed no signs of moving quickly before the lawsuit was filed. In what appears to be a move back to the starting gate on what Midtown should be, it has hired two consultants, Community Marine and Water Resource Planning and LARCH Design Plus, to help it create a small area plan. The contracts total nearly $50,000.

The city now expects to have a small area plan crafted no later then December, which would then be formally adopted by the City Council, a city spokeswoman said.

The consultants held a “public visioning session” May 23 to let city residents offer their thoughts about how Midtown could be redeveloped. About 120 residents attended the session at the Spanish River Library.

They split into groups, and each came up with general ideas on what Midtown should look like. Each plan was different, but they shared many similar ideas, such as low density, low- or mid-rise buildings, pedestrian friendly, lots of green space and improvements to Military Trail. Residential units would number no more than 1,250, and many attendees wanted fewer than that.

Jim Anaston-Karas, principal of Community Marine and Water Resource Planning, said another public session would be held in September and a final plan would be ready in October. 

By Steve Plunkett

The dust had barely settled over Mayor Susan Haynie’s suspension from office when City Council wannabes began opening campaign accounts to run for the resulting vacancy when Deputy Mayor Scott Singer assumed the mayor’s spot.

Haynie was suspended a little before 3 p.m. on April 27, a Friday.

Lawyer David Milledge filed his papers for Singer’s Seat A the following Wednesday, shortly before the city clerk’s office closed. Lawyer Andrew Thomson, who ran for the council in 2017, filed his documents two days later. Tamara McKee, an actress, named her campaign treasurer on May 14. Consultant Kathy Cottrell did the same the next day.

And still more candidates may appear during the official qualifying period for Seat A: June 4 to June 12. The special election to select a mayor and fill the empty council seat is Aug. 28.

As Haynie’s suspension elevated Singer into her mayoral role, he subsequently delivered May 11 “notice of my irrevocable resignation” to run for the remainder of her term. Whoever is elected will serve through March 2020 unless Haynie is reinstated.

Milledge, an attorney in the Broward County Property Appraiser’s Office, also served on the Boca Raton Airport Authority from May 2016 to April 2017.

Thomson, who came in second to Andrea O’Rourke in their 2017 council race, has since served on the city’s community advisory panel and is vice chair of its education task force.

McKee was appointed to the city’s General Employees’ Pension Board on Feb. 27 and resigned after she opened her council campaign account.

Cottrell, a native of Boca Raton, was named to the city’s Zoning Board of Adjustment in July 2016.

The candidate who wins Singer’s Seat A on the council will serve through March 2020. Council members are paid $28,000 a year.

By Henry Fitzgerald

Several Boca Raton property owners are complaining that the Lake Worth Drainage District is improperly planning to cut trees, shrubbery and other vegetation from their backyards abutting a lake.

“They’re going to take out everything up to 6 feet from the back of my house,” said Mike Jurus, who lives in the 1000 block of Southwest Seventh Street in Boca Square on Sabal Palm Lake. He said he and other families along the lake are fighting the district. “The Lake Worth Drainage District is in charge of canals, but we live on a lake. They don’t have the right to come on our property and do this work.”

But the LWDD says legally, the district owns a portion of the property along the lake and it has the right — and the obligation — to keep the area surrounding the lake clear of vegetation that could clog local waterways and inhibit drainage during hurricanes or other storms that bring lots of rain.

“There is a misconception from people that they own all of the property along lakes and canals in their backyards, but we own the rights of way in the district to that property,” said Tommy Strowd, an LWDD engineer and director of operations and maintenance. “We’re obligated to protect the public from flooding. Our goal isn’t to be bad neighbors.”

Jurus said his wife was enjoying their backyard a few weeks ago when workers from the district came onto their property and began marking vegetation to be removed.

“We didn’t know anything, but they came and started using stakes and markers,” he said. “We have otters back there and all kinds of wading birds. We’re doing everything we can to save our beautiful piece of property.”

Strowd said about five years ago the LWDD did an assessment along its 500 miles of property abutting the lakes and canals in Palm Beach County. The idea was to determine how much vegetation along the banks could fall into waterways during storms — especially hurricanes — and block drains.

After the assessment, the district in 2014 began the years-long program to cut back vegetation, which in most cases is invasive species such as Australian pine and Brazilian pepper, not palm trees or oak trees native to South Florida, Strowd said. He added that  district staffers started with the areas where they saw the greatest risk and they’re about halfway done.

He also said they sent two notices to homeowners, one by mail and the other where they put a handbill on each door alerting affected residents in Boca Square that work there along the lake and the connecting L-49 canal would start June 4.

After Hurricane Irma in September, the district was forced to respond to 500 instances of downed trees in canals and waterways, or one tree for every mile of property it owns, Strowd said.

The district covers 200 square miles bordered roughly from Okeechobee Boulevard south to the Hillsboro Canal at the county line, and Interstate 95 west to the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge.

“Some people say, ‘Well, we haven’t seen you guys come around for 20 years,’ and that may be true,” Strowd said. “But our work ensures a value that people take for granted: that this is necessary to prevent flooding.”

By Steve Plunkett

Arthur Koski, the executive director of the Greater Boca Raton Beach & Park District, is ready to shed his duties as its legal adviser and focus on the Ocean Breeze golf course.

“What I’m looking for is that golf course to be finished, we have an opening, someday when my grandsons come down and visit, they can say my granddad had something to do with it,” Koski told commissioners May 21.

In discussing Koski’s job duties over several meetings, commissioners decided it is time to begin looking for his successor as executive director, but to keep him onboard for at least two years to shepherd the transformation of Ocean Breeze into “a public golf course with a private course atmosphere.”

They also gave him the choice of keeping his title and primary duties as either director or attorney. Koski said he plans to cut back on his private caseload after spending a week in New York City trying a case unrelated to the district.

“I’ve had enough of the travel,” Koski told them. “I’ve had enough of the time and effort that goes into it, what it takes out of you.”

He’ll continue legal work on the golf course.

Koski is paid $120,000 a year as the district’s executive director and $150,000 annually for legal services. He also billed the district $120,000 in February for extra legal work he performed in the $24 million acquisition of Ocean Breeze.

The bill prompted a letter from the city questioning whether the payment passed ethics guidelines and state law. The district’s outside bond counsel assured officials that Koski’s fees were proper. Koski also drew flak from Boca Raton in 2016 when then-City Council member Robert Weinroth demanded that the district replace him with a full-time executive director. 

Koski became the district’s legal counsel in 1978, four years after the district was created. Commissioners value his institutional knowledge as much as his management and legal skills.

“I appreciate everything that you’ve done,” District Vice Chairman Steve Engel said. “At some point we need to turn the page, and I guess that’s what we’re in the process of doing now.”

Commissioners will get an outside human resources specialist to create a job description of the executive director and to guide their search for Koski’s replacement. They hope to advertise the position by Jan. 1.

Former Delray Beach Mayor Cary Glickstein with his children, Lily (left), Madison and Jack. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

Cary Glickstein

58, Delray Beach

Former mayor, entrepreneur and aging surfer

His father: Hugh Glickstein, who died in 2015

His children: Madison, 26, Lily, 19, and Jack, 17

“One of the more important lessons my father passed on was you don’t get the time back. His generation was different in how fathers engaged with kids. He worked hard. He was a driven lawyer, state attorney and appellate judge, and was active with minority and child advocacy. In a public service career, he missed things with his kids, and it wasn’t until as a young adult that I came to respect why. When I became a father, he always went out of his way to compliment and encourage me to never miss a single talent show, baseball game, dance recital — and I didn’t. I kept his lesson close — that every opportunity to be with your kids is what you and they will remember — and that no amount of success can buy you back that time.”

— Jane Smith

J.J. McDonough and his sons, Van, 3 and Kane, 7, ride their bicycles on Hypoluxo Island. Photos by Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

J.J. McDonough

45, Hypoluxo Island/Lantana

Founder and CEO of Leeward Luxury Inc., a boutique staffing company

His grandfather: Ted Withall, who will be 100 in November

His children: Kane, 7, and Van, 3

“During my formative years, I lived in my grandparents’ home and received most of my core fatherly moral code from my grandfather. The vital life lessons and mantras that my grandfather instilled in me continue to mold me as I father my two boys. Commitment to your word is paramount for any relationship or undertaking. Remain true to yourself, and always treat others with integrity. Academics are important for life success, but not everything is learned in a classroom. Be consistent and be present. Continue to learn, and stay humble in the process. And finally, have fun and be playful. I attempt implementation of these few mantras every day but I’m not sure if I’m successful. I’m hoping at the very least some modeling of these mantras will shed some influence on my boys.”

— Mary Thurwachter

Martin Driscoll and three of his daughters,  Juliette, 7, pouring lemonade, Annelise, 11, and Geneviéve, 9, in Highland Beach.  Driscoll has two more children:  Ryan, 21, and Madeleine, 19.

Martin Driscoll

53, Highland Beach

Real estate development and construction executive

His father: James Patrick Driscoll, who died in 2007

His children: Ryan Alexander, 21, Madeleine Elisabeth, 19, Annelise Noelle, 11, Geneviève Grace, 9, and Juliette Evangeline, 7

“My father taught me you do not get to be a man until you understand you are not put on this Earth to serve yourself but to guide, protect and mentor your children through a good example of hard work, ethical practices and persistence. He taught me walk your talk or don’t talk at all. He taught me to love your wife in such a way that your children understand what a profound and lasting bond looks like, so they will know it when they see it for themselves someday. My dad’s favorite motto my whole life whenever we parted was ‘Pay attention and make good choices.’ Every time I part from my children be they 21 or 7, I always say, ‘I love you with all my heart and all my soul, make good choices and do great things.’ I got that from my father. Love him, miss him and have gratitude that God gave him to me as a mentor.”

— Rich Pollack

Flavors Honorary Chairs Thom and Joyce DeVita, Chairwoman Karli Vazquez-Mendez and Honorary Chairs Joni and Al Goldberg. Photo provided by Munoz Photography

By Amy Woods

The Junior League of Boca Raton celebrated its ninth-annual Flavors event, known locally as the ultimate food and wine extravaganza. This year’s installment included more than 30 participating restaurants, dynamic live performances and a fashion show. A live auction offered patrons a chance to bid on delicious dinners, high-end jewelry and sports tickets. Nearly 750 attended.

“The proceeds of the Flavors event will continue to fund our mission and our work within the issues of hunger, child welfare and nonprofit support,” said Renata Sans de Negri, league president. “We look forward to hosting another tasty Flavors event in 2019.”

In other league news, the annual Day of Impact dedicated to improving the community was a success, with members completing nearly 490 volunteer hours with 12 nonprofits. Additionally, more than 15,000 diapers were deposited in the diaper bank for distribution to babies in need.

Summer camp at Spady delves into black history

Children and teens who arrive at the Spady Cultural Heritage Museum this summer for camp will forgo the usual park, pool and zoo experiences, opting instead to learn the arts, crafts and foods of African-American culture. The camp will feature creative teachers who will share how to install an exhibit, quilt and make meals all while imparting lessons of historical importance to the next generation.

The Youth Cultural Empowerment Camp will take place from 9 a.m. to noon Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. It begins June 26 and runs through Aug. 2. Cost is $50. The six-week intensive program focuses on building self-esteem and social responsibility, as well as enhancing the Palm Beach County School District’s black-history curriculum.

“We are trying to create a time and place for children to learn things they would only get from their elders,” said Tonya Akins, the museum’s youth coordinator. “Everyone should know about their heritage, how their grandparents and great-grandparents communicated, built and shared.”

Community Greening co-founder Matt Shipley accepts a check from Grass River Garden Club members Karen Muse (center) and Patsy Randolph. Photo provided

Grass River Garden Club presents three grants

The Grass River Garden Club has presented two grants totaling $12,000 to the Delray Beach Historical Society for a new white-picket fence and soil preparation for a garden area on North Swinton Avenue.

“We are grateful to the Grass River Garden Club for this significant contribution that will unify our multibuilding campus with the unique fencing that is a part of the historic Swinton corridor,” society Executive Director Winnie Diggans Edwards said.

Through another grant, the club will fund a second arboretum in Delray Beach to be identified by Community Greening, a local nonprofit, to which $5,000 was donated. Community Greening, founded in 2016, already has been responsible for planting more than 300 trees in the city. The new project will be in the area of Atlantic Avenue east of Interstate 95.

The club also has given a $500 grant to the Sandoway Discovery Center to pay for an educational outing for schoolchildren at the popular beachside campus on Ocean Boulevard. A check was presented by club Grant Committee Chairwoman Karen Muse to Sandoway Executive Director Danica Sanborn.

“We are pleased to make available this experience with the animals and plants along the ocean shore, especially for the many children here in Palm Beach County who live close to the ocean but have not had the experience to visit the beaches,” Sanborn said.

Billy and Shelly Himmelrich serve up goodness at Palm Beach Empty Bowls. Photo provided

Empty Bowls benefits county food bank

Hundreds gathered to “eat simply so others can simply eat” as they shared a communal meal of soup and bread at Palm Beach Empty Bowls. Proceeds — $107,000 — from the event benefited the Palm Beach County Food Bank and will help provide food at no cost to more than 115 agencies on the front lines of hunger.

For $25, patrons selected a handmade ceramic bowl and chose from more than four dozen soups prepared and donated by some of the area’s finest chefs, along with artisan breads donated by Old School Bakery.

Prior to the event, supporters gathered at the home of Michael and Debbie Pucillo to honor the organizers. The Pucillos, honorary committee chairs, welcomed guests while food bank Executive Director Karen Erren thanked everyone for helping the nonprofit collect and distribute more than 5 million pounds of food to at least 100,000 needy Palm Beach County residents last year.

Gleaning event gathers unmarketable crops

To benefit the Palm Beach County Food Bank, agents and affiliates of the Realtors of the Palm Beaches and the Greater Fort Lauderdale Young Professionals Network and their families worked on gleaning a cucumber farm in western Delray Beach. Gleaning is a food-recovery strategy that allows farmers to donate fresh crops that are deemed unmarketable but safe to eat and nutritious.

Send news and notes to Amy Woods at flamywoods@bellsouth.net

More than 150 guests attended the inaugural gala for the Parkinson’s Foundation South Palm Beach County Chapter. The event honored Robert and Gail Milhous, longtime supporters, and was dedicated to the nonprofit’s vision of making life better for those with the disease. ABOVE: Gail and Robert Milhous. BELOW: Mary Ann and Paul Milhous. Photos provided by Annette Meye

Guests to the event ­— themed Angels & Heroes and benefiting Tri-County Animal Rescue — dug their spurs into bottomless cocktails, indulged in delectable hors d’oeuvres and lassoed up special items from the silent auction. The night segued into dinner, dessert and a live auction. ABOVE: (l-r) Sharon DiPietro, Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg and Suzi Goldsmith. Photo provided

Bagpipers from Palm Beach Pipes & Drums escorted women to the celebration. The tradition is part of the club’s last major event of the season. ABOVE: Toddy Donley is escorted. Photo provided

The Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters welcomed P. Scott Cunningham to the Theatre Lab. Cunningham is an essayist, poet and translator originally from Boca Raton whose new publication is titled ‘Ya Te Veo.’ LEFT: (l-r) Lou Tyrrell, artistic director of the Theatre Lab; Danita Nias, CEO of the FAU Foundation; Cunningham; Barb Schmidt; and Michael Horswell, college dean. Photo provided