Related: Along the Coast: Tax roll grows from previous estimate

By Rich Pollack

Difficult decisions could loom large on the horizon should a proposed state constitutional amendment reducing property taxes for a giant chunk of Florida homeowners be approved by 60% of voters in November.

Yes, local government leaders will have to make tough choices, but the ripple effect of those decisions could mean higher costs for everyone — from business owners and renters to even soccer moms who could face higher league registration fees for their children to participate.

Proponents of the amendment say it will be a blessing for homeowners facing higher insurance costs and other affordability issues. They also see it as reining in local governments, whose budgets they say have been bloated thanks to increasing property values on which the taxes are based.  

At the same time, the proposed amendment is being portrayed by opponents as a potential nightmare for local governments that depend on property tax dollars to provide a variety of services. They say it could also create unwanted costs for businesses and landlords that could be passed on to consumers and renters.

“You’re opening doors for local governments to create other fees and taxes to offset the loss in revenue,” said Jeff Kottkamp, president and CEO of Florida TaxWatch, an organization that is often on the side of keeping taxes reasonable. “It could ultimately lead to no savings at all.” 

The potential savings

Should the amendment pass, homesteaded property owners would see this year's $51,411 homestead exemption — up from $50,722 in 2025 — increase to $150,000 in 2027 and to $250,000 the following year. 

That would be welcome news for homesteaded property owners in the state. Take, for example, a homeowner in Ocean Ridge whose property has a taxable value of about $1 million (see chart). That homeowner pays property taxes not just to the town of Ocean Ridge, but also to Palm Beach County and others including the county’s Children’s Services Council and the Palm Beach County Health Care District — a total of a dozen different property tax assessments. 

Should the amendment pass, that homeowner would likely see a tax saving of almost $1,800 over the two-year period, bringing the total tax bill down from about $18,500 to about $17,900 the first year of the increased exemption and to about $17,300 after the second year. The savings would continue into the future, with increases in the exemption tied to the Consumer Price Index.

For the town of Ocean Ridge, that homeowner’s reductions will translate into a tax revenue loss of $361 from the town the first year and about $725 the second year. 

The challenge for the town, and for most Florida municipalities, will be to figure out how to continue providing services with less revenue if the exemptions are increased. 

That, says Charles Chapman, a legislative advocate for the Florida League of Cities, is likely to cause a shift in footing the bill, with those without a homestead exemption being on the front lines. 

“If you reduce the number of people paying, those that remain pay a higher percentage of the taxes,” he said.

Limited options

Delray Beach City Manager Terrence Moore agrees with the idea that there are really just three options available to the local governments. 

Elected officials could raise the property tax rate, called the millage; they could increase fees, or they could reduce services. They could do any combination of those or all three. The goal, Moore said, is to strike a balance between revenue generation and reduced expenses. 

Factor in the “pebble in the pond” effect, opponents of the amendment say, and negative impacts of the local government actions could be widespread. 

Chapman uses the example of his child’s soccer league to illustrate the point. The league pays the city to lease the playing field. If the city raises the cost of the agreement, the league may possibly raise the registration fees to a point where Chapman may have to decide whether to enroll his child in just two of the league’s three sessions. 

With the potential for large revenue cuts a reality, cities are already looking for ways to trim expenses, but where to cut could be a challenge politically, as could the idea of raising the tax rate to generate revenue. 

Highland Beach Town Manager Marshall Labadie points out that governments may be forced to be less responsive to the wishes of their constituents if the money isn’t there. “It’s difficult for elected officials to not spend money on services residents are demanding,” he said. “It’s challenging.” 

Public safety is one area where residents often demand the best service possible. An earlier version of the proposed amendment made it difficult for governments to reduce public safety funding, but that language is no longer in the amendment. 

Making cuts to public safety, however, is a choice elected officials typically avoid. 

How tax rate could increase

Local governments and taxing districts can raise their tax rates or millages up to $10 for every $1,000 of taxable value in order to generate additional revenue, but a new law requires a unanimous vote of the governing body to approve the tax rate increase if it is more than 10% higher than the rolled back tax rate, which is the rate that would raise the same amount of taxes as the previous year, except for taxes from new construction. 

A raise in the tax rate would impact most of a municipality’s property owners and could lead businesses to increase prices and landlords to increase rents. The same holds true for special taxing districts, such as the South Florida Water Management District. 

But even non-homesteaded properties will see relief from escalating property taxes. The proposed constitutional amendment would cap the maximum annual assessment increase at 5%, down from the current 10% maximum. 

Politically, elected officials say, raising taxes is never a good idea. 

Those familiar with the amendment say its genesis in part comes as a result of a belief that local governments spent more than they needed to because they were getting more property tax revenue as home values rose.

The amendment stops short of eliminating all property taxes for homesteaded properties — something Gov. Ron DeSantis has supported — but the referendum “requires, through general law, a schedule for full elimination” of those taxes.

Belt-tightening avoided?

TaxWatch’s Kottkamp, a former lieutenant governor and Republican legislator, says that too often governments looked at how much they had to spend and found ways to spend it, rather than figure out how much they needed and come up with the necessary funds. 

“Part of this is their own fault,” he said. “They have hidden behind the increased value and not exercised fiscal constraint.” 

Numbers provided by TaxWatch show that property tax revenue for three of the area’s largest cities grew by more than 100% from 2014 to 2024. 

Boynton Beach saw a 130% increase in property tax revenue. Boca Raton, according to TaxWatch, saw a 120% increase in tax revenue, while Delray Beach saw a 106% increase. The study does not include smaller towns in the coastal Palm Beach County area. 

State Rep. Peggy Gossett-Seidman, R-Highland Beach, a former town commissioner, says that some of the funds the local governments received could have been put into reserves, used to pay debt or used to reduce taxes. 

Gossett-Seidman, who voted to put the proposed amendment before voters, said that she has seen examples of wasteful and even illegal spending in communities outside of South Florida while sitting on the statehouse’s Joint Legislative Auditing Committee. 

“There are counties and cities that need to do better,” she said. 

Costs have increased

Highland Beach’s Labadie says that one of the reasons governments are spending more is that their costs have gone up as well. Insurance costs have increased and so have employee costs, especially in public safety.

A quick look on Google showed that starting salaries for police officers in Boca Raton, Delray Beach and Boynton Beach increased dramatically between 2015 and 2025. The Google search showed that Boca Raton’s starting salaries increased from around $48,000-$50,000 to $91,000, while Delray Beach’s starting salaries increased from $40,000-$50,000 to $72,000, and Boynton Beach’s went from $48,241 to $73,632.

Chapman from the League of Cities points out that a fire truck that cost $500,000 to $600,000 in 2019 now costs $1.5 million. 

Is issue ripe for voters?

For its part, the League of Cities believes that a flaw in the proposed amendment is that it applies the same exemption to cities across the board, without taking into consideration the different conditions each faces. 

“Tax revenue is the bread and butter for how municipalities operate,” Chapman said. “It requires an understanding that one size doesn’t fit all.” 

Kottkamp from TaxWatch says that his organization is concerned that more time wasn’t spent on devising a property tax reform plan and believes lawmakers could have waited until 2027 when a constitutionally mandated Taxation and Budget Reform Commission will be meeting. 

“We love to see some property tax relief, but we’d like to see more time,” he said. 

Gossett-Seidman, who counters that legislators have been working on this behind the scenes for more than two years, says she thinks that one of the benefits of the amendment is that it has generated conversations about municipal finances. 

“It nothing else, it has got people talking,” she said. “I’m hoping taxpayers start looking at budgets.” 

What’s happening locally 

Boca Raton — Deputy City Manager and Chief Financial Officer Jim Zervis said the tax revenue loss will be “manageable” for the city. Nonetheless, the city will have to make budget cuts next year if voters approve the amendment.

No significant changes are planned in how the city approaches this year’s budget, though officials have already made $1.27 million in cuts proposed by staff.

Council member Jon Pearlman doesn’t think the city is going far enough this year given the potential for a steep revenue decline on the horizon.

Related: Boca Raton: Proposed property tax rate to remain almost the same

Boynton Beach — City Manager Dan Dugger said the city will have to look at other ways to fund discretionary programs using fees or assessments, or possibly creating special taxing districts like Boca Raton’s Beach and Park District.

He said if the amendment passes, programs that might be difficult to protect include subsidized senior services, neighborhood and social-service assistance, and free community events.

Briny Breezes — Town Manager Bill Thrasher is looking for ways to reduce expenditures, possibly refinancing town loans in hopes of getting lower interest rates, and is seeking other revenue options “if there are any.”  

Delray Beach — City officials are debating what budget strategy makes the most sense this year given November’s referendum and its potential implications. They could keep the property tax rate steady, borrow minimally from reserves and make more than $19 million in cuts — or possibly raise the tax rate, dip heavily into reserves, and reduce the amount of cuts needed to about $5 million. 

“I think there’s an argument to be made that we’re about to get handcuffed,” the city’s chief financial officer, Henry Dachowitz, said of the referendum at a June 9 commission workshop.

“You’re playing a game and you’ve got to look at the rules and do the best you can for the community,” he said. “I think hard times are coming. Taxpayers, when offered the chance to pay less taxes, will generally take it.” 

While officials said the city doesn’t need to make any immediate decisions related to the referendum, they also said they can’t wait until the referendum passes to start planning what to do.

Commissioners discussed creating “municipal services taxing districts” for services like parks and recreation, which would be among the most likely to see deep cuts. The taxing districts, which would require County Commission approval as well, would offset losses in city revenue from the referendum with new taxing districts on property tax bills.

Dachowitz said the city should also begin a major “cost-accounting” to develop what the fees for different services could look like if the commission goes in that direction.

Gulf Stream — Town officials say they aren’t overly concerned about the initial years of a forced property tax cut if it is approved by voters.

The town is facing minimal hits in 2027 and 2028 — the latter year amounting to about 3.9% of the town’s budget — because the average value of Gulf Stream’s 373 homestead properties is about $2.8 million.

“So even with a $250,000 exemption, the other $2.5 million is being taxed and would not be exempt. So that’s kind of our saving grace is having a very large per-property taxable value,” Town Manager Trey Nazzaro said. 

Officials are less certain past 2028, in part because it’s not clear what a “schedule for full elimination” of homesteaded property taxes mentioned in the referendum would look like.

Highland Beach — Town leaders are reviewing their five-year financial plan to see what the future holds for some capital projects. Town Manager Marshall Labadie says the town will be able to weather a new $150,000 homestead exemption with the help of reserves without having to make major cuts but that the second year’s exemption increase to $250,000 may be more of a challenge. 

Lantana — Town Manager Brian Raducci said vacant positions in town are temporarily frozen and may be eliminated through attrition because of the uncertainty around the referendum. 

Major capital initiatives, such as the Lantana Beach Master Plan project, will face re-evaluation as the town shifts to a strict “maintain and replace” infrastructure model if the referendum passes, he said.

Another proactive fiscal measure being proposed is to reduce the maximum merit-based employee salary increase in the new budget from the 5% allowed in the past to a 4% maximum. 

“The projected revenue drop will impact core departments like police, public services, development and the library,” Raducci said, if the referendum passes. “Services, and non-essential services, including park/beach maintenance and all major community events, will face severe reductions or elimination.”

Related: Lantana: Proposed budget includes continuation of capital projects

Manalapan — Town commissioners have been briefed on the amendment and the town will adjust if necessary. Manager Eric Marmer says the town will continue to evaluate its budget and look at additional revenue opportunities and possible savings if needed.

Ocean Ridge — The town is still determining the impact to its finances should the referendum pass, but Vice Mayor Steve Coz thinks it should still be in good shape given the strength of its property values. The town also benefits from having strong reserves, he said.

The town is changing its fee structure to meet new state requirements, including for building permits, so that the fees more accurately reflect the cost of the services being provided.

South Palm Beach — Town Manager Jamie Titcomb says the town is in good shape in the short term, having built up reserves that should allow it to continue funding planned capital improvements.

In the long term, local legislative issues will have to be decided on a case-by-case basis and on available funding. 

A team of reporters contributed to this report.

Q&A on Florida’s property tax referendum 

Q: Would I still owe property taxes if the taxable value of my homestead is less than $250,000 — the amount of the exemption in the second year? 

A: Yes. All property owners with homesteads worth more than $25,000 will continue to pay at least a school tax.

Q: Would my total tax bill go down if my homestead’s assessed value is over $500,000? 

A: More than likely. However, a number of variables could reduce the savings and possibly eliminate them, such as an increase in some of the tax rates you pay.

Q: Can local governments raise their tax rates? 

A: Yes, but for larger increases, a unanimous vote of a municipality’s governing body — or a public referendum — is required. 

Q: Can my city or town charge more for services that offset my tax savings?

A: Yes, governments are allowed to charge fees for a variety of services — including for parking, libraries and recreation programs — and they can also increase fines. 

Q: Why do proponents feel this amendment is necessary? 

A: Many think there has been wasteful spending by local governments as property values increased. They want to limit property tax revenue to core municipal services such as public safety and infrastructure.

Q: Will the assessed value of my property increase?  

A: Most likely. However, the assessed value would still be limited to a maximum 3% increase annually for homesteaded properties. For other properties, the value could only increase a maximum of 5%, which is half the 10% annual increase currently allowed. 

Q: Would nonprofits be impacted? 

A: Yes. Local government funding to nonprofits would likely be cut or reduced. Special taxing districts such as Palm Beach County’s Children’s Services Council, which provides grants to nonprofits, would likely see a significant reduction in funding.

Agents see no end to run on town’s real estate with latest deals

Once viewed for development as a spec home, this lot was split between David MacNeil and Larry Ellison. Photo provided

By Jane Musgrave

Fueled largely by two well-known multibillionaires who have invested heavily in Manalapan in recent years, real estate sales in the tiny coastal town have broken local, state and even national records in recent months.

The latest eye-popping purchase came in June when WeatherTech founder David MacNeil plunked down $32 million and Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison agreed to pay $35 million to split a 4-acre ocean-to-Intracoastal lot that was to become home to one of the most expensive houses in the United States.

Former Manalapan Mayor Stewart Satter was the mastermind behind the idea of building a $285 million spec house on the land at 1960 S. Ocean Blvd. that he purchased in 2024 for $27.5 million.

Instead, the real estate entrepreneur abandoned plans to build a 50,000-square-foot custom-designed house and instead sold the lot for $67 million to the two business moguls, allowing them to become neighbors.

The new neighbors are both major supporters of President Donald Trump, who makes his home about eight miles north at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach. Trump nominated MacNeil to the Federal Trade Commission. Ellison has long been part of Trump’s inner circle.

Satter declined comment on the sale because Ellison hadn’t closed on his half of the property. But in the past, Satter has credited the real estate boom in Manalapan to the 81-year-old business tycoon who was known as the “bad boy” of tech as he built his fortune.

Satter called it the Ellison effect. He is one of the five richest men in the world, worth an estimated $201 billion to $238 billion, and people take notice of him, Satter said.

Ellison burst on the scene in 2022 when he paid $173 million for the 16-acre former Ziff estate immediately south of the 2 acres he is buying from Satter. It was the most expensive residential real estate transaction in Florida history, shattering the previous state record of $122.7 million.

Two years later, Ellison doubled down, buying the 310-room Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa for $277.4 million.

Other luxury real estate experts agreed that Ellison’s record-breaking land buys put Manalapan in the spotlight.

But, they said, Manalapan is unique.

‘No signs of slowing down’

“I think many buyers who can’t necessarily find what they want in Palm Beach have come down to Manalapan and realized they can get more,” said Nick Younker, of William Raveis Real Estate in Palm Beach.

Wealthy buyers fall in love with the large lots that stretch from the Atlantic Ocean to the Intracoastal Waterway — property that doesn’t exist in Palm Beach, he said.

Margit Brandt, who represented MacNeil in the purchase of Satter’s land, agreed. 

“Manalapan continues to be the premier destination for ocean-to-lake transactions, attracting more and more discerning buyers year over year,” said Brandt, of Premier Estate Properties in Palm Beach.

To underscore her point, on the same day MacNeil closed on the deal with Satter, Brandt represented Pan-Pacific Mechanical CEO Ron McMackin when he and his wife, Town Commissioner Cindy McMackin, sold their estate at 1660 S. Ocean Boulevard for $72 million. 

The combination of MacNeil and McMackin gave Brandt a $104 million day, cementing her standing as the top-ranked agent in Manalapan for 2026.

But, Younker said, such days are no longer unusual. “There will have been multiple $100 million-plus sales by the end of this year,” he said. “It shows no signs of slowing down.”

Earth-moving equipment and workers are busy at 1960 S. Ocean Blvd. in Manalapan on June 29. The work is taking place on David MacNeil's side of the property that he and fellow multibillionaire Larry Ellison agreed to split. Combined, the two men have invested hundreds of millions of dollars in Manalapan real estate recently. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

MacNeil’s parcels

MacNeil, a car accessories magnate with an estimated net worth of $4.2 billion, has done his part to keep land prices in Manalapan sky-high.

The 2 acres he bought from Satter will allow him to more than double the size of the adjacent 17,558-square-foot fully furnished house that he bought earlier this year on land once owned by pop singer Billy Joel.

According to plans that he submitted to the Manalapan Architectural Commission, the 2½-story addition will add 20,578 square feet of living space to the home. Other plans include the addition of a second pool and spa with an overflow waterfall feature.

When MacNeil paid $68.3 million for the house at 1940 S. Ocean Boulevard, it was the most expensive residential sale in the country during the month of February.

Two months later, he set another sales record when he sold a 3.5-acre oceanfront lot for $105 million. The sale of the property at 1120 S. Ocean Blvd. is the most paid for vacant land in Palm Beach County history. 

When MacNeil bought what were two separate parcels last year, he razed two houses with plans to build a dream house for himself and his family. Instead, he sold the property to HSH-Sunshine Revocable Trust, pocketing $11.5 million. Hidden by the trust documents, the buyer’s identity is unknown.

MacNeil is continuing to expand his footprint. 

He is under contract to purchase a house on nearly 2 acres directly north of his recently purchased and growing estate for $36 million, the Wall Street Journal reported. The home is owned by car-dealership owner Ralph Gesualdo and his wife, Mary Gesualdo, who purchased the property for $10.3 million in 2020.  

The purchase would bring MacNeil’s total oceanfront compound to nearly 8 acres. 

By Larry Barszewski

As America celebrates its 250th birthday, Palm Beach County residents wanting to visit a Revolutionary War battle site need only get in a boat and head a few miles offshore.

A historic naval battle, the last of the Revolution, took place there, though technically after the fighting had already ended. 

There are no GPS coordinates for the March 10, 1783, encounter between the victorious USS Alliance and the defeated HMS Sybil. Such technology was more than a bicentennial celebration away.

The battle for years has been described as having taken place off the coast of Cape Canaveral. There’s even a historical marker about the battle on nearby Merritt Island, where the battle is celebrated.

But a decade ago, when Cape Canaveral’s current staff historian went looking for additional information about the battle for an article she was writing, she found original navigational logs from the Alliance that showed the skirmish really took place between present-day West Palm Beach and Boca Raton.

“My article was not very well received by some of our local history organizations,” historian Molly Thomas now admits, but she says the logs and other ship entries don’t lie.

It appears the Cape Canaveral reference for the battle is a mix-up akin to the Revolutionary War misnomer of the Battle of Bunker Hill, which instead took place on Breed’s Hill. It turns out Cape Canaveral was one of the few easily identifiable coastal reference points for voyagers sailing between St. Augustine and the Florida Keys, Thomas said.

“Even for the most enthusiastic local historian to say that this location (more than 140 miles to the southeast) is ‘off the coast of Cape Canaveral,’ seems a bit of a stretch,” she wrote in her 2017 story in Brevard County’s Indian River Journal, which detailed her research.

Given her findings, some have given the fight an alternate name: the Battle of the Gulf Stream.

The USS Alliance. Image provided

The 14th (and 15th) colonies

Many people may not realize it, but Florida — then split between East Florida and West Florida — belonged to Great Britain during the Revolutionary War. The British got the two colonies from Spain in 1763 following the French and Indian War, and 20 years later — when the Revolutionary War ended — they went back to Spain.

Florida, despite its short history with Britain as its 14th and 15th colonies, was loyal to the crown and was enemy territory during the revolution. Many loyalists from the 13 original colonies made their way to Florida when the fighting started.

There wasn’t much here.

“Unlike the other British colonies in North America, East Florida literally had only one town,” St. Augustine, said historian Roger Clark Smith, who teaches at the University of Florida. 

He further explained, “St. Augustine was mentioned in letters by George Washington as a military target and a military concern — Congress authorized invasions into East Florida five times, three of which pierced our borders.”

Janet DeVries Naughton, a local historian in Palm Beach County, echoed that in research she has done.

“East Florida’s capital city St. Augustine served as a base of British operation against the south,” Naughton wrote about Florida’s short history under British rule. “The settlement had a fortification that included a garrison and a single British infantry regiment. This regiment successfully blockaded most invading rebels; therefore, few notable or epic battles were lost or won in the territory.”

It’s not surprising that the land that is now Palm Beach County played no role in the war. If Florida was inhospitable to the revolutionaries and revolution taking place to the north, the coast between the current Boca Raton and Palm Beach inlets was just plain inhospitable to all.

Some native Americans eked out an existence here, and historians say Spanish fishers occasionally camped along the coast, but that was about it.

The Gulf Stream connection

The Gulf Stream, however, brought the war alongside our coast. Its currents provided a lifeline between Great Britain and its holdings in the West Indies, with the Gulf Stream’s closest point to shore off the coast of present-day Palm Beach County.

Historians say those product-laden ships heading back to Britain from the West Indies were targets of marauding privateers — basically American pirates authorized by the government during the revolution to attack British ships and seize their goods. 

The coast, though part of loyal Florida, would provide no comfort to British crews forced to abandon ship. Reaching shore would just put them amid unfriendly natives in a miserably hot and  mosquito-infested landscape, overgrown with saw palmetto and mangroves. 

The final battle

The term Gulf Stream barely existed when the Founding Fathers gathered in Philadelphia in July 1776 to sign the Declaration of Independence. 

In fact, one of those Founding Fathers was the first to chart a map of the Gulf Stream only a few years earlier. Benjamin Franklin (of course!) managed the accomplishment when he wasn’t busy inventing the lightning rod, bifocal glasses or — yes, he did this, too — an improved urinary catheter.

In 1783, with a peace treaty having been negotiated, the seas were still not safe — and news of the armistice traveled slowly. Two American ships, the Alliance and the Duc De Lauzun, were transporting 72,000 Spanish silver dollars from Havana to Philadelphia needed to pay Continental Army troops that March. 

The Sybil and two other British ships came on the scene, with the Sybil chasing after the slow-moving and smaller Duc De Lauzun, which at one point threw its cannons overboard that were weighing it down so it could increase its speed. The Alliance, under the command of Capt. John Barry, reversed course to come to the aid of the Duc De Lauzun and face the Sybil broadside. Barry would later be appointed by President George Washington as the first commissioned officer in the U.S. Navy, awarded the rank of commodore.

The 28-gun frigate Sybil was badly damaged in the fight with the 36-gun frigate Alliance and limped away after the battle that lasted less than an hour.

Thomas was able to track the sea battle thanks to logs available online through Villanova University.

“Every day, at noon, the Alliance crew would log their coordinates,” Thomas said. “That’s how you know where they were each day at noon and how fast they were going.”

In a different age, she mused, the fight could have been known as the Battle of Boca Raton. 

Highland Beach firefighter/paramedics Ricardo Robinson and Cale Brader raise the yellow and purple beach warning flags in front of Fire Station 120. The town is now raising daily beach condition flags at the fire station and at the town’s north and south entry signs to indicate water safety conditions. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Rich Pollack

Highland Beach is now making it easy for residents and visitors to find out beach conditions thanks to flags that are flying in three locations — and a webpage that provides valuable information for those going to the beach.

The town began flying colored condition flags on June 24 at the town’s north and south entrances on State Road A1A, and in front of the fire station at 3612 S. Ocean Blvd.

In addition, the town now has a dedicated beach conditions page on its website, highlandbeach.us, and a beach conditions tab on the town’s app home page.

Highland Beach is now flying beach condition flags to alert swimmers about the condition of the water in the wake of an apparent drowning earlier this year. Graphic provided

The decision to ensure residents have beach condition information came following the apparent April 4 drowning of Dr. Samuel Lang, who was swimming alone when he was caught in a strong rip current off the town’s coastline.

The town is also continuing to explore the possibility of adding more beach condition flags at several beach entry points.

Because all beaches in Highland Beach are private, there are no lifeguards and town fire rescue personnel have limited access to the beach.

Visitors to the town’s website can click on the “Community” tab at the top of the home page and then click on “Today’s Beach Conditions.”

Once on the page, visitors can access information including beach conditions, weather advisories and water quality information, as well as weather, tide, sunrise and sunset information and water and air temperature.

The same information is available on the app.

Patriotic fervor is on full display this month, with Fourth of July fireworks extravaganzas up and down the coast — including in Lantana, Boynton Beach, Delray Beach and Boca Raton —  and even a reading of the Declaration of Independence as part of Delray Beach’s festivities.

It is quite a feat that America is still standing 250 years after that declaration was first read throughout the 13 colonies.

Let’s keep that exuberance going as we head into the fall and the upcoming election season.

Nothing is more foundational to the ideal that is America than the right to vote, giving each citizen a say in the direction our country takes.

It’ll be up to people like Wendy Sartory Link, Palm Beach County’s elections supervisor, to make sure the rules are followed and the elections go off without a hitch. That’s no easy task when you realize that in Palm Beach County alone, there are close to 870,000 registered voters.

I attended an Elections Experience Tour in June that Link offered to teach “about the election process, voting equipment, ballot security, and the steps taken to ensure accurate and transparent elections.”

Link’s tour was impressive, detailing and demonstrating the steps taken during each part of the process to ensure the integrity of our elections. 

The system’s machines can move ballots at incredible speeds — yet still have time to weigh every ballot being mailed out as an added precaution — with built-in redundancies to verify an accurate count.

While the mailed-in votes zip through many parts of the system, the voter signatures on them are all checked manually by trained staff. When it comes to counting the vote, the results are tabulated by two separate systems, providing an automatic audit of every precinct’s results.

When irregularities or issues pop up, the county’s canvassing board — made up of Link, a county commissioner and a county judge — steps in to make a final determination.

But there will be plenty of places for confusion to pop up. 

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in June that states that allow mailed-in ballots postmarked by Election Day to be counted can continue to count them.

Just remember, Florida isn’t one of those states. Florida elections supervisors can only count ballots from regular voters that arrive in their offices by Election Day. 

There are also battles taking place that could impact the vote here, such as over what exactly is a free and fair election.

It has to be that everyone eligible to vote — and only those eligible to vote — are allowed to vote. However, some people place the emphasis on making it as easy as possible for all eligible voters to be able to cast a ballot, while others stress the need for additional safeguards to find and stop any ineligible voters from doing so.

In the end, it’ll be up to the courts to determine what steps are OK and which go too far — and just how easy or difficult it should be for citizens to take part in the election process.

The founders didn’t create a perfect system. Each generation has struggled to keep the promise of America going. Two steps forward, one step back; that’s the history of our country.

We just need people willing to stand up for the rights and values that got us this far, especially the right to vote, to provide hope as America sets its sights on that next looming milestone — our tricentennial — 50 years from now.

— Larry Barszewski,

 Editor 

Ilona and Malcolm Balfour were instrumental in the creation and maintenance of the Lantana Nature Preserve and were honored by the Town Council for their service. Jim Rassol/The Coastal Star

By Mary Thurwachter 

A presentation during the June 8 Lantana Town Council meeting turned the spotlight on one of the town’s most beloved couples, Malcolm and Ilona Balfour. They were recognized for their dedication to the town, especially the Nature Preserve. 

Born in South Africa, the Balfours, now in their 80s, celebrated their 58th wedding anniversary recently. Their life hasn’t always been easy (Ilona says her husband often worked multiple jobs to provide for the family), but has been marked with a love of community.They moved to Miami in 1968, where Malcolm, the son of a South African journalist, began writing for Reuters and UPI. One assignment had him covering a ball at the Breakers in Palm Beach, where he ended up dancing with Rose Kennedy. 

That news caught the attention of media mogul Generoso Pope of The National Enquirer, which was headquartered in Lantana. Pope hired Balfour, which brought the couple and their two small children to Lantana in 1972. By 1975, they had moved into the house where they still reside on Hypoluxo Island. Nestled between the beach and the newspaper, it was perfect for the young family. Malcolm rode his bicycle to work.

The location also put the Balfours in good position to overlook the Lantana Nature Preserve. It opened at 440 E. Ocean Ave. in 2000 and was practically in their backyard, with a small waterway between. 

The preserve hadn’t existed when the family first arrived. The Balfour kids waded through the water to play games on the property.

Ilona and other concerned residents were instrumental in the preserve’s creation. In the 1970s, Ilona and others founded Save Our Parks to make sure valuable town waterfront land wasn’t sold for development.

Other members of Save Our Parks included Rod and Elizabeth Tennyson, Andrea Babkie and Veronica Rauch, Ilona said at the presentation.

Save Our Parks’ first victory came with the creation of Bicentennial Park in 1976. It looked like the town mayor then was going to sell the land to build shops on the waterfront property. 

Save Our Parks rallied for a park and won. That same year, the Balfours, caught up in Bicentennial fervor, became U.S. citizens.

Next targeted for sale and development was the town dump, a 13-acre plot between the beach and Hypoluxo Island. Plans called for a luxury home community to be built on the site, but residents, particularly the Save Our Parks crew, lobbied and were ultimately successful in securing a park.

Developers built a luxury senior living home, the Carlisle, on 7.5 acres. 

The 6.5 acres beside it became the Lantana Nature Preserve, designed to look much like what pioneers who arrived in 1865 would have seen. 

As part of the negotiations with the developer, the Carlisle agreed to pay for maintenance. 

That fee has grown over the years. This year, the town will receive $65,000 to care for the park. Carlisle residents are regular park visitors.

“We visited every bar in town to get the local fishermen involved and filled the council chambers with people who wanted a park,” Ilona said.

Ilona is part of local tree lore. Folks say that when the preserve was being constructed, Ilona chained herself to a ficus tree to protect it from destruction as she held a sign that read “Leave my tree Ilona,” a wordplay on her first name. She didn’t actually do that.

“I threatened to tie myself to the tree,” she says. But the ficus wasn’t a native and had to go. It was replaced with a strangler fig. “The birds seem to like it,” she says.

Since it opened in 2000, the Balfours have been active visitors and staunch supporters of the preserve’s wildlife and conservation efforts. Malcolm was a member of the Town Council for nine years. Environmental and preservation issues remain part of his public service record. 

By the late 1990s, the town began clearing the debris and grading the terrain to mimic a coastal dune. Nonnative plants were removed and replaced with mangrove seedlings and coastal grasses.

The Balfours, as members of the Friends of the Lantana Nature Preserve, were active visitors and supporters. In the early years, Friends of the Lantana Nature Preserve sponsored educational tours for children to teach them about native plants. 

“We’d give them prizes when they correctly identified plants,” Ilona said. “Before Mother’s Day, we gave them each a butterfly plant to take home to their mothers.”

If a bathroom visit was necessary, they marched the children next door to the luxurious Carlisle. 

“The kids were more excited about the marble restrooms than the plants,” Ilona remembered.

Former Mayor Dave Stewart, who drove down from his home in St. Augustine to witness the presentation, said the Balfours were dedicated to preserving the small-town feel of Lantana.

“They have done their best to make sure the town was a pleasant, nice place for people to live, work and play,” he said. “They have always tried to do what is best.” 

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By Rich Pollack

Highland Beach has put the brakes on plans to ban electric bikes and other battery-operated vehicles from its 3-mile-long walking path on State Road A1A after learning that any such moves would have to be blessed by the Florida Department of Transportation.

Further knocking the town off balance is a proposed Palm Beach County ordinance that could be implemented throughout the entire county regulating the vehicles.

Highland Beach town leaders, led largely by Vice Mayor David Stern, have expressed concerns about electric bikes and other electric vehicles on the walking path, which is popular among walkers and people on non-motorized bicycles.

In response, Town Attorney Len Rubin drafted an ordinance prohibiting motorized scooters, e-bikes and other motor vehicles from being operated on the path, but he said it would be difficult to enforce without FDOT’s consent.

“The town could not enforce the ordinance or erect any signage warning operators of the prohibition without the approval and consent of FDOT,” he wrote.

Town Manager Marshall Labadie said the town will reach out to FDOT officials to see if it is possible to implement the ordinance on the walking path.

Rubin said that even a proposed county ordinance being circulated would most likely need FDOT approval if it was to be enforced on FDOT rights-of-way.

Regarding the electric vehicles, the draft of the county ordinance requires “operation with due care and prudence, having regard for pedestrian activity, traffic conditions, visibility and other attendant circumstances that does not endanger the safety of persons or property.”

It would also prohibit operation on sidewalks and shared-use paths within designated commercial or high pedestrian areas and would allow the designation of zones where electric vehicles are prohibited.

While that ordinance could be applied countywide, Rubin said that municipalities would have the ability to not adopt it.

Already several area municipalities have been considering ordinances regulating electric vehicles on sidewalks. Boynton Beach has discussed a proposed ordinance, but not adopted it, and staff in Delray Beach is doing research into possible regulation. Boca Raton relies on state law and prohibits e-motorcycles on sidewalks.

In June, Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed a proposed new state law that would have required e-bikes to go no faster than 10 miles per hour on sidewalks or pedestrian areas if a pedestrian is within 50 feet. The law also would have required those on e-vehicles to provide an audible warning, such as a bell, before passing a pedestrian on a shared-use path or park trail.

The law, that was passed unanimously by both houses of the legislature, would have also required riders under 16 to wear a properly fitted helmet.

In vetoing the bill, the governor said that it would be difficult for e-bicycles to measure their speed while safely operating the vehicle.

DeSantis also said that the new law would eventually lead to more public surveillance through radar or other devices.

“Certainly, I don’t want to anything that’s going to lead to more surveillance,” he said during a news conference on June 26.

In Florida, the legislature can override a veto with two thirds of members present in each house voting in favor. It is likely, however, the vote would have to come at the end of the next legislative session in 2027.

Manager gets pay boost — Manalapan Town Manager Eric Marmer will get a $40,000-a-year raise beginning Oct. 1, pushing his annual salary to $235,000, town commission members decided on June 23. Commissioners made no comments about Marmer’s performance or the 20.5% pay hike.

After serving about a year as assistant to longtime Town Manager Linda Stumpf, Marmer was promoted to the top job in September 2024 and given an annual salary of $170,000. That grew to $195,000 this year. While the commission signed off on a three-year deal, Marmer will be eligible for pay hikes each year of the contract.

At his new salary, Marmer will be paid less than the $255,200 that Highland Beach Town Manager Marshall Labadie is earning this year.

Eminent domain for Town Hall land — Plans to replace Town Hall moved closer to reality when a judge in June gave town leaders the go-ahead to seize the site of a former bank on South Ocean Boulevard for their new headquarters.

As ordered by Palm Beach County Circuit Judge Darren Shull, the town on June 23 deposited $2.85 million into the court registry so it can begin negotiating a sale price with the New York owners of the former bank in the Plaza del Mar. The roughly 1-acre site is across from the Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa, a short way north of the town’s cramped 45-year-old offices that have been plagued by air conditioning and drainage problems.

The town was forced to use eminent domain to seize the land when landowner Salute Realty LLC failed to respond to a purchase offer. Town attorney Keith Davis said price negotiations will begin soon. If no agreement can be reached, a jury would decide how much the town will be forced to pay.

Salute bought the former bank in 2019 for $1.2 million. Since then, property values in Manalapan have skyrocketed.

Town officials have said they will likely have to buy additional land in the plaza to accommodate city administrative offices as well as the police and fire departments. Town Manager Eric Marmer said plans likely will begin to take shape next year.          

— Jane Musgrave

In some locations the oyster strands are hung with poly-rope (below right); city staffers hung the ones in Boca Raton’s Rutherford Park (above) on stainless steel cables that can provide longer lifespans. Photos provided

The fishing pier at Rutherford Park is now home to the city’s first “vertical oyster garden.”

City staff installed 25 strands of recycled oyster shells under the park’s pier on the Intracoastal Waterway in May. The strands, which were assembled by volunteers at the Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, provide a surface for oyster larvae to attach and grow, creating living reefs that support fish, crabs, shrimp and other marine life, the city said.

Oysters are powerful natural filters, with a single adult capable of filtering up to 50 gallons of water per day, the city said. As oyster populations grow, they improve water clarity, reduce excess nutrients and support seagrass growth.

The West Palm Beach Fishing Club partnered with restaurants to collect and recycle the oyster shells. The shells were drilled, strung on stainless steel cables and assembled into vertical gardens at Gumbo Limbo in April. Their weights were recorded to help track oyster growth and habitat development over time.

The project supports the city’s goals of improving water quality, restoring marine habitat, enhancing coastal resilience and engaging the community in environmental stewardship, the city said.

— Steve Plunkett

By Rich Pollack

After years of back-and-forth discussions and letters, Delray Beach in June filed a lawsuit against neighboring Highland Beach, claiming the oceanfront town owes the city $3.8 million for past fire rescue services. 

As they have for at least the past four years, Highland Beach town officials dispute the contention.

“The amount claimed is not substantiated by the exhibits they provided,” said Highland Beach Town Manager Marshall Labadie. 

In April 2025, Highland Beach responded to a request from Delray Beach for mediation by saying the town sees the advantage of settling the dispute without going to court, but it wouldn’t do that until it received detailed records it has been seeking for several years.

Now it appears mediation may be one of the first steps in the effort to resolve Delray Beach’s claims that Highland Beach is in breach of contract. 

“Now we have an opportunity to get to a place where we can resolve this issue,” Delray Beach City Manager Terrence Moore said. “This is the next step.”

In the lawsuit, the city said it initially sent the town a breach-of-contract notification in 2023 for $517,654 for moneys owed in 2020-2021 and 2021-2022. 

The suit said that in 2025, the city further reviewed “all transactions and amounts for services rendered and determined the town owed the city $3.8 million.”

Highland Beach’s Labadie said that the town has not received a bill from Delray Beach since 2023. 

For more than 30 years, Highland Beach and Delray Beach had an agreement in which Delray Beach provided fire and rescue services to the town using a town-owned fire station 

In May 2024, Highland Beach started its own fire department, following notification to the city in October 2021 that it would terminate the contract. 

During the final years of the contract, Highland Beach disputed the way Delray Beach calculated how much it was owed. 

In years prior to the split, Delray Beach began using the actual costs of the 21.5 firefighter paramedics assigned to the station in Highland Beach to determine the town’s cost for service, about $5 million per year. 

Highland Beach has argued, however, that the agreement between the two municipalities clearly states that such cost should be calculated based on the average “in-rank” cost of fire rescue personnel throughout the city.

Since that time, the two municipalities have exchanged correspondences, including one in which Highland Beach Town Attorney Len Rubin wrote that the town thinks the city actually owes it money because it overcharged the town almost $238,000 for fiscal years 2021 and 2022. 

While the city in the lawsuit says it provided the town with additional materials and data in 2023, Highland Beach leaders have said they have not received all the detailed information that substantiated Delray Beach’s contentions. 

“There is nothing to validate their claims,” Labadie said. 

In March 2023, State Rep. Peggy Gossett-Seidman, a former Highland Beach town commissioner, took the issue before the state’s Joint Legislative Auditing Committee that she served on. The committee referred the matter to the state auditor general’s office, which reported that November that Delray Beach had mismanaged its billing and had not charged Highland Beach for $2.2 million the city was owed. The anticipated mediation following that report has yet to occur.

The new lawsuit, which was filed in Palm Beach County Circuit Court on June 10, came just a short time after Delray Beach City Commissioner Juli Casale asked for an update on efforts to collect money owed by Highland Beach. 

Labadie said that he believes the dispute will eventually be resolved, but he doesn’t think that will happen quickly. 

“It will eventually work itself out in time,” he said. 

An auto engine, a wheel and an overturned SUV litter the northbound lane of A1A in Gulf Stream after the June 29 crash. Work to restore the road continued for hours into the next morning. Photo provided by Gulf Stream Police

The driver of a car speeding northbound on State Road A1A in Gulf Stream late at night on June 29 lost control of the Land Rover SUV, which hit a water pipe, struck several trees and then flipped over onto the roadway. 

The man, whose name has not been released, was transported by Trauma Hawk helicopter following the crash, with police shutting down A1A for about two hours following the 11:20 p.m. incident. Hours later, on the morning of June 30, A1A traffic was detoured for about 4 ½ hours as crews for Boynton Beach worked to repair the damaged water pipe.

Workers repair the broken water line hours after the crash. Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

Gulf Stream Police Chief Richard Jones said one of his officers was stationed in a cruiser along northbound A1A when his car shook from the Land Rover speeding past at an estimated 80 mph.

“As he looked up, the car was about beginning to lose control,” Jones said. The car struck a large water valve and crashed into multiple trees before flipping over, he said. The car’s engine could be seen along the roadway, having been knocked out of the car.

Jones said he could not release details about the driver while the crash is under investigation. The condition of the driver was not known as of press time June 30.

The crash occurred in the 4300 block of A1A, near the Ballantrae condominiums. Debris was scattered for several hundred feet, Jones said.

— Larry Barszewski

By Larry Barszewski

More than 500 juveniles and young adults swarmed the Delray Beach pavilion and surrounding area June 6 in a “Beach Takeover” that police said “had been promoted extensively on social media.”

Police said they were aware of the postings and were on hand in force to maintain public safety during the gathering, with officers clearing the area once the beach officially closed at dusk. 

Officers “managed several disturbances, fights, and acts of disorderly conduct that occurred as the crowd moved through the downtown corridor,” Police Chief Darrell Hunter wrote in an email to commissioners and the city manager the next day. 

“Multiple arrests were made when individuals resisted lawful orders, interfered with officers, or engaged in criminal activity,” Hunter said. “Despite the size of the crowd and the challenges presented, officers effectively controlled the situation, prevented escalation, and restored normal operations without any major injuries or significant property damage.”

As of June 23, the Police Department was denying The Coastal Star’s public records request for police reports of the incident that City Commissioner Tom Markert described as a “mob scene at A1A and Atlantic,” with police saying the reports concerned an active criminal investigation.

At the City Commission’s June 9 meeting, Markert said the gathering was one of several “takeovers” that had occurred in Palm Beach County during the previous week. He had seen social posts for a June 5 takeover of the Wellington Mall and another June 6 at the beach on Singer Island. There have been other reported “teen takeovers” happening across the state over the past several months.

While Markert said he doesn’t want to see juveniles being arrested, he also said the Delray Beach incident was a “scary situation” from his perspective. 

“We had several merchants that called me that had to close their doors because the conditions were unsafe,” Markert said. “I don’t want our residents to feel unsafe, and I certainly don’t want our merchants closing up their doors early on a Saturday night.” 

By Sephora Charles 

Delray Beach commissioners plan to invest nearly $396,000 in state opioid settlement funds toward housing, job assistance and a new mobile health unit designed to connect residents with support services. 

The city is receiving the money from annual distributions from a statewide opioid litigation settlement, established to address the effects of the opioid epidemic. The suits concerned the overdoses, addictions and deaths linked to manufacturing, distribution and over-prescribing of the painkillers. 

“These funds should be allocated in a way that reaches the entire community, most importantly those who are currently still alive, but struggling to stay alive and are the victims of these horrible practices,” Lissa Franklin, the executive director of the Delray Beach Drug Task Force, said during public comments at the commission’s June 9 meeting. 

Delray Beach currently has $395,524 available for opioid-related services, Assistant City Manager Jeff Oris said during the commission meeting. 

The commission’s approved expenditure plan includes $125,500 for a mobile integrated health unit run by the fire rescue department, $135,000 for workforce and job assistance grants, and $135,024 for affordable housing grants for residents in recovery.

The mobile integrated health unit is designed to follow up with residents who were transported to the hospital due to opioid-related issues, recurring substance use or mental health issues. Through this program, residents who aren’t connected with recovery resources after their hospital visit will be referred to the appropriate professionals and services to help maintain long-term stability. 

“This program, at its core, is meant to address on a local level a hole that we know exists in our health care system,” Fire Chief Ronald Martin said. 

Settlement funds for the unit will finance up to 50% of the program’s anticipated $251,000 total, covering part of the salary for a paramedic and a licensed clinical social worker. No source of funding has been identified for the remaining cost.

Commissioner Juli Casale voiced her concern about funding a new two-person unit instead of contributing to an existing program from a private provider. 

“I’m just wondering if it’s more financially efficient for us to find somebody doing it and fund them,” she said. 

Casale worried that the unit will need additional funding in the next budget year to hire more staff —  as the city prepares for potential budget reductions. 

Martin acknowledged the commission’s concerns about the city’s financial uncertainty but emphasized the program’s importance. 

“This is the right thing to do for the community,” he said.

The city is taking the community’s feedback to shape its spending priorities, Oris said. 

“Treatment is not the issue right now; support for those in treatment and those who have come from treatment is the real issue,” he said.

As a next step, city staff is submitting the spending plan to the Florida Department of Children and Families. The city will then advertise a request for proposals for the approved services.

Staff will review applications before referring qualified proposals to the Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee, consisting of seven members appointed by the City Commission. The committee will then make funding recommendations to commissioners for final approval. 

ABOVE: The headstone of a World War II veteran is nearly obscured by leaves. BELOW: A worker prepares rebar for the floor of a new mausoleum being built to increase the cemetery’s capacity. Photos by Jerry Lower and Rachel O'Hara/The Coastal Star

By Sephora Charles 

Delray Beach city commissioners plan to discuss problems at the city’s cemetery after hearing residents’ complaints about deteriorating conditions there and a lack of upkeep — with one commissioner saying she can’t even determine where her father is buried.

City Manager Terrence Moore said he will provide a comprehensive summary of the issues there during a July 14 commission workshop meeting. 

Delray Beach Memorial Gardens Municipal Cemetery on Southwest 10th Street has reached capacity, and residents are worried about the maintenance of their loved ones’ resting places.

Ann Stacey Wright, a city resident, said during public comments at the commission’s June 9 meeting that she recently visited the cemetery and “was very upset at the condition of the headstone of my family members.” 

Grass had grown to nearly cover the tombstones, and damage was visible on the headstones, she said. 

Delray Beach resident Ann Stacey Wright tells city commissioners that she is very troubled about the condition of her family’s headstone.

Vice Mayor Angela Burns said during the meeting that other residents discussed the matter with her. After spending some time in the cemetery, she said she is “very, very concerned.”

The lack of plot space is leaving families scrambling to find a cemetery to bury their loved ones, including a young woman who went weeks without being able to bury her mother, Burns said.

“Families are not getting any closure,” she said.

Last year, the city announced plans to expand the historic cemetery with two mausoleum buildings, including more than 2,000 spaces.

Residents are also worried about a tree that may be removed, which they said could affect the surrounding gravesites. 

Burns shared feedback about the cemetery’s online database. She said that her father was buried there in 1974, and she does not know exactly where his grave is located. An error appears on the website when she searches for him. 

Moore said that there are “record-keeping issues that date back decades.”

Burns suggested holding the workshop to address these problems because the cemetery “is in bad shape.” 

By Mary Hladky

Related Ross, founded by billionaire and Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross, is in negotiations to buy the Boca Raton Innovation Campus.

Jordan Bargas, executive vice president of Related Ross, confirmed the company’s intent in a mid-June statement.

“Related Ross is excited about the opportunity to expand into Boca Raton at BRiC, an incredible asset with a rich history,” he said.

The 123-acre campus at 5000 T-Rex Ave., immediately west of Interstate 95 off Yamato Road, now is owned by CP Group, Rialto, DRA Advisors and Las Olas Capital Advisors. A spokeswoman declined comment.

The campus, with its rich history as the place where IBM invented the personal computer, includes an iconic 1.7 million-square-foot office building designed by architect Marcel Breuer.

When CP Group acquired BRiC in 2018 for $179 million, it embarked on an ambitious plan to create a $1 billion live-work-play development. It since has spent $100 million upgrading the campus.

In 2023, the City Council approved zoning changes that allowed the company to re-envision the site by adding more than 1,200 residential units, 125,000 square feet of retail — including a grocery store — a 55,000-square-foot entertainment venue, 85,000 square feet of medical offices and a 140-room boutique hotel.

West Palm Beach-based Related Ross has shown its desire to expand into Boca Raton before. The company and Terra and Frisbie Group submitted unsolicited proposals in 2024 to redevelop the city’s 30-acre downtown campus.

With four companies eventually in the running, the City Council rejected Related Ross’ proposal on grounds its proposed 2.4 million square feet of development that included three office buildings was too dense.

Terra/Frisbie won out, but city residents on March 10 resoundingly voted against its redevelopment plan.

CP Group also is looking for opportunity.

It is negotiating to buy downtown Boca Raton’s Mizner Park. The current owner, Brookfield Properties, wants to sell that retail, dining and cultural destination.

The city’s Community Redevelopment Agency in February consented to transfer long-term commercial ground leases in Mizner Park to four entities led by CP Group.

Brookfield owns most of the buildings in Mizner Park and the CRA owns the land underneath them.

City pursues railroad crossing at Jeffery Street — Boca Raton has received a $2 million federal Congressional Community Project Funding award that will go toward the cost of a new Florida East Coast Railway crossing at Jeffery Street, near the city’s planned North Park.

As part of the FEC project, the Northwest 28th Street railroad crossing about two miles to the south will be closed.

U.S. Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Parkland, presented the city with a ceremonial check on June 22. The city is coordinating the project with the Florida Department of Transportation and the FEC. Construction is expected to begin in the fall.

In addition to the new crossing, the work will include intersection, sidewalk, drainage, lighting and signage improvements. Jeffery Street also will provide another link between Northwest Second Avenue and Federal Highway.

Jeffery also bisects the planned North Park at 5800 NW Second Ave.

The Greater Boca Raton Beach and Park District awarded a $19.7 million bid on June 22 to Butters Construction and Development to build facilities on the east 70 acres of the park, including extensive walking and bike trails, restrooms, a playground, fitness equipment, a dog park and a parking lot. The city will pay for a pedestrian tunnel under Jeffery Street to connect the separated sides.

— Mary Hladky and Steve Plunkett

Whole blood now available on special EMS vehicle — Boca Raton residents with medical emergencies and experiencing severe blood loss now will have access to whole blood transfusions before they arrive at the hospital.

The city’s Fire Rescue is among only 1-2% of emergency agencies nationwide equipped to provide whole blood, city officials said.

The blood is carried on a specially equipped EMS supervisor vehicle that can be dispatched anywhere within the city limits. It is stored in a temperature-controlled cooler that is constantly monitored.

All city firefighters are certified paramedics and have undergone specialized training on the storage, warming and administration of whole blood.

“Administering blood in pre-hospital environments is a critical intervention that can significantly improve patient outcomes,” said Fire Chief John Treanor. “Boca Raton Fire Rescue is now equipped to perform this vital procedure, enhancing our service delivery to those we serve.”

— Mary Hladky

ABOVE: South Palm Beach created a graphic explaining how Penny the Sea Turtle became the town’s official mascot. Graphic provided; BELOW: The statue former resident Penny Davidson created. Maria Biggane/The Coastal Star

By Brian Biggane

Everybody loves a mascot. 

In their early years, the Miami Dolphins had Dolfan Denny, a man dressed in a garish orange-and-aqua outfit who ran around the Orange Bowl riling up the fans. (He was replaced by cheerleaders.) 

The University of Florida has Albert, a person dressed in what has to be a very warm alligator costume. And the University of Miami has the Ibis, which for some reason twists its orange beak in opposite directions every time it sees a TV camera.

Now the town of South Palm Beach, a sleepy hamlet five-eighths of a mile long just north of the Lantana public beach, has a mascot of its own with Penny the Sea Turtle. It’s a tribute of sorts to former artist-in-residence Penny Davidson, who constructed a life-size bronze turtle climbing over a rock in 2006 to commemorate the town’s 50th anniversary.

The mascot idea came from administrative assistant Emma Trotto, who attended a statewide meeting of municipal employees in Clearwater Beach in April aimed at improving communications with residents.

“We were in a brainstorming session,” Trotto said at the June Town Council meeting, “and a town north of us (DeBary) brought forward that they had made a mascot of a dinosaur for their town and anything that came from this dinosaur was getting the utmost respect and attention from the residents. 

“Anything that Danny the Dinosaur would say, the residents were like, fine. If it came from any other staff member, not so much. So, it was a great way to bridge that gap and make government communications a little more exciting.”

Deciding on the identity of the mascot was easy. The life-sized loggerhead turtle Davidson spent three years to create has easily become the town’s most recognizable feature.

“People know the turtle,” Vice Mayor Fran Attardi said during a brief discussion leading up to the council’s approval of the move by a 5-0 vote. “You say, ‘the town with the turtle,’ and people know exactly where you’re at.”

The move also underscores the town’s appreciation for Davidson, who not only sculpted the bronze turtle but also designed three glass mosaics that serve to hide unsightly electric boxes in front of the Sausalito, Southgate and Mayfair West condominiums.

Born in New Jersey, Davidson spent more than 30 years in Des Moines, Iowa, after marrying in 1949. She spent those years as a teacher of at-risk children before she and her husband, Sol, bought a houseboat in 1982 and spent five months cruising the Mississippi before finding their way to Delray Beach. 

Eight years later, in 1990, they moved to the Horizon West condo in South Palm Beach, where they would remain until Sol died in 2013.

“We didn’t like South Palm Beach,” Penny once said. “We loved South Palm Beach.”

And the town loved her back. 

“She was a warm spirit that made everyone feel welcome,” Town Clerk Yude Davenport said. “She was the kind of person who never hesitated to lend a helping hand, volunteer her time or support a community event.”

Davidson had demonstrated an artistic flair when she created a raw wool needlepoint named Flowering Shrub for the Judy Chicago Birth Project in the early 1980s. The piece is now part of the permanent collection at the Albuquerque Museum.

In South Palm Beach, Davidson became more active artistically, participating in the early Lake Worth Street Painting festivals and holding classes and workshops in the town.

“She had a very creative attitude toward life itself,” longtime resident and former Council member Elva Culbertson said. “She was very fun-loving, very social. One thing most people don’t know is she also started the town book club.”

Culbertson said after Davidson’s husband died, her two sons convinced her to move around the corner from South Palm Beach to the Carlisle, an assisted living facility. Culbertson said Carlisle officials wouldn’t allow her to do her artwork there, so she left her equipment at Town Hall and did it there.

“She couldn’t walk to Town Hall anymore because she was older, so one of us had to pick her up because she was still working on a mosaic,” Culbertson said. 

At least one of her works in the town features a penny as her signature; Culbertson said it could be several.

Davidson ultimately moved back to Iowa to be nearer her children in her final years. She died in 2020.

The South Palm Beach Town Council passed a resolution honoring her work in 2017 and the current council expressed its appreciation and enthusiasm for what the new town mascot could mean going forward.

“It’s a fantastic way to go, and it’s kind of preserving our town history and kind of glorifying it,” Council member Adrian Burcet said. 

Following a nationwide search, Jared L. Phelps has been selected to serve as Boca Raton’s police chief.

Phelps has served as chief of police for Jacksonville, North Carolina, since April 2024. Before that, he served nearly three decades with the Prince William County Police Department in northern Virginia, where he rose through the ranks to become deputy chief. Both are nationally accredited agencies.

Phelps was among 105 applicants for the position, of which 77 met the job requirements. The Jacksonville department has 136 sworn police officers, while Prince William County is authorized to have 749.

The only other finalist for the position was Nicholas R. Augustine, assistant chief of police for the Montgomery County Department of Police in Maryland.

“Jared Phelps stood out for his depth of experience, sound judgment, and commitment to public trust,” City Manager Mark Sohaney said in a June 8 statement. “He understands the importance of supporting a high-performing police department and of continuing to build strong relationships with the community it serves.”

Phelps holds a master of public administration degree from George Mason University and a bachelor of science in political science and criminal justice from James Madison University.

His executive leadership education includes the FBI National Academy, the FBI National Executive Institute, the Harvard Kennedy School Senior Executives in State and Local Government program, the Senior Management Institute for Policing through the Police Executive Research Forum, and the Senior Executive Institute at the University of Virginia.

He replaces former Police Chief Michele Miuccio, a 37-year department veteran who rose through the ranks to become chief in 2020.

Sohaney terminated her and two deputy city managers, Chrissy Gibson and Jorge Camejo, in March as part of a major executive team shake-out. City officials did not say why the three were pushed out.

— Mary Hladky

The series of events commemorating Boca Raton’s centennial last year gave the city an economic boost.

A May 29 city report detailing the impact of the events found that the programs generated about $16.8 million in spending benefiting the local economy, as well as media coverage valued at about $8.7 million.

About 50,000 people attended the events, most of them city residents.

Even if they did not attend, 76,500 residents were aware of the celebrations as were nearly 2 million Florida residents outside the city.

Most popular were the Holiday Street Parade in December, attended by 25,000, the Boca Street Fest in January 2026 attended by 15,000, and workshops or public art unveilings throughout the year.

Most of the spending, $14.2 million, was by people attending the events. That included money spent in restaurants, on food and beverages at event sites, on parking or fuel and for event admissions and tickets.

“These findings collectively illustrate the wide-ranging economic, cultural and visibility benefits realized by the community,” the report states.

— Mary Hladky

Lift station update — Thomas Biggs, executive vice president of Mock Roos, which is building South Palm Beach’s new wastewater lift station, updated Town Council members on the project at their June 9 meeting and assured Mayor Rafael Pineiro that the project is on track for a spring 2028 completion.

Town Manager Jamie Titcomb said the town is seeking grant money from both federal and state agencies. The “early indications are we might have some success in both those arenas,” he said. 

Pineiro said he is hopeful Resilient Florida, which offers grants to mitigate the impact of sea-level rise and flooding, will provide $2.15 million of the expected $4 million to $5 million cost.

A1A planning timetable accelerated — Kim DeLaney, a representative of the Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council, appeared remotely at the June 9 council meeting and offered details on a plan for the revitalization of the State Road A1A corridor that has been accelerated by nearly a year.

DeLaney in April had told the Town Council her agency anticipated the final planning to be completed by early 2028. After Mayor Pineiro said he hoped she could speed that up, she returned to say the planning phase would now be completed by March 2027.

“This schedule suggests the process could begin immediately to work with town staff … and council members and begin a very careful public engagement effort,” DeLaney said. “It’s a complex corridor to resolve the challenges the town is facing and it’s going to take a series of complex solutions.”

DeLaney said a number of entities need to be brought into the conversation, including FPL, her district, the Metropolitan Planning Organization, Palm Beach County, neighboring municipalities and the town’s own condo associations.

After preliminary meetings with the various groups, the process is expected to include a public workshop in November, followed by an analysis of steps to be taken through next January, with a draft project report in February and a final report in March.

A significant question facing the town has been the struggle to find a place to create a crosswalk where residents could cross A1A safely. Pineiro said the Florida Department of Transportation owns 50 feet on either side of the center line of the road, opening up the possibility for a crosswalk to be created. DeLaney said she would research that and get back.

Sea wall markings approved — The Town Council adopted a resolution to require all condominiums facing the ocean to be marked with the numbers of their address to make it easier to communicate to police and fire agencies more accurately the exact location of beach emergencies. About half the buildings had already taken that step.

Board appointments — The council approved the appointments of Donna Pallante and Susan Saluru to the Community Activity Advisory Board.

— Brian Biggane