Code enforcement director also heeds request to leave

By Larry Barszewski 

Less than a week after Delray Beach city commissioners raised the city’s tax rate at their Sept. 22 meeting — a meeting that included testy exchanges on the commission and between the mayor and the city’s chief financial officer — the CFO and the city agreed to part ways. 

“He was forced to resign,” Commissioner Juli Casale said when asked by The Coastal Star, adding it was her understanding that some of CFO Henry Dachowitz’s comments had ruffled feathers. “He made comments about the police union, the fire union, then he had disagreements with the mayor.” 

Casale, who plans to run for mayor in March, described his departure as a “loss for our city and a reflection of a failure in leadership.”

Dachowitz wasn’t the only city official to leave. In a separate move, Neighborhood and Community Services Director Jeri Pryor, who oversaw city code enforcement, also agreed to part ways with the city.  

“She was also forced to resign,” Casale said. 

Neither had been with the city very long. Dachowitz was hired in October 2024 and Pryor in January 2025. 

At the final budget hearing, Mayor Tom Carney was adamant about lowering the city’s tax rate or keeping any increase to a minimum. He was the only commission member to oppose the final tax rate, which was slightly more than a 3% increase over the previous year. 

Responding to a question from the commission, Dachowitz explained why it was difficult to make more significant budget cuts when police and fire — which make up more than half the city’s operating budget — are considered untouchable. He said reducing the city’s biggest expense — employee salaries and benefits — requires dealing with union rules that leave long-time, higher-earning employees in place at the expense of younger workers who may show more initiative and be more technologically savvy. 

It was during that explanation that Carney interrupted several times and led Dachowitz to say, “If you’re not going to let me answer, why should I sit here?” When his boss, City Manager Terrence Moore, tried to get Dachowitz to stop, he kept on going. 

When contacted by The Coastal Star, Dachowitz said his decision to resign came in a meeting with Moore.  

“I was told that people were upset with me and the city wanted to separate, so I resigned,” Dachowitz said. “It was only because people complained about the remarks that were made.” 

Moore deferred The Coastal Star’s request for comment to city spokesperson Gina Carter, who said the city “does not provide statements on personnel matters.” 

Carney told The Coastal Star he found Dachowitz to be a “capable guy,” though he thought the CFO “was rendering opinions kind of outside his lanes” that night.

Carney said he had nothing to do with the request that Dachowitz leave.

Dachowitz’s comments were noticed. 

Craig Mahoney, president of the local firefighters’ union, fired off an email to him the  day after the commission meeting. 

“I understand and appreciate the frustration with the City’s financial situation. But your attack on Police and Fire, and the disparaging way our employees were characterized, was unnecessary and out of line,” Mahoney wrote in correspondence obtained by The Coastal Star through a public records request to the city. 

Dachowitz wrote in an email to Mahoney that it wasn’t his intent to “offend or insult” the city’s public safety employees. 

He concluded his response by saying “under stressful times with challenges to our revenues, all areas must be scrutinized. Ultimately it is up to the Commission to decide on trade-offs and determine how we fund the various departments and services with reduced revenues.” 

Leaving with benefits

Both Dachowitz and Pryor signed releases that awarded each a lump sum payment equal to three months’ salary — in addition to all unused vacation time and half their sick time — three months of additional healthcare coverage, and the city allowing them to collect unemployment compensation. The city agreed to note both resigned their employment “in good standing.”   

Dachowitz was earning $198,744 at the time of his Sept. 28 resignation and Pryor $140,546 when she resigned Sept. 24. 

Pryor last year filed a complaint accusing Moore and former Vice Mayor Rob Long of telling her to “stand down” on code enforcement of a pair of downtown businesses within months of her arrival. Pryor said the two had “threatened her employment,” but an independent investigator hired by the city found the claims to be “unsubstantiated” in a report obtained by The Coastal Star in July 2025. 

In her resignation letter, Pryor said while she appreciated the “professional growth, experiences, and opportunities” her job allowed, “after careful consideration, I have concluded that it is time for me to move forward to an environment that more closely aligns with my professional values and personal well-being.” 

When contacted by The Coastal Star, she said she had no further comment. “It’s in my letter as to why I resigned,” she said. 

In an Oct. 30 memo to commissioners, Moore announced he was splitting Pryor’s department in two — creating the Department of Neighborhood, Community and Education Services, and the Department of Code Compliance — “to improve accountability, performance, and operational efficiency.” 

Northwest growth could complement downtown without replacing it

The Boca Raton Innovation Campus is a landmark complex of brutalist architecture originally designed in the late 1960s. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

Related: Birthplace of PC won’t bury its rich history, new developer says

By Mary Hladky

Though Related Ross has not yet announced plans for its recently acquired Boca Raton Innovation Campus, they surely will include further development of the 124-acre property.

That would add to the large-scale projects already completed or under construction in the rapidly growing northwest section of the city.

But what does that development portend for the city’s downtown? Is its importance as a residential and retail hub fading as a result? Is the city’s economic center of gravity shifting?

Developers, architects and others who spoke with The Coastal Star have differing answers to those questions.

However, if new development is a measure of strength, downtown Boca Raton does have some constraints.

So much development has taken place there in the past decade that it is almost built out. Large parcels have been snapped up. Little room remains for additional building.

In addition, city Ordinance 4035 that governs downtown development limits it to 8 million square feet. Almost all of that has been built.

City officials, though, are expected to revisit that ordinance to determine if changes should be made. No date has been set for that yet.

North by Northwest
While downtown projects haven’t come to a halt — the City Council approved a 12-story Mr. C Residences condo at 14 SE Fourth St. on Oct. 26 — projects in the northwest section of the city have come at a rapid pace.

The most recent is Bertani, an eight-story, 60-unit apartment building and parking garage on Broken Sound Parkway approved by the City Council on Oct. 27.

Other approved projects are rising from the ground now. They include the Eclipse on 28 acres at the Office Depot headquarters campus at 6600 N. Military Trail that includes 494 apartments, retail and renovated office space. Another is the Link at Boca, located near the Tri-Rail station, which will have 340 apartments, retail and a parking garage.

City officials now describe the area around BRiC and the Park at Broken Sound as the city’s geographical center.

When asked by The Coastal Star about Related Ross’ reasons for acquiring BRiC, Jordan Bargas, executive vice president at the company, gave its location as one reason.

“When you pull up a map of the city and you look at … where the heart of the city is, it’s really not downtown anymore,” he said.

What’s downtown’s future?
Even so, city officials don’t see the downtown as less important. They have spent more than two years deciding how to redo and revitalize the 30-acre downtown government campus, which also includes Memorial Park.

Yet Glenn Gromann, a real estate consultant, lawyer and former city planning and zoning board member, said the downtown campus is the only large parcel available for development.

“The story with downtown is there really is not much to redevelop in the downtown,” he said.

“The real economic drivers,” he said, “are in the northwest sector (including BRiC and the Park at Broken Sound) and Midtown.”

He sees the city as having submarkets — the downtown, Midtown near the Town Center mall, and the northwest sector.

The downtown, he said, is a dining, entertainment, boutique shopping and residential center, while business is concentrated in the northwest.

Architect Derek Vander Ploeg, who has had roles in city development since Mizner Park was created 35 years ago, has a very different view.

He agrees that the area around BRiC and Florida Atlantic University has become very important and notes the advantages BRiC has being near Interstate 95, Florida’s Turnpike, the Tri-Rail station and FAU.

But he doesn’t count the downtown out because of the potential for redevelopment. The downtown, he said, “is not even halfway done.”

On his redevelopment list is Royal Palm Place. “It is inevitable,” he said. “It could be the next super-impactful development.”

Similarly, he said that Mizner Park, which is up for sale and has been neglected for years, could be transformed by its new owner.

Beyond that, he sees potential for more high-end residential to accommodate business executives who locate their companies in Boca Raton. They will want to live by the ocean or downtown, he said.

‘Great city’ has many pieces
Others said it is wrong to think of the downtown’s being eclipsed by BRiC or the northwest sector.

Rather, they point to cities like New York that have many distinct sections that, linked together, create a vibrant city.

“Great cities are not made by one downtown,” said architect Jorge Garcia of GarciaStromberg.

One city he points to is Miami, which has Brickell, Bayfront, Coconut Grove and more. “You can have more than one nucleus of organized development,” he said.

“I don’t think downtown is moving anywhere,” he said. “I think there are just subdivisions of urban development.”

Ignacio Diaz, co-owner and managing partner of developer Group P6, sees the situation similarly.

“I think there will be different … centers of development,” he said. “It doesn’t all have to be in the downtown. The city can grow in different directions. A more mature city has different poles, different price points, different lifestyles.

“I believe the city will continue to adapt to what its residents are asking for in different areas,” he said. “I think it includes both the downtown and the area around BRiC and the Park at Broken Sound. I don’t think it is an either/or between those locations. Each location is unique. I think there is room for both.” 

Related: Along the Coast: King tides carry startling power, impact

By Steve Plunkett

As if rainy, windy weather and October king tides weren’t enough to deter trips to the oceanfront, eight south Palm Beach County beaches were closed for a week to swimming and other water-related activities.

Reopened on Nov. 3 were the beaches in Boca Raton’s South Inlet Park, Red Reef Park and Spanish River Park; Delray Beach’s Sandoway Park; Gulfstream Park just north of Gulf Stream; Boynton Beach’s Oceanfront Park in Ocean Ridge; and the Lantana Municipal Beach.

Nine locations in central and north county were also closed that week.

The Florida Department of Health in Palm Beach County issued a water quality advisory on Oct. 28 after tests showed the water at the parks “does not meet the recreational water quality criteria for Enterococcus bacteria.”

Boca Raton added its South Beach Park to the no-swim advisory list — even though water there was not tested — “out of an abundance of caution,” it said.

The Health Department advised against any water-related activities at these locations “due to an increased risk of illness in swimmers.” Sampling conducted during regular water quality monitoring showed that the level of bacteria exceeds the level established by state guidelines.

Enterococcus bacteria are a warning sign of fecal contamination and potential pathogen presence.

Health officials did not directly link the water quality advisory to the recent weather and tides.

“Causes of elevated bacterial levels that prompt advisories are unknown, but are generally associated with wildlife, heavy recreational usage, elevated surf from high winds, and runoff following heavy rains,” the department said.

People wishing to swim in the ocean can always check lifeguard beach information chalkboards or the Florida Healthy Beaches website at www.floridahealth.gov/environmental-health/beach-water-quality/index.html.

“To the best of our knowledge, the FDOH Healthy Beaches sign is flipped and a swim advisory is hand-written on the posted lifeguard beach information chalkboard,” the Department of Health said.

The department follows a set schedule for testing water quality. Each Monday, samples are collected at the various sites and are delivered to the lab by noon, it said. The advisory was lifted after Nov. 2 testing. 

Samples may be taken from any point within the designated beach as part of the Healthy Beaches Program. Water samples are collected in the surf using a grab method at approximately 18- to 36-inch water depth. When the water sample results are received from the lab, a news release is sent out within the hour. Immediately following the news release, the results are entered into the state’s Healthy Beaches database and are available to the public.

The advisory lifted in early November was based on samples collected Oct. 26. It followed a similar no-swim advisory following the Oct. 19 sampling. But that advisory was lifted two days later after new tests showed Enterococcus in the acceptable range. 

Winds escalate days of flooding described as worst in decades

ABOVE: Waves crash into the Boynton Inlet lifeguard stand on Oct. 27. BELOW: Dimitriy Khaydarshin watches Tobin Cultrera wade through floodwaters on Oct. 25 on Palm Drive in Briny Breezes. Photos by Tim Stepien and Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

Related: Along the Coast: High bacterial levels prompt advisories against swimming

By Valerie Gordon

King tides described by longtime residents and officials as the worst in nearly two decades flooded coastal communities in south Palm Beach County in late October, stranding vehicles, disrupting businesses and leaving about 20 homes in Briny Breezes without power for several hours.

Strong winds and high surf — with gusts up to 40 mph and surf heights of 10 to 12 feet forecast by the National Weather Service — compounded the damage, severely eroding beaches and damaging public beach access points.

In Manalapan, where town officials declared a state of emergency on Oct. 25, Police Chief Jeff Rasor estimated water reached 3½ to 4 feet deep in the hardest-hit areas along East Ocean Avenue extending to State Road A1A near Plaza del Mar and the Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa. 

“I would say this is the highest king tide,” Rasor said. “I have one officer who has been with Manalapan 20 years who’s never seen it like this.”

Winds gusting up to 40 mph blast the north jetty of the Boynton Inlet.

Flooding began Oct. 25 and worsened through Oct. 27, leaving approximately 15 cars stranded. Town officials updated residents through the town’s CodeRED alert system and maintained daily road closures along East Ocean Avenue and South Ocean Boulevard twice daily for several hours around high tide, Rasor said.

Manalapan’s beach also sustained severe erosion, with Rasor estimating half of the town’s beach had been washed away. 

“The beach is severely, severely impacted. I’ve never seen it like this,” Rasor said. “It’s going to take a while to rebuild.”

A confluence of factors impacted the region: the seasonally higher king tides, heavy rainfall and a low-pressure system stalled over the Bahamas that “pushed more water than usual into the system, prolonging the time it takes for high tide to recede,” Delray Beach spokesperson Gina Carter said.

A preliminary reading at Lake Worth Pier reached 2.7 feet above the typical daily high-tide level on Oct. 27, according to the NWS, exceeding the previous record set there during Hurricane Nicole in 2022.

Visitors Dan and Traci Allen wade through water that reached thigh-deep in spots on George Bush Boulevard in Delray Beach in late October.

Power outage in Briny

On Palm Drive in Briny Breezes, residents reported “thigh-high” water upon initial flooding on Oct. 25, which rose higher in the days that followed, interrupting power to some homes, according to Michael Gallacher, general manager of Briny Breezes Inc. co-op.

FPL confirmed the outage affected 23 customers in Briny Breezes after tidal flooding damaged electrical equipment. Crews replaced the damaged equipment and elevated the transformer to reduce the risk of future flood-related outages, the company said.

“Restoration efforts took longer than usual because high water levels made it difficult for crews to safely access the equipment and complete repairs,” FPL said in a written statement.

Private dune crossovers in the 5900 block of Old Ocean Boulevard lie in ruins in Ocean Ridge. At least a dozen residential and town-owned beach access points were closed because of wave damage during the last week in October.

Beach crossovers damaged

Ocean Ridge Police Chief Scott McClure said many longtime residents described the flooding as “the worst they had seen in their lifetimes.”

The hardest-hit areas included Island Drive, Sabal Island Drive, Inlet Cay Drive, portions of North Ocean Boulevard, Coconut Lane, East Ocean Avenue, Hudson Avenue, Engle Drive and Harbour Drive North.

Additionally, decks and stairs at three of the town’s seven public beach crossovers — Corrine, Thompson and Porter — had extensive damage and remain closed with no estimated reopening date or repair costs, McClure said.

Municipal officials across Highland Beach, South Palm Beach, Boca Raton and Boynton Beach also reported significant flooding on roads and other low-lying areas, reaching up to 6 inches in Boca Raton, according to city spokeswoman Ileana Olmsted. 

Highland Beach’s fire department received one report of a vehicle requiring towing, while South Palm Beach experienced temporary cable and streetlight outages along A1A “despite repeated repairs,” Town Manager Jamie Titcomb said.

In Delray Beach, flooding affected the barrier island area of Andrews Avenue near Beach Drive and Seaspray Avenue, as well as Marine Way along the western banks of the Intracoastal Waterway south of Atlantic Avenue, where tidal flooding has been a recurring problem.

Carter said the pumps at the Beach Drive Stormwater Pump Station were not operating properly, causing the issue on Andrews, but once repairs were made the water went down “relatively quickly.” 

On Marine Way, property owner Eugenia Deponte said flooding damaged her landscaping, pool equipment and air-conditioning units. She criticized the city for what she described as nine years of delays in moving forward with a previously approved improvement project that she said received a $10 million commitment from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

“This situation cannot continue,” Deponte wrote. 

Carter said the sea wall project is moving forward, with the contractor and city staff negotiating a guaranteed maximum price for the project that is expected to be on the City Commission’s Nov. 17 meeting agenda for a vote.

“If approved, construction will begin soon after,” Carter said in her email response to The Coastal Star.

In Lantana, Mayor Karen Lythgoe said the twice-daily, hours-long closures of East Ocean Avenue at the Intracoastal were exacerbated by a malfunction at the Lake Worth Beach bridge on Oct. 27, forcing motorists farther north to the Southern Boulevard bridge to cross onto the island. 

Flooding also affected Hypoluxo Island. Town alerts described Beach Curve, Barefoot Lane and Southeast Atlantic Drive as “underwater,” Lythgoe said.

In Gulf Stream, several sea wall breaches sent debris into residential yards and town streets, and there was flooding near Polo Drive and Old School Road. The flooding was worsened by an electrical wiring issue that reduced the capacity of the town’s stormwater drainage pumps, according to Gulf Stream Town Manager Trey Nazzaro.

The town brought in a temporary pump for the Old School Road/ Polo Drive intersection. Electrical repairs are scheduled with officials aiming to restore the drainage system to full capacity before the next round of king tides in November.

The entire Boynton Beach Marina, including the Banana Boat (upper right) and Two Georges (upper left) restaurants, experienced twice-a-day flooding that inundated the parking lots. The conditions also cut business opportunities for the Sea Mist III drift fishing boat.

Businesses affected

The repeated closures of Boynton Beach’s East Ocean Avenue near the Intracoastal carried an estimated 50% loss in business per day for some area businesses, Banana Boat and Prime Catch restaurant owner Luke Therien said. McClure said the road had to be shut down beginning Oct. 26 for about three hours, twice daily.

Although Banana Boat remained open and sustained no flood damage — its parking lot was underwater at times — Therien called for drainage improvements along East Ocean and Southeast Sixth Street and higher sea walls in the area.

“There is a finger-pointing between the City and the D.O.T. as to who is going to pay, and what priority they want to assign in order to resolve the problem for the future,” he wrote in an email to The Coastal Star.

Boynton Beach Deputy City Manager Andrew Mack told The Coastal Star in an email that his city’s Community Redevelopment Agency has funded the design phase for improvements to the affected area, adding that the city maintains a “strong working relationship” with Therien and is coordinating with the Florida Department of Transportation. 

“The City remains committed to working collaboratively with all parties to address flooding concerns due to king tides in this area,” the city said in a follow-up.

Guillermo Canedo, FDOT District 4 communications manager, did not respond to requests for comment as of Oct. 30.

“Communities all along South Florida’s coast face the same challenge,” Mack wrote. “When king tides combine with onshore winds and heavy rain, water can rise above what much of our region’s infrastructure was built to handle.”

The Lantana marina looked more like a water park, as water at least 15 inches deep filled the area on multiple days.

Some spots see relief

Recent infrastructure improvements helped limit impacts in some places.

Highland Beach officials credited drainage improvements in an $8.3 million A1A road project with helping to reduce flooding, though it still left many stretches of the town’s A1A pathway underwater even after the tides had receded. The work included improvements to roadside swales to help water soak into the ground.

In Boca Raton, Olmsted wrote that recent reconstruction of the Wavecrest sea wall eliminated seawater intrusion on the eastern side of Por La Mar, adding that the city also purchased a pump capable of moving more than 1,500 gallons per minute for deployment if flooding made the roadway impassable.

In Lantana, Lythgoe said the town recently launched a pilot drainage improvement project on the southeast side of Hypoluxo Island, incorporating grading and pumps to address recurring flooding in low-lying neighborhoods. In recent years, the town also relocated several storm drains from private property after maintenance access became an issue.

Despite those efforts, Lythgoe said the town remains vulnerable during extreme high tides because elevated water levels in the Intracoastal prevent stormwater from draining. 

“There’s not a whole lot we can do when the stormwater drains into the Intracoastal. So, until the tides go down, there’s nowhere for that water to go,” she said.

Briny Breezes has begun planning drainage and sea wall improvements to reduce future tidal flooding. The co-op’s corporate board in March also approved allowing future homes to be elevated up to 10 feet above ground atop concrete pilings, with parking underneath, at its 242 home sites west of A1A.

Gulf Stream has already undertaken drainage upgrades through its Core Area Improvements project, including regraded roads, additional drainage structures and an outfall pipe enlarged from 24 to 48 inches at Banyan Road and Polo Drive, according to the town’s project website. However, the full benefit of the project was not realized because of the wiring issues with the pumps, Nazzaro said.

Ocean Ridge approved $250,000 in June for a “master planning initiative for resiliency,” Town Manager Michelle Heiser said, targeting work on several of the town’s streets that were hardest hit — including Hudson Avenue and Coconut Lane — as part of its capital improvement plan. 

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has also approved plans for a new sea wall at Hudson Avenue, she said.

South Palm Beach is developing a corridor master plan to address recurring A1A challenges, including flooding, with a public workshop set for 6 p.m. Nov. 12 at Town Hall to discuss potential remedies.

Titcomb attributed the recent flooding in part to high water levels in the Intracoastal, which prevented the town’s drainage system from discharging into it. 

Mary Thurwachter, Rich Pollack, Henry Fitzgerald and Larry Barszewski contributed to this story.

Related:  BRiC evolving into a new focal point for city

By Mary Hladky

Now that Related Ross has acquired the Boca Raton Innovation Campus, the iconic former IBM campus is likely to undergo yet another transformation.

But Jordan Bargas, executive vice president at Related Ross, isn’t tipping his hand at present on what company officials have in mind for the 124-acre birthplace of the personal computer.

Bargas, though, is mindful of IBM’s rich history on the site which he said still “caters well to technology companies.” And Related Ross chairman and CEO Stephen Ross said in a statement that technology “will play an important role in what comes next.”

In an example of BRiC’s appeal to technology companies, the California-based quantum computing company D-Wave Quantum has announced it will move its headquarters and research and development facility to the campus by the end of this year.

For now, Related Ross officials know they want to add retail and restaurants that current BRiC tenants have told them they would like to see to “really elevate their office life.” And they want to continue former owner CP Group’s initiative to welcome the public to the property.

“We want to do more community events that bring people onto the campus,” Bargas said.
Before making firm decisions, company officials want to know the preferences of Boca Raton residents, business owners and current BRiC tenants.

“Our plan is to spend some time getting feedback from the community … to hear what people really want to see,” Bargas said. “This takes time and we want to make sure we get this right.”

But there’s no doubt that the 1.7 million-square-foot building designed by Marcel Breuer — a Hungarian-born architect who also designed the Whitney Museum of American Art in Manhattan — will remain.

“It’s a beautiful building,” Bargas said. “There’s certainly opportunities to breathe new life into it, and that’s what we’ll continue to do.”

Key developer bows out
For CP Group managing partner Angelo Bianco, the sale is “bittersweet.”

He wasn’t looking for a buyer when Related Ross approached. “That was the last thing on my mind,” he said.

CP Group, which acquired BRiC in 2018 for $179 million, completed a $100 million renovation one year ago that preserved the Marcel Breuer exterior but changed everything about the interior.

Now it has a conference center, banquet hall, fitness center that the public can join, a primary care facility that provides urgent care, cafés, an automated grab-and-go food station and outdoor spaces for socializing or eating. Weddings have been held there.

Art is a prominent feature adorning the main walls that is selected in collaborations with the Boca Raton Museum of Art, local universities and schools. Studios are available for artists. QR codes enable visitors to take self-guided tours.

More was in the works. CP Group planned a $1 billion “live, work, play” development and the Boca Raton City Council approved zoning code changes in 2023 to accommodate that. The plan was to add 1,240 residential units, retail and restaurants, a hotel, medical offices, a grocery and more to enhance BRiC’s appeal to companies and their employees.

Whether Related Ross sticks with those plans or revises them to suit its own goals remains to be seen.

The transaction was very complicated, Bianco said, but eventually the two sides reached a deal that he said gave investors “a very good return on their money.”

Even so, “I have been saddened that I cannot see through what I wanted to and someone else will have their own ideas,” he said.

But Bianco isn’t at a loss for what comes next. He now is in negotiations with Brookfield Properties to acquire another iconic Boca Raton property — Mizner Park.

Related Ross interest grows
Related Ross — founded by Ross, who owns the Miami Dolphins — became a major force in West Palm Beach development before moving into other parts of Palm Beach County.

The company made its foray into Boca Raton in early 2025 when it was one of four that submitted proposals to redevelop the city’s downtown campus.

It lost out to a joint venture of Terra and Frisbie Group after City Council members made clear they disliked the density of the Related Ross plan to build 975,000 square feet of office space in three buildings. (Boca Raton voters defeated the redevelopment plan in March.)

But Related Ross, which had been eyeing Boca Raton for some time, still wanted to build in the city.

Studying the city, its officials saw that BRiC was centrally located, near an airport and Tri-Rail station, flanked by good roads, and in a city with two universities, good schools and an abundance of parks, Bargas said. Stephen Ross, he said, “loved the site too.”

“You also have this incredible historic building that exists that has so much storytelling that ... would be a great opportunity to invest in,” Bargas said. Added to that, his company had clients who wanted to locate in Boca Raton.

Related Ross has since made its second move in the city. Less than two months after the company announced it had acquired BRiC on Sept. 11 for an undisclosed price, it bought North 40, a two-building, 350,000-square-foot office complex near the intersection of Congress Avenue and Yamato Road for $64 million. The site is immediately north of BRiC.

“North 40’s location next to BRiC makes it a natural complement to the campus and an important part of our long-term commitment to Boca Raton,” Bargas told the South Florida Business Journal.

Former IBMers like changes
The BRiC story begins in 1966 when IBM purchased 550 acres for a manufacturing plant to produce its System/360 Model 20 midsized computer.

The original site eventually grew to 3.6 million square feet in more than 40 buildings, according to the Boca Raton Historical Society. The company employed up to 12,000 people there.

By the late 1980s, IBM began to transfer operations elsewhere and finally sold its Boca Raton property in 1996.

But in that fairly short span of time, it made history and Boca Raton still bears the imprint of its success.

Former IBM engineer Dave Bradley came in 1975 to work on advanced technology for a system that would become the Series /1 minicomputer.

In 1980, he was one of a group of engineers given the task of creating a personal computer. They had one year to get the job done. As the world knows, they succeeded.
IBM lore has it that a group of 12 engineers worked on the personal computer. That, he believes, is a myth.

“I am one of 50 or 60 people who claim to be one of the original 12,” he quipped. But if it was in fact 12, he says he was ”the 12th of the 12.”

The PC was only one of IBM’s many significant endeavors, but “the PC was the most famous,” Bradley said.

And his role in it gave him a moment of fame. He adds, “My fame has not spread far and wide.”

He developed the control-alt-delete key combination that a user can press to terminate an application or reboot the operating system.

“I had no idea I was creating a cultural icon at the time,” he said.

In fact, it was a simple task. He had a list of things he had to work on and was moving down the list. “It was a five-minute job creating control-alt-delete,” he said.

“I hoped it would be successful,” he said of the PC. “It was a fun thing to work on. I was glad I had the opportunity.”

The PC, developed in great secrecy with the code name “Acorn,” was wildly successful. Other companies also were in the race, but IBM pulled ahead because its personal computer could be upgraded, had easy set-up and was compatible with non-IBM software.

A greatly enlarged replica of that keyboard is embedded on an outside patio floor at BRiC.

Asked about the changes CP Group has made to the IBM building interior, Bradley said, “It is fine. Times change.

“You wouldn’t expect a building built in the time of Don Draper and ‘Mad Men’ to retain its interior in the new millennium. I thought it was a reasonable thing to do.”

Pete Martinez also was among the engineers who worked on the personal computer before becoming a high-ranking IBM executive.

He was “thrilled” when CP Group bought the former IBM campus after a series of previous owners had done little to improve the property.

“They understood the legacy of innovation in the campus” and showed that in part by incorporating the word “innovation” in the campus’ name, he said.

The high-security IBM building was a sterile environment. When CP Group opened up the building, “we welcomed it,” Martinez said of former IBMers. “It was a beautiful transformation.”

Related Ross officials have met with him. “I am encouraged by their enthusiasm, vision, their continuation of the innovation path,” he said. Martinez anticipates they will be sensitive to the IBM history when they construct new buildings.

One addition by CP Group that has resonance for Martinez is the addition of the 30-foot-tall “Rocket” sculpture by artist Hubert Phipps that visitors see as soon as they arrive on the campus. The Boca Raton Museum of Art facilitated its location at BRiC.

That’s because IBM was involved in the Apollo space program to put a man on the moon.

Former IBM employees “saw things in (the sculpture) that most didn’t,” he said.

Martinez is among the many former IBMers who launched their own companies after IBM left Boca Raton.

He now is chairman and CEO of SIVOTEC, created to help physicians diagnose genetic diseases more accurately, quickly and at lower cost. It now focuses on rare genetic diseases in children.

SIVOTEC’s offices are located at BRiC.

By Mary Hladky

Deputy City Manager Jim Zervis has been appointed as Boca Raton’s interim city manager, replacing Mark Sohaney, who resigned on Oct. 15 after serving just over one year in the city’s top position.

The City Council tapped Zervis to take the reins on Oct. 27 after Sohaney recommended that Zervis temporarily replace him, saying that Zervis knows all aspects of city operations.

Zervis, who also held the title of chief financial officer, assumed his new job the next day.

“I can tell you there is nobody finer,” Sohaney told the council. “I’ve got tremendous confidence in his leadership, judgment and understanding of the organization.”

“I think it is a blessing we have Mr. Zervis here. He is immensely qualified,” said Mayor Andy Thomson. “Take it from me, Jim is the right guy from my perspective.”

The council now must decide when and how to select a new city manager. Sohaney’s resignation is effective Nov. 11.

Zervis joined the city in 2024 as chief financial officer and was quickly promoted to also serve as a deputy city manager.

He previously was chief administrative officer for Kern County, California, which at the time had a $3.5 billion annual operating budget and a population of more than 900,000.

Council members also praised Sohaney and gave him a standing ovation.

“The feedback I have gotten is that everybody was very pleased to have you as the city manager,” said Council member Stacy Sipple. “They felt you really reached out to the public and the public was heard for the first time in a very long time.”

In his remarks, Sohaney thanked the city’s 1,900 employees. “They are the strength of our city,” he said.

“It has been a privilege and honor to serve, and thank you for allowing me to serve.”

Sohaney is a retired U.S. Navy captain who served for nearly four decades. His positions include commanding the Naval Air Station in Key West and Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii.

He is departing to become senior vice president of global military operations at the University of Maryland Global Campus, based in Adelphi, Maryland.

He will oversee the university’s worldwide military operations and serve as its senior leader for military and veterans affairs. The campus serves working adults and military service members through online and hybrid courses.

The campus is part of the University System of Maryland but operates separately from the University of Maryland in College Park.

Sohaney said his new job will allow him to return to serving the military community.

Sohaney actively sought a city manager job in Florida after retiring from the Navy. He was selected as a finalist in five cities, including Boca Raton. He lost out in three cities and withdrew from consideration from the fourth. He also was unsuccessful in a bid to become Palm Beach County’s top administrator.

Since joining Boca Raton, he has been actively involved in decisions concerning where to build a new police headquarters, planning to make over the city’s downtown government campus and has advanced initiatives to deal with homeless persons while also making services available to them. 

Related: Philanthropy Season Preview: The helped and helpers tell how Boca Helping Hands nourishes bodies, fuels dreams, changes lives

Palm Beach County has always been a land of economic extremes. Just a decade ago it was easy to generalize and say that the poorest few among us lived out west near Lake Okeechobee and in urban pockets in our biggest cities. Most of the county’s population was made up of middle-class workers and recent retirees. 

Coastal and gated communities were dominated by retirees and others in upper income brackets. Think households with managed wealth, not traditional savings accounts.

While the latter remains true, the county as a whole seems poorer. As we worked to put together this year’s Philanthropy Season Preview, I was struck by the huge increase in the service that Boca Helping Hands provides around Boca Raton, one of the most affluent communities in America.  

That increase is a testament  to the changes in not only our national economy, but our local economy as well.  

Most of the readers of this newspaper are living comfortably, and personal challenges like food insecurity are not part of our everyday lives.

Most of us can’t imagine working a full-time job and then heading over to the food bank just to make ends meet.

Fortunately, as a group, the readers of this publication have the accumulated wealth to help address this growing need.

The Coastal Star makes a concerted effort year-round to celebrate those who give of their time and wealth to improve life in our communities.

This month especially, we dedicate a significant portion of our news space to promote philanthropic giving.  

Please do your part. Find one or more of the worthwhile causes highlighted in our Around Town section and dig deep. Our neighbors could use the help.

— Jerry Lower

Publisher

Todd and Stacey Breen of Boca Raton recently made a seven-figure gift to the Boca Raton Regional Hospital Foundation. Their donation will enable renovation of a reception area in the main lobby of the Eugene M. and Christine E. Lynn Cancer Institute. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Tao Woolfe

Flashy wealth is always on display in South Florida, but it doesn’t seem to do much more than aggrandize its spenders. 

Beneath the glare, though, are rarer souls who work hard, succeed, and then quietly direct their earnings back into their communities.

Although you may not have heard of them, Todd and Stacey Breen, of Boca Raton, are among those who give back without fanfare.

The couple, who reluctantly agreed to be interviewed, recently made a seven-figure donation to the Boca Raton Regional Hospital Foundation. 

The Breens have made similar low-key donations to healthcare institutions in Florida and New York throughout their adult lives. 

Philanthropy, they both believe, is its own reward.

“We are private people and we quietly donate,” said Stacey Breen. “We will always be donating. Philanthropy is a big part of what we want to do.”

Their latest gift, described by Mark Easton, development director for the hospital foundation, as “a very large donation,” will help the affiliated Lynn Cancer Institute pay for a construction upgrade.

The money (the Breens prefer the exact amount not be published) will specifically be used to renovate a reception desk and welcoming area in the lobby, Easton said, adding that the hospital foundation is profoundly grateful for such generosity.

“Donors like the Breens are pillars of our community. They allow us to continue to offer world-class care,” Easton said. “The Breens don’t just help themselves — they help everybody.”

He added that the Breens — who allowed the foundation to determine how the money would be used — are “a sweet, friendly couple who wanted to support the mission of the institute.”

The donation comes at a time when outside funding has diminished, Easton said. 

The Breens moved permanently to Boca Raton last year from Roslyn, New York, but they are not newcomers to South Florida. Both sets of the couple’s grandparents were longtime Boca Raton residents who welcomed their grandchildren’s annual visits. 

The Breens live in a Boca Raton building overlooking the ocean. They and their four grown children and six grandchildren have taken full advantage of their proximity to the water.

“We are enjoying eating out at the Boca restaurants, traveling, and especially spending time on the water. Boating is a great family activity. It’s a big part of our lives,” Stacey Breen said. 

She said that she and her husband also enjoy the company of friends in South Florida and New York. They spend summers in Sag Harbor, New York. 

The Breens’ philanthropy is largely powered by the success of Sun Logistics, a Miami- and New York-based transportation and freight company founded by Todd Breen in 1973. 

The company’s Florida hub is on a 5-acre parcel in Miami that includes a 40,000-square-foot warehouse. Sun Logistics ships medical supplies and other goods nationwide, but primarily in South Florida and the Florida Keys.

Todd Breen believes his company’s Florida business will continue to expand. “Miami is the international gateway for Central and South America. As the consumer population grows, so do deliveries.”

Todd Breen, 72, is the company’s CEO. Stacey Breen, 58, is a certified public accountant who enjoyed a successful career with Ernst & Young in New York. She joined Sun Logistics as its chief financial officer shortly after the pandemic and the coinciding retirement of Sun’s longtime CFO.

The Breens have no plans to retire, Stacey Breen said. Asked whether living and working together every day is too much togetherness, she laughed. “Todd says it’s the meeting that never ends.”

And throughout their working lives they have donated part of their income to healthcare causes. When they moved to South Florida, the couple researched local healthcare institutions and chose to support Boca Raton Regional Hospital. 

Todd Breen’s father died young of what was then called lymphosarcoma. It is now known as non-Hodgkin lymphoma — a blood cancer that invades the lymphatic system and can spread throughout the body.

Todd Breen was 17 when his father died. The young man had been attending Queens College at the time, but had to drop out to support the family. The loss of his father led to the founding of Todd Breen’s first trucking company and sparked his lifelong interest in helping others fight cancer.

“Without your health, you have nothing,” Stacey Breen said. “Both Todd and I believe that no one should suffer, and anything we can do to make life better for the community, we try to do it.” 

NOMINATE SOMEONE TO BE A COASTAL STAR 

Send a note to news@thecoastalstar.com 

or call 561-337-1553.

Staff report

The 2027 municipal races are already shaping up. In Delray Beach, Commissioner Juli Casale has announced she will challenge Mayor Tom Carney in the March 9 mayoral election. In Boca Raton, eight candidates have signaled their interest in running for one of the two City Council seats up for election.

However, before any candidate’s name can be placed on the March election ballot, they must first file required documents with their town or city’s clerk office during the candidate qualifying periods in November. 

Here is a breakdown of the qualifying periods for southern Palm Beach County’s coastal communities and who currently holds the seats up for election. Registered voters interested in running for a seat should contact their clerk’s office for more information.

Boca Raton

Qualifying period: 8 a.m. Nov. 2 to 5 p.m. Nov. 10

Elections (incumbents): City Council Seat C (Yvette Drucker*) and Seat D (Stacy Sipple)

Terms: Three years

*Under the state’s resign-to-run law, Drucker is resigning her seat Nov. 9 because she ran this month to be Palm Beach County Clerk of Courts.

Briny Breezes

Qualifying period: Noon Nov. 10 to noon Nov. 24

Elections (incumbents): Town Council Seat 1 (David White), Seat 3 (Elizabeth “Liz” Loper) and Seat 5 (John Taylor)

Terms: Two years

Delray Beach

Qualifying period: Noon Nov. 2 to noon Nov. 20

Elections (incumbents): City Commission Seat 1 (Tom Markert), Seat 3 (Juli Casale), and Seat 5/Mayor (Tom Carney)

Terms: Three years

Gulf Stream

No municipal election in 2027.

Highland Beach

Qualifying period: Noon Nov. 10 to noon Nov. 24

Elections (incumbents): Vice mayor/commissioner (David Stern) and Town Commissioner (Judith Goldberg) 

Terms: Three years

Lantana

Qualifying period: Noon Nov. 9 to 4:30 p.m. Nov. 20

Election (incumbent): Mayor/Group 5 (Karen Lythgoe)

Term: Three years

Manalapan

Qualifying period: Noon Nov. 3 to noon Nov. 17

Elections (incumbents): Town Commission Seat 1 (Cindy McMackin), Seat 3/must reside on ocean (Simone Bonutti), Seat 5/must reside on Point Manalapan (David Knobel) and Mayor/Seat 7 (John Deese)

Terms: Two years

Ocean Ridge

Qualifying period: Noon Nov. 2 to noon Nov. 13

Election (incumbents): Three commission seats (Geoff Pugh, Ainar Aijala Jr., Lanette Gustafson)

Terms: Three years for top two vote getters and two years for third-place finisher

South Palm Beach

No municipal election in 2027. 

Louder pickleball play coming to Little Club — Members of The Little Club will get to swap their softer, quieter balls and paddles for standard, noisier gear under a pilot program approved by the town.

In 2023, Gulf Stream town commissioners let club members begin play with the quieter equipment after neighbors worried that matches would downgrade their quiet enjoyment of life.

On Oct. 9, Carly Bellis, a Little Club director and chair of its pickleball committee, told commissioners that construction of a new building at the club, growth of clusia hedges and a new sound-blocking fence have offset the need for using restrictive gear.

“We did some sound-level testing and we found honestly that you couldn’t hear the pickleball past even our building up there,” she said.

Commissioners informally decided to allow standard equipment to be used and will review the pilot program results in January.

“We can always go back to it if people complain,” Commissioner Joan Orthwein said.

Water connection with Boynton ‘on schedule’ — Work to rebuild Gulfstream Boulevard and add a new water main to connect Gulf Stream with the drinking water supply of Boynton Beach is moving along.

“The project’s working pretty good. It’s on schedule,” Poonam Kalkat, director of public utilities for Boynton Beach, told Gulf Stream town commissioners on Oct. 9. “We’re thinking by late January or February we should be able to make the final connection, so that’s the goal.”

Once the connection is made, Gulf Stream will end its decades-long arrangement of buying bulk water from Delray Beach, which had told the town it could no longer be its water supplier.

— Steve Plunkett

County Clerk of Courts — Boca Raton City Council member Yvette Drucker, a Democrat, easily defeated Republican Mike Caruso, who is facing felony child sexual abuse charges and was removed from the position. She received about 62% of the vote.

U.S. House, District 25 — U.S. Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Coral Springs, won reelection by defeating former Boca Raton Mayor Scott Singer, his Republican opponent, securing about 51% of the vote.

County Commission, District 4 — Republican County Commissioner Marci Woodward won reelection by a narrow margin, defeating Democrat Curtis Calabrese with about 50.7% of the vote.

These unofficial results are based on tallies complete as of Nov. 3.

By Brian Biggane

In a move that Mayor Tom Carney termed “a bad look for us” and ultimately voted against, the Delray Beach City Commission at its Oct. 13 meeting awarded JCD Sports Group a new five-year contract to run the city’s two tennis centers.

A story in the October edition of The Coastal Star, which featured former players and coaches of the Delray Beach Tennis Center and the Swim and Tennis Club harshly criticizing JCD management, led eight people to address the commission during the public comment period, seven of whom offered their support of JCD and managers Jeff Bingo and Jennifer Fiedler.

The exception was Patricia Ryan, who backed the complaints and said the reason more dissatisfied players were not at the meeting was that the commission had shifted its handling of the contract from Oct. 20 — the date mentioned in the story — to a week earlier.

City Attorney Lynn Gelin brought the commission up to date on the history of events going back to March, laying out how the city sought proposals from management companies interested in winning the contract that would replace the current one that expires in December.

Gelin said a three-person committee headed by Parks and Recreation Director Sam Metott selected five companies and heard their proposals. She said two of the companies dropped out after being emailed follow-up questions, leaving JCD, The Baral Group and FM Management.

The committee rated the three by a points system and judged JCD the best by a significant margin, then sent the commission its recommendation to award the contract to JCD, which has managed the facilities for the past 30 years.

The commission was scheduled to consider the recommendation in August, but deferred action when Carney suggested bringing all the companies back to be interviewed by the commission after hearing concerns about JCD’s current management of the centers. 

However, before the Oct. 20 meeting was held to hear from JCD and the other two finalists, City Manager Terrence Moore used his authority to disqualify The Baral Group and FM Management, saying they lacked the required 10 years of management experience the city had spelled out. Since there was only one company left, there was no need for the scheduled Oct. 20 commission interviews.

FM Management co-owner Brandon Flanagan, who runs tennis operations for the city of Boynton Beach, said his company has been in business since 2015 and three of its employees, including himself and co-owner Allington Mutimer, worked for many years at the Tennis Center prior to starting their business.

“I thought we had similar size and experience (as JCD),” Flanagan said when contacted later. “I have to say I’m disappointed the city staff interprets it that way.”

Despite Moore’s disqualifications, city officials said the other companies were allowed to make presentations to the selection committee. Commissioners pointed to the 50-point disparity in scoring between JCD and FM done by the three-member panel as a reason to favor JCD. 

But Flanagan said two members of the panel rated the two very close; Lynda Wieland of Parks and Recreation separated the two by an almost absurdly wide margin, he said.

“Lynda Wieland was what killed us,” Flanagan said.

Carney, who was attending the Oct. 13 meeting remotely, made a motion to start the process over and Commissioner Judy Mollica joined him, but the motion was defeated on a 3-2 vote. Commissioner Juli Casale then made a motion to award the contract to JCD, which was approved 4-1, with Mollica switching her stand to support JCD’s bid.  

While the contract is for five years with five one-year contracts to follow, there is no provision for reopening the bid process within the 10-year term. 

Municipal leaders unsure how they will make up lost revenue

By Rich Pollack

Florida’s homestead exemption will be increasing next year — meaning additional savings to large numbers of homeowners — following the passage of Amendment 3, but lawmakers must still meet to hammer out details. 

Under Florida’s new constitutional amendment, the homestead exemption for qualified homeowners will increase from $51,411 this year to $150,000 in the next fiscal year and $250,000 the following year.

Statewide, about 62% of voters approved Amendment 3, clearing the 60% threshold required for constitutional amendments, according to unofficial results on Nov. 3.

In Palm Beach County, the number in favor hovered right at 60%, showing almost the same support for the amendment as occurred across the state.  

During the process of determining how to implement the legislation, state Rep. Peggy Gossett-Seidman said, legislators will most likely look at ways to address some of the concerns raised by opponents of the amendment, who fear it will create an unfair burden on local governments that could see dramatic cuts in revenue. 

“Even though voters approved the amendment, we will have to go back and address the issue because it is not in perfect form,” the Republican from Highland Beach said. “It will still be revisited on multi levels. We will still go look at issues that might put counties and cities in peril.” 

Among some of the options that could be explored could be creating a pool of funding to support any city or county struggling with the outcome, she said. 

Even though there is still room for improvement, she said, the amendment is one step closer to tax relief for Floridians. 

For some, the approval of Amendment 3 is a disappointing blow that could mean taking important decisions out of the hands of local officials and giving that power to state leaders. 

Cities could, for example, ask the Legislature for an appropriation to fund a project that is no longer feasible with now-limited tax dollars, but that request would have to be approved by the Legislature and avoid a veto by the governor. 

In Delray Beach, Marjorie Waldo, president and CEO of the nonprofit Arts Garage, says the passage of Amendment 3 will mean a shift in the popular venue’s planning for the future.

“Now our focus turns to protecting what makes our communities work,” Waldo said. “We had hoped that Tallahassee would respect local independence and give cities and counties the flexibility to keep investing in the arts, culture and services residents value, but this change to Florida statutes will almost certainly make that impossible.”

In the lead-up to the vote, municipalities as well as nonprofit organizations had expressed concerns about how much revenue would be lost because of the amendment and began looking at ideas to compensate for that. 

“For Arts Garage and nonprofits like ours across Florida, individual and corporate philanthropy will be critical in helping to fill any funding gaps that follow,” Waldo said. 

South Palm Beach Town Manager Jamie Titcomb, who previously served as executive director of the Palm Beach County League of Cities, believes the passage of Amendment 3 will further reduce home rule and the ability of cities to govern their communities. 

“There’s no doubt the state government wants to constrain the funding and operational flexibility of local government,” he said. 

By Mary Thurwachter

Although Lantana leaders have no immediate plans to dispose of three valuable waterfront properties owned by the town, they want to change the Town Charter to make it easier to sell them.

Currently, selling any of the three properties — at 206, 210, and 302 N. Lake Drive — would require a referendum, putting the decision in the hands of residents.

“This,” Town Manager Brian Raducci says, “is very restrictive. You probably wouldn’t buy property if you thought you could never sell it.”

Because the properties are town-owned, they are exempt from property taxes.

Several Hypoluxo Island residents spoke against the proposed change, but the ordinance calling for a vote on changing the charter won preliminary Town Council approval in a narrow 3-2 vote at the council’s Oct. 12 meeting. Mayor Karen Lythgoe and Council members Kem Mason and Mark Zeitler voted for it; Council members Jesse Rivero and Chris Castle were opposed.

The change must receive a second council vote at a future meeting before it can be placed on the March 9 municipal election ballot.

Past transactions

The town purchased the three lots in 2012 as a long-term investment. The $965,000 price was widely considered a bargain. At the time, then-Mayor Dave Stewart championed the acquisition and compared the strategic investment to the town’s historic 1940s Lions Club land purchase (which cost just $4,000 but secured Lantana’s municipal beach). Stewart said the buy would preserve valuable waterfront property for future generations.

If the measure receives voter approval in March, the Town Council would still need to approve any offer to sell,  Raducci said.

But the prohibition on the sale of town-owned land without voter input is there for good reason, says Hypoluxo Island resident Patti Towle, who spoke during public comments. 

“I was living in Lantana when, roughly 20 years ago, the Town Council quietly sold off Lantana’s children’s baseball park, an approximately 2-acre parcel that stood between Broadway and South East Coast Avenue, to a developer.

“The developer then built the Lyman townhomes where the park once stood. The park was popular and used by local kids. Residents were outraged that this was seemingly done in secret. As a result, the [regulation] prohibiting the sale of all town-owned land without public approval is now in place.”

Towle says the current process is a good one. “At a future point when the town has a valid reason to sell the three town-owned lots it should be the voters — not the mayor and Town Council — who determine the sale.”

As waterfront land becomes scarcer, the lots will continue to grow in value, Towle says. “Keeping them as town-owned land is a sound investment, better than money in the bank.”

Few specifics

Gil Scharf, also of Hypoluxo Island, expressed concerns regarding the proposed charter amendment, including the lack of a specific plan for the properties, the intended use of potential proceeds, the importance of maintaining public oversight, and the potential financial implications of future property transactions. 

Scharf and other residents were opposed to moving forward with the amendment and stressed the importance of identifying a specific public purpose before considering the sale of the properties.

Raducci said that the proposed amendment was intended to provide the town with greater flexibility to consider future opportunities involving the properties. He emphasized that no sale was pending and that any future transaction would require Town Council approval through public hearings. He discussed potential uses of the proceeds, including improvements to town facilities or the acquisition of other properties, but clarified that no specific use could be guaranteed. He said the town would seek fair market value for any future sale.

Some council members were concerned about proceeding without providing residents with a general understanding of how the funds might be used. Others emphasized the importance of maintaining flexibility for future opportunities. 

Potential uses of the proceeds, including the acquisition of property along Ocean Avenue and improvements to the library and other public facilities, were discussed. 

Town Attorney Max Lohman said that including specific sale prices or restrictions on the use of proceeds in the charter could create legal and practical limitations for future property transactions. 

By Larry Barszewski

Ocean Ridge will have a say after all in a dispute initiated by Manalapan over the sand transfer plant at the Boynton Inlet.

Manalapan is seeking to reduce — or stop — operation of the plant, which takes sand building up north of the inlet and deposits it on Ocean Ridge’s beach south of the inlet.

A state administrative hearing judge in October reversed her August ruling denying Ocean Ridge’s motion to intervene after the town asked her to reconsider.

The Oct. 8 ruling came days after Ocean Ridge town commissioners authorized spending up to $125,000 for the Carlton Fields law firm to represent the town.

Mayor Geoff Pugh didn’t see an alternative to stepping in, citing the potential harm to the inlet if Manalapan gets its way — which he said would lead to the erosion of Ocean Ridge’s beaches and those to the south.

“It is expensive, the litigation, but we’re a beach town, so that should say it all,” Pugh said. “Unfortunately, we’re going to have to really get involved as much as we can.”

Resident Terry Brown, a former commissioner, supported the commission’s Oct. 5 decision, saying there were bigger issues at play.

“I know that a lot of pressure is coming from Manalapan, all those billionaires down there would like to shut that inlet down and also get rid of the inlet park,” Brown said. “So, keep paying the money. You’ve got to do it. Take it from the reserves because there’s a lot of pressure and they’ve got plenty of money.”

If the sand transfer plant were to shut down, the sand building up on the north side of the inlet’s jetty would eventually end up in the inlet, making it unnavigable, Pugh said.

Manalapan officials say the plant is robbing their town of beach sand. The sand piles up at the jetty because of its north to south movement along the coast. Manalapan has not been eligible for state beach renourishment grants because it has no public access to its beach.

Administrative Law Judge Francine Ffolkes initially rejected Ocean Ridge’s efforts to intervene, saying the town’s interests were being represented by Palm Beach County.

 However, attorneys for the town argued that Ocean Ridge has interests in the matter that are separate from the county’s and that the town was the one “with the most to lose” because “its shoreline is the immediate beneficiary of the sand transfer plant.”

Representatives from the county and state did not object to Ocean Ridge’s involvement.

The motion by the attorneys representing Ocean Ridge said Manalapan’s action was “a proverbial arrow aimed at Ocean Ridge’s heart.” They said Ocean Ridge’s participation was justified because:

• The county is defending a balanced approach to the issue. “There could come a time in this litigation when Palm Beach County may not seek the maximum protection of Ocean Ridge’s beaches,” the request said.

• The county may be willing to settle in a way that harms the town, may be less likely to appeal a decision adverse to Ocean Ridge, or may “be more willing to accept an outcome that benefits Manalapan at Ocean Ridge’s expense.”

• The county and Ocean Ridge “historically have been adverse in litigation over the inlet and sand transfer issues.” 

“Ocean Ridge actually sued Palm Beach County, Manalapan and other parties in the 1980s when efforts to benefit Manalapan’s beaches resulted in the erosion of the Ocean Ridge shoreline,” the attorneys said.

Manalapan’s complaint says the Florida Department of Environmental Protection should not have given the county permission in 2025 to increase the amount of sand being pumped across the inlet. That new 10-year permit wasn’t properly vetted, the town says — and increasing the amount of sand being pumped will only increase beach erosion in Manalapan.

The complaint was made by the town and Peter Bonutti, husband of Manalapan Vice Mayor Simone Bonutti, whose beachfront property is about a mile north of the inlet. 

A hearing had been planned for January, but will now be in March or April, Ocean Ridge Town Attorney Christy Goddeau said on Nov. 2. 

By Larry Barszewski

After Ocean Ridge spent five years trying to work out a deal for Florida Power & Light to take ownership of street lighting on the town’s portion of East Ocean Avenue, it turns out sea turtles will have the last word.

That came as a surprise to town officials, who until recently didn’t even know the turtles needed to be part of the discussion.

The town had been working most recently on an arrangement with FPL to replace the town’s 47 aging decorative teal poles on East Ocean Avenue on the east side of the Intracoastal Waterway with 18 new black decorative poles. 

But the Town Commission decided at its Oct. 5 meeting that it’s best to leave things the way they are.

Commissioners reached that conclusion after it became clear that one party had unknowingly been left out of the negotiations. Not only did the proposed configuration not meet Florida Department of Transportation lighting standards, new engineering consultants hired by the town determined that the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission also needed to have a say because part of the roadway is subject to lighting restrictions during turtle nesting season.

In order to comply with the turtle lighting regulations in addition to FDOT’s standards, representatives from CHA Consulting Inc. said the town would have to double the 47 current decorative lighting poles on its stretch of Ocean Avenue and quadruple the number of light fixtures there, using dimmer turtle-friendly lights.

“How do the turtles see a light through, I think it’s if you count the houses there, probably 24 houses?” Mayor Geoff Pugh asked. “I mean, is that a magic turtle that sees the light bouncing off the clouds? I don’t get it.”

Stephanie Bortz of CHA felt his frustration.

“I wish I knew. Our alternative is to put up a sign that says, ‘Turtles stop and do not come closer,’” she joked. “When it comes to environmental mapping with any of these agencies, A1A in its totality is a wildlife-sensitive area. In this particular corridor, it jumps into East Ocean.”

Commissioners decided the best and most affordable option presented by the consultants would be for the town to maintain its existing system. No design change or change to the corridor lighting would be needed. There would be a power distribution upgrade to better protect against king tides and other flooding.

Pugh said the decorative lighting is needed — along with a fresh coat of paint on the poles — due to the road’s importance to the town.

“We have to do it because it’s our main boulevard coming into town,” Pugh said. 

Town clerk promoted — Ocean Ridge’s town clerk has been given an added title: assistant town manager. The promotion for Kelly Avery, who has been the town clerk for four years, took effect Oct. 1.

Avery previously worked in the clerk offices in Gulf Stream, Wellington, Lake Park and West Palm Beach, and as executive assistant at St. Andrews Club. She has also served as president of the Palm Beach County Municipal Clerks Association.

Town block party Nov. 19 — The StarBright Civic Collective is planning a block party for town residents to be held Nov. 19 on Colonial Ridge Club beach property on Old Ocean Avenue. 

The foundation, which has raised more than $300,000 for safety and other projects in the town, recently added to its donation of a police drone by providing a drone parachute that will protect private property and innocent bystanders were the drone to go into free fall. The organization also provided a hook for the drone that can be used to carry a life ring to a swimmer in distress.

— Larry Barszewski

Residents pack council meeting, cite safety concerns

Related: South Palm Beach: Man arrested after allegedly attacking mother at Mayfair

By Brian Biggane

When South Palm Beach Vice Mayor Francesca Attardi proposed over the summer that the Town Council move its monthly meetings from afternoon to evening, she never could have anticipated the packed house that showed up for the first 6 p.m. council meeting on Oct. 13.

But the time change had little to do with the turnout.

Two criminal disturbances just 17 days apart — one that ended with a deputy shooting a man dead — prompted a crowd approaching 100 to sit through the council’s comparatively mundane agenda for more than an hour before collectively letting their governing body know their opinion that the contract the town has with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office is not sufficient to their needs.

The main complaint with the contract, which was drawn up when the town decided to move from its own police department to hiring the PBSO, revolved around the fact there is only one deputy on duty during the daytime, though Sgt. Mark Garrison is almost always working in the PBSO substation in Town Hall during that time.

The first incident, which occurred on Sept. 17, involved one of Garrison’s deputies, Donna Korb, and resident Rex Magann, who asked for and then demanded Korb’s car and gun before trying to take the gun. The two fought and Magann was shot and killed.

Then, on Oct. 4, police were called to the Mayfair House condominium where officials said Chadwick Chauncey allegedly choked his mother and was threatening her with a knife. Chauncey barricaded himself in a bathroom and PBSO backups arrived within minutes, persuaded him to give himself up and took him into custody, officials said.

Chauncey, 30, was arrested on four charges, including aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and domestic battery by strangulation, but prosecutors on Oct. 29 decided not to pursue the felony charges and charged him only with resisting an officer without violence. 

The contract between the town and the PBSO that was signed in 2019 provides for two deputies on duty through the night but only one during the day, and six officers total. Garrison, who was chief of police before joining PBSO when the change was made, said he had eight on his staff prior to the agreement.

“Based on our call volume, one deputy is assigned (during the day) but backup and additional resources are throughout the county as deemed necessary,” Garrison said.

Kevin Hall, who manages the Palmsea, recalled that the council and the PBSO leadership conducted a workshop in June 2019. He understood from that meeting that the PBSO would have two officers on duty at all times, though he said copies of the contract were never distributed to residents. 

Of the incident involving Korb, Hall said, “She had no backup. The fire department ended up being her backup. The fire department is not hired to police, but they had to come because we were waiting for them to come from Boynton Beach, and if that bridge was up, it would be another 10-15 minutes before they got here.”

Another speaker, Danny Maduro, who said he only moved to the town in March, said a minimum of two deputies should always be on duty.

“Borrowed help doesn’t count as our staffing,” Maduro said.

“If (the lone) deputy is tied up on a call, a traffic stop, or a transport, no one assigned to this town is free to answer the next emergency,” he added. “That’s a risk for our residents, our visitors, and the deputy already out there alone.”

Lorraine Fortney, a 42-year resident, also said it’s not enough to have Garrison as the only other officer on duty during the day.

“We need backup today; even when (the first) incident happened, there was no backup, and where does our backup come from? And how far away are they? I’m asking.”

Garrison said the answer is the closest district offices, which are in Lake Worth Beach and west Boynton Beach, and patrol cars are typically closer.

“They also have deputies responsible for the Boynton Inlet on A1A,” he added.

Garrison said finding the balance between how much law enforcement is necessary and keeping costs relatively low is never easy.

“If for some reason they decided to add two, three or more deputies, then the tax dollars start rising for that, and a year down the road we could be having the conversation about why (they) are paying so much money. We’re trying not to have a knee-jerk reaction to everything that happens.”

Mayor Rafael Pineiro concluded the discussion by saying he wants to have “a discussion with all the facts” with PBSO management after the investigation involving the fatality is concluded. 

Related: South Palm Beach: Violent incidents prompt calls for greater PBSO presence

By Brian Biggane

South Palm Beach, despite its reputation as a quiet beachside community, experienced a second traumatic incident in a 17-day span when a man allegedly choked and threatened his mother with a knife at the Mayfair House condominium, according to officials.

Chadwick Alan Chauncey, 30, was charged by police with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, domestic battery by strangulation, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill, and misdemeanor resisting arrest without violence after Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrested him on Oct. 4.

However, prosecutors on  Oct. 29 declined to pursue the felony charges in the domestic incident and instead filed only a misdemeanor charge of resisting an officer without violence, according to court records.

The incident, which led many residents to attend the Oct. 13 Town Council meeting with safety concerns, followed another incident on Sept. 17 in which PBSO Deputy Donna Korb fatally shot resident Rex Magann after a struggle that ensued when he tried to take her gun.

According to Chauncey’s arrest report, deputies arrived on the scene at about 1:15 p.m. to find Chauncey’s mother (whose identity was redacted on the report but whose relationship to Chauncey was mentioned at the Town Council meeting) with multiple bruises on her neck and face. She told the officers Chauncey had battered and choked her to the point of unconsciousness before barricading himself in a bathroom with a knife.

After several attempts by deputies to convince him to give himself up, the arrest report stated that he stepped out of the room “with a large silver kitchen knife at his neck, threatening to kill himself.”

When he refused to drop the knife after being commanded to do so, deputies deployed a Taser and a “40 Millimeter” that launches less-lethal impact projectiles to bring him under their control.

A witness subsequently told officers they observed Chauncey on top of his mother choking her and later charging her with the large knife.

Chauncey was transported to JFK Hospital for treatment after being arrested. 

Chauncey, who has pleaded not guilty to the misdemeanor charge, has an extensive felony record.

Palm Beach County court records over the past 10 years show — among other items — he was adjudicated guilty twice of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon; of fleeing or attempting to elude a law enforcement officer; of possessions of cocaine, heroin and other controlled substances; and of leaving the scene of a crash with damage. 

Larry Barszewski contributed to this story.

By Mary Hladky

Boca Raton residents will be asked for a second time if they support financing the cost of new police facilities.

Four City Council members, with Jon Pearlman absent, voted unanimously on Oct. 27 to place a measure on the March 9 city election ballot that would allow the city to issue up to $125 million in general obligation bonds to finance a new police headquarters and related facilities. A “dedicated downtown police facility” would be included.

But to the dismay of some outspoken residents, the council has put off specifying where the headquarters would be located and what the downtown facility would comprise.

The rationale is that those decisions need not be made until the council knows if residents are willing to pay for new police facilities.

The headquarters location is a divisive issue.

Some residents support the city’s preferred location on city-owned land east of the Spanish River Library, while others insist the headquarters should remain in the downtown.

The ballot language, if approved by voters, would guarantee a police presence in the downtown although not necessarily a headquarters.

Nearly 55% of voters in this year’s city election rejected financing for new police facilities.

Yet city officials say new facilities are badly needed to replace the current old and undersized headquarters on the downtown government campus.

To shore up support, they have reduced the size of the project from 165,000 to about 100,000 square feet, and the total cost from $190 million to no more than $125 million.

The original proposal was based on the size the city would need in 2046. The smaller one meets the needs at present.

An August survey of residents showed majority support for a new police complex, but disagreement on the best location.

If voters approve project financing, the city would issue general obligation bonds for a 30-year term.

Under the original proposal, the city would have issued up to $175 million in general obligation bonds. The remainder of the $190 million cost would have come from the city’s general fund.

Under the plan now being advanced, the bond authorization would not exceed $125 million.

Residents would pay the cost through a property tax increase. But that hike would be less than it would have been under the original proposal.The city estimates it would cost the owner of an “average” home about $101 a year, without specifying such a home’s assessed value.

The previous projection for a home with an assessed value of $475,000 was $124 a year.