Barb Schmidt of Boca Raton recommends taking a fresh approach to setting goals.
Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

Mindfulness guru shares tips for peacefully navigating
the new year

By Joyce Reingold

As we dip our toes into this fresh new year, may we collectively resolve to forgo resolutions. So put down the pad and pencil, dear reader. Delete that list from your smartphone. It’s 2020 already. Time for a fresh approach.

And who better to show us a new way than Barb Schmidt, the Boca Raton-based mindfulness practitioner, teacher and author of the international bestseller The Practice: Simple Tools for Managing Stress, Finding Inner Peace, and Uncovering Happiness. As 2019 came galloping to a close, she stopped to share some thoughts on how to more peacefully and harmoniously navigate the new year.

“About five years ago, my daughter Michelle Maros, who runs Peaceful Mind Peaceful Life with me, said: ‘Mom, you know what I like instead of resolutions?

“‘I like setting an intention word that is kind of my guiding star, or my true north, or my highest ideal for the year.’ And I have found that to be magical,” Schmidt said.

“Resolutions are usually external things: I’m going to exercise every day. I’m going to go on a diet. Where, if you choose a word, it comes from the inside. It’s like I’m sitting with myself in quiet, just for a minute or two, and asking, what do I really, really want?
“So, I love that because I believe strongly in all of the work that I do, that we can really live our most successful, happy lives by living them from the inside out, not directed from the outside in.”

In 2019, Schmidt chose truth as her intention word.

“I wanted to make sure that I was in alignment with my truth, even if it was hard, even if it sometimes felt like I was making choices that weren’t necessarily in alignment and I had to regroup and go back and say: Wait a minute. This didn’t quite work. Let me start over again. It kept me on track and kept me in a place where I really wanted to be.”

For 2020, she has selected trustworthy. “Life can be difficult, chaotic and stressful, and at the same time I have found that we truly can trust the process of life. It’s a great paradox, however, because our power comes from doing our best knowing that we can’t predict what will happen.

“Through all of life’s difficulties, I’m always uplifted by the truth that we can absolutely handle things better than expected — and trustworthy reminds me of this.”

Barb Schmidt leads a seminar with her daughter Michelle Maros. Photo provided

Schmidt and Maros are kicking off 2020 with two popular local events that reinforce the mission of their nonprofit organization Peaceful Mind Peaceful Life: “Furthering inner peace and wellness by educating and inspiring individuals and creating community through mindfulness practices, online resources and programs.”

Schmidt, who is also known for her philanthropic work, will lead a four-part meditation study group, beginning Jan. 14, as part of Peaceful Mind Peaceful Life’s wellness series at Boca Raton Regional Hospital’s Christine E. Lynn Women’s Health & Wellness Institute.

Since Schmidt and the institute launched the series in April 2016, “we have welcomed nearly 4,000 people into our workshops and reached hundreds of hospital patients through our in-house television network,” said Maureen Mann, the institute’s executive director.

Dr. Patricia Anastasio, a physician with Advanced Pediatrics of Boca, says the Peaceful Mind Peaceful Life programs have been transformational, reducing her stress and fatigue. “I now recommend mindfulness training to all of my friends and colleagues as the most important resource for reducing anxiety and preventing burnout,” she said.

On Jan. 28, Maria Shriver, TV journalist, author and founder of the Women’s Alzheimer’s Movement, will join Maros and Schmidt in an evening of conversation at Mindful Boca 2020, at the Keith C. and Elaine Johnson Wold Performing Arts Center at Lynn University.

“I am over the moon, unbelievably excited to be bringing her in,” said Schmidt.

A practitioner of mindfulness and meditation for more than 30 years, Schmidt has been on more than 100 retreats and studied with teachers around the world from Deepak Chopra to the Dalai Lama.

“All of our work in January will focus around, how do we begin the year? … 2020 is going to be, I believe, an incredibly stressful, chaotic year with it being an election year,” Schmidt said. “We’ll be focusing a lot on what … are some of the really simple things that you can do to stay grounded, to relieve your anxiety and stress and not allow all of the chaos and the noise that’s going to happen in 2020 to take you down a rabbit hole of anxiety or stress or worry.”

Untethering from technology is one key strategy. Most of us know we should do this more often, but as Schmidt asked the audience in her 2015 TEDx talk, “When was the last time you did nothing?”

Putting electronics aside is a practice Schmidt strongly encourages in her presentations to high school students.

“The biggest thing that I teach them is that in the morning, when you first wake up, before you pick up your phone, stay in bed for a minute or two and close your eyes and just breathe. And then follow the same routine to close out the day. Don’t take your phone to bed with you. … Close your eyes before you go to sleep and … name one thing that went really well for you in your day. There’s always something that went well. Find it and name it. And then close your eyes and go to sleep,” she said.

“When you can disconnect from technology and disconnect from the external world, even for a minute or two, it realigns your brain. It realigns your ability to be able to manage and nourish your nervous system.”

The students tell her it’s hard to do, but it’s working. “They’re seeing the results of the break, between feeling anxiety and stress and noticing, Wow, I feel a little bit calm in this moment,” Schmidt said. “And … just knowing, I really only need to do that for one minute. And when you try it you see that one minute is pretty powerful.”

Schmidt says research shows that spending just 14 minutes — or 1% of each day — in mindfulness can help transform the other 99%. “Just taking a break is the most powerful thing we can do,” she said.

“It truly is just finding that space throughout the day where I can be with me for a second here, for a minute there and just notice: What am I feeling? What do I want? What is happening for me in this moment? Where am I getting off track? The word brings it back. …

“Mindfulness meditation — just sitting with oneself for no matter how long — is a great way to let that word kind of come back into focus.”

Why not give it a try? But no need to call it a resolution.

If You Go

What: Mindful Boca 2020: An Evening With Maria Shriver
When: 6:30 p.m. Jan. 28
Where:  Keith C. and Elaine Johnson Wold Performing Arts Center at Lynn University
Cost: $125, orchestra seating; $100, mezzanine.
Registration is required; visit www.pmpl.eventbrite.com.
Information: 955-7227

What: Peaceful Mind Peaceful Life Wellness Series: Meditation Study Group
When: 6-8 p.m. Jan. 14, Feb. 11, March 10 and April 7
Where: Christine E. Lynn Women’s Health & Wellness Institute at Boca Raton Regional Hospital
Cost: $150. To register, visit www.pmpl.eventbrite.com.
Information: 955-7227

Joyce Reingold writes about health and healthy living. Her intention word for 2020 is joy. Share yours, and column ideas, with joyce.reingold@yahoo.com.

Sarah Byerly, of Boynton Beach, has her photo taken with three of the six goats from Downward Goat that took part in goat yoga at the Lantana greenmarket. Market founder Hector V. Herrera aims to offer a different experience each Sunday. Rachel S. O’Hara/The Coastal Star

By Linda Haase

Lantana’s Bicentennial Park has stunning Intracoastal views, a gorgeous gazebo, shaded picnic tables, benches and a playground.
But on Sundays this gem is transformed into a charming greenmarket, showcasing everything from fresh produce to homemade jams.

The Lantana greenmarket, operated by Shoreline Green Markets, comes together like a movie set as vendors arrive, some as early as sunrise, to erect this small village. Directing the project is Hector V. Herrera, its founder and manager, whose unwavering enthusiasm is contagious.

It seemed like every town had a greenmarket this season but Lantana — and with the town’s blessing, Herrera began its inaugural year in mid-November. Each Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., as many as 32 vendors share their handmade and innovative creations.
Chatting with merchants — who are very friendly and passionate about their wares — enhances the experience, Herrera says. “You can learn a lot and it makes it more special when you meet the person behind the product.” 

Among the offerings are produce, clothes, jewelry, candles, shell art, cheeses, spices, sarongs and much more. And, oh, the food. Come for breakfast and stay for lunch: There’s a vegan bakery, authentic Bahamian dishes like chicken souse and conch salad, crepes, shrimp and grits and more (hungry yet?).

One of those serving up tasty treats is Shirlann Sanders, the woman behind the makeshift stove at Nana’s Southern Kitchen & Country Store. It resembles a country store/restaurant, right down to the wood paneling, homey curtains and red-and-white checked tablecloths.

The tempting aroma from the Lantana resident’s made-from-scratch and to-order shrimp and grits, triple-decker grilled cheese sandwiches and other comfort food wafts through the air. Also available at her booth are homemade jams and jellies. The 30 flavors include strawberry, mint, fig, tropical and orange marmalade.

“My recipes don’t come from a book. They are custom made and big on flavor,” says Sanders, who grew up in Tennessee and learned a thing or two at her family’s country restaurant. “My grits aren’t instant, they are the real deal. I have them sent to me from a mill in Georgia. It’s the only way I know how to cook.”

Herrera sums it all up: “She represents everything everyone loves about the South.”

Sanders’ quaint display — created by her husband, Scott — isn’t the only unusual thing at the Ocean Avenue venue. From the beginning, this greenmarket, which runs through May, was designed to be different.

“Most greenmarkets are on Saturday. This gives people another option for something to do on a Sunday,” explains Herrera, who lives in nearby Hypoluxo. “I wanted to create a real Sunday tradition for Lantana that brings people together.”

He envisions a community-centric, family friendly event that offers greenmarket staples and a “laid-back, enjoy-yourself-kind of place” with special events each week.

Herrera, who has managed greenmarkets for about five years, is brimming with ideas for activities that will set the greenmarket apart, like a recent goat yoga session and an upcoming class on creating a cheese and charcuterie board.

“I want to create a different experience every Sunday,” he says.

GreenMarkets

Boca Raton Greenmarket every Saturday at City Hall (north side), 201 W Palmetto Park Rd. 8 am-1 pm. Free. downtownboca.org; 299-8684 elilly707@aol.com
Delray Beach Greenmarket every Saturday at Old School Square Park, 50 NE 2nd Ave, one block north of Atlantic Ave. Fresh local produce, baked goods, gourmet food items, plants, live music, children’s activities. 9am-2pm. 276-7511; delraycra.org
Lantana Greenmarket every Sunday at Bicentennial Park, 321 E Ocean Ave. 10 am-2 pm. 515-9919; shorelinegreenmarkets.com
Lake Worth Farmers Market every Saturday by the bridge at A1A. 1873 Lake Ave, Lake Worth. 9 am-1 pm. Free. 547-3100; lakeworthfarmersmarket.com

The Plate: Antipasto for one

The Place: The Hive Bar and Grill, 618 Lantana Road, Lantana; 513-9168 or www.thehivebarandgrill.com.

The Price: $9

The Skinny: For many years, the building at Lantana Road and Sixth Street was home to Pearl’s.

But Pearl went on to her reward and The Hive is filling some of the void in Lantana for a community gathering space for lunch, dinner and late-night crowds.

It was quiet the Friday afternoon I visited — four tables of folks who clearly were regulars at The Hive were having a grand time.

A cup of the chili ($4) delivered a hearty helping of stew, packed with beans and ground beef that had a slightly smoky flavor. It also was packed with onion and red peppers.

The antipasto for one ($9) really was enough for two, with plenty of crisp, fresh romaine, plus salami, black olives, roasted peppers, tomatoes, pickled artichokes, pepperoncini, strips of provolone and hot cherry peppers. The sweet, tangy dressing that accompanied was a perfect foil to the salty meat, cheese and olives.

— Scott Simmons

Photo provided

By Arden Moore

Now ear this! We people possess many abilities. But paws down, our dogs win the hearing contest.

Yep, the only member of your household who can detect and respond to your whispers in a room on the opposite end of your house is your dog. (I’m betting your cat can hear those subtle sounds, too, but chooses to stay napping on a comfy spot.)

Dogs can pick up sounds at higher and lower frequencies than we can. On average, there are about 12 muscles per canine ear that can be tilted, turned, raised or lowered to zero in on sounds at greater distance than human ears.

But this heightened sense comes with a price. Some dogs turn into panic puddles at the sound of fireworks, truck backfires, thunder, alarms, people yelling and even the whirl of vacuums across living room rugs.

South Florida is no stranger to storms and other irritating or frightening sounds.

“I equate thunderstorms to a phobia stew, as affected dogs hear the loud wind noise, see large trees bending over and feel changes in static barometric pressure,” says Nicholas Dodman, professor emeritus of veterinary behavior at Tufts University’s Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine in North Grafton, Massachusetts, and the founder of the Center for Canine Behavior Studies.

Dodman estimates close to 50% of dogs exhibit some signs of fear and anxiety to sounds, sights and situations, but there is no study that pins down the percentage of dogs with sound fears.

Perceived frightening sounds can cause some dogs to act clingy, quiver, drool, bark excessively, shed excessively, pant heavily, hide in a closet and risk injury trying to bolt through a door or window.

Unaddressed, the fear of specific sounds can escalate to a phobia — an exaggerated, irrational response that can emotionally and physically affect a dog. Some scared dogs suffer from inflammatory bowel disease or weakened immune systems and may display unwanted behavior, such as fear biting or destructiveness.

Michael Tyrrell, of Wellington, is on a mission to aid sound-phobic dogs. This Grammy award winner and minister has created Wholetones, music designed to use specific tonal frequencies to unleash calm in people and now, pets.

“Music is the soundtrack of every life, including people and animals,” says Tyrrell. “Why, our limbic system is tied to music. At specific frequencies, Wholetones works for all living things.”

He knows firsthand. His dog, Zivah, a mixed breed rescued from a shelter in the Bahamas, would pace, drool and look for a safe place to hide at the first sounds of thunder or fireworks. Then Tyrrell left music he created on Wholetones playing and Zivah calmed down and curled up on the bed with Tyrrell and his wife, Lillian, while the storm raged on.

Tyrrell launched Wholetones for people in 2014. The product line now includes CD and plug-in device versions specifically for dogs and cats. The pet device contains more than 52 minutes of specifically composed, original music infused at the exact frequency of 396 hertz. Hertz (Hz) is a measure of sound frequency or cycles per second.

The collection of songs is derived from music by Tyrrell. It can be played at even low volumes to be effective and may benefit dogs with separation anxiety and hyperactivity, Tyrrell says.

Stacey Gelkopf, who owns Jake’s Pet Supply in Lake Worth with her husband, Harry, has readily stocked the pet versions of Wholetones in their store.

“We get a lot of requests from customers looking for products that can calm their pets from fireworks, thunderstorms and other noises,” says Gelkopf. “Music seems to really help dogs without the worry of any side effects that may occur in giving over-the-counter medications or holistic remedies. You simply turn on music and if it works, great, and if not, the music won’t hurt the dog.”
Tyrrell has donated about $20,000 in products to those serving in the military who are dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder as well as to animal shelters.

“Most great inventions come from subtraction,” says Tyrrell. “I realize how music is tuned and how it affects us on a cellular level — and that includes our fur babies. I am trying to do my part to give our pets a fighting chance to live an optimal life.”

Other methods worth considering

Here is a rundown of some other options to consider to calm down your scared or anxious dog:

• Anti-anxiety vests or antistatic jackets may help a dog feel less anxious or frightened.

• Sprays and diffusers that emit dog-appeasing pheromones. Consult your veterinarian about selecting the best commercial product for your stressed-out dog.

• Calming herbs and supplements, such as chamomile, valerian and lemon balm. Work with your veterinarian in advance to avoid accidentally giving a toxic dose to your dog.

• Essential oils in tinctures and administered by a dropper. Recognize that all essential oils are not the same and vary in efficacy by manufacturer. Check with a holistic veterinarian first.

• Training and behavior modification from professional dog trainers using positive reinforcement techniques may help lessen fear in some dogs.

• White noise to help block out the source of the fear-causing sound.

• Zylkene is a supplement that contains casein, a milk protein. It can be given before a known fear trigger, such as an approaching thunderstorm.

• An anti-anxiety medication such as trazodone, Xanax or Prozac may be prescribed by your veterinarian to help your dog stay calm.

Arden Moore, founder of fourleggedlife.com, is an animal behavior expert and host of the Oh Behave! show on petliferadio.com. Learn more at www.ardenmoore.com.

The Ocean Ridge Garden Club, starting what it plans to make an annual event, arranged pet pictures with Santa. Dozens of Ocean Ridge residents took advantage of the event, including Sallie Howell with her pooch, Fishbone.

Between sitting for photos, Roger Latham, from Lake Worth, waved to passing motorists and promoted the sale of holiday
poinsettias. Photos by Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

Capt. Chris Agardy of Fish Envy Charters, based at Boynton Harbor Marina, cleans one of two wahoo his clients caught Dec. 9. The wahoo hit bonito belly strips trolled in 250 feet of water off Boynton Inlet. Willie Howard/The Coastal Star

Depending on wind and wave conditions, the 1-foot-square red and white diver-down flags can be hard to see. Willie Howard/The Coastal Star

By Willie Howard

Most dive flags towed through the water by snorkelers and scuba divers meet Florida’s minimum requirement for divers to identify themselves in the water.

State law requires dive flags used in the water to be at least a 1-foot square, red with a white diagonal stripe. Most are mounted on floats and have lead weights at the base to hold them upright.

Although foot-square dive flags are legal (dive flags on boats must be larger, at least 20 by 24 inches), a dive industry veteran says they don’t do enough to protect divers in the water.

“The flag is simply antiquated,” says Robert Carmichael, CEO of Brownie’s Marine Group in Pompano Beach, whose company took advantage of a 2014 change in state law to develop a larger, inflatable diver-down warning device with a water ballast — called the 3D Buoy.

Carmichael, whose friend lost both legs to a boat while diving in 1992, said dive flags can be difficult to see, especially when the boat is headed into the wind and the operator is looking at the edge of the flag rather than the full outstretched surface.

Carmichael says more visible diver-down warning devices such as his, which displays three, 12-by-12-inch diver-down symbols, should be mandated by a generic state law that would open the playing field for dive equipment companies to develop warning devices that perform better than flags.

The 2014 change in state law (FS 327.331) allowed divers to use diver-down buoys in addition to flags. The buoy is defined as a buoyant device that displays the red-and-white diver-down sign on three or four sides.

But Carmichael says divers have been reluctant to pay $90 for his buoy versus $30 to $45 for a float-mounted dive flag.
“We need legislative guidance on this,” he said. “Safety doesn’t sell.”

The effectiveness of dive flags was called into question again on Thanksgiving Day, when 25-year-old marine biologist Carter Viss was hit by a boat while snorkeling off The Breakers hotel in Palm Beach. The impact severed his arm.

It likely will be months before the full report on the Viss accident is complete, but preliminary reports by the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission said the operator of the 33-foot powerboat was slowing down when the boat struck Viss, who was being treated for his injuries in late December.

Unfortunately, boat-versus-diver accidents have happened several times in South Florida waters.

Andrew Harris died after being hit by a boat while snorkeling near Jupiter Inlet in 2014.

Diver Rob Murphy lost both of his legs after a boat ran over him while he was spearfishing off Stuart in 2009.

John Deleonibus was hit by a boat while snorkeling 50 to 75 yards off South Inlet Park in Boca Raton in September 2010.

Authorities said the boat never stopped. Deleonibus suffered a skull fracture, a broken hip and cuts to his head and back from the boat propeller.

Boca Raton Ocean Rescue Chief Clint Tracy said snorkelers are not required to use a dive flag in the guarded swimming area (within 100 feet from the beach).

But Tracy said divers and snorkelers should always be in the habit of using a float/flag or an approved diver-down buoy.
“Not only should divers have a flag but should also have a dive buddy and be very alert in listening for the sound of boat propellers,” Tracy said.

Snorkelers and divers headed to the popular SS Inchulva wreck off the south end of Delray Beach must use a float-mounted dive flag or another approved diver-down warning device.

The Delray wreck is outside the guarded area protected by city lifeguards, Delray Beach Ocean Rescue Chief Phil Wotton said.
State law requires boat operators to make “a reasonable effort” to stay 300 feet away from dive flags in the open ocean and 100 feet away in an inlet, river or navigation channel. Boats approaching closer must do so at the slowest possible speed that maintains headway and steering.

But some boaters don’t know the law or simply aren’t careful, said Mike Leifeste, a dive boat captain who works at Force E dive shop in Boca Raton.

Although most people respect the dive flags, Leifeste said that sometimes he has to sound an air horn, call boat operators on VHF channel 16 or move his boat between the divers and an approaching boat to protect his divers.

His tip for divers: “Always try to make yourself as visible as possible.”

FWC tightens limits on spotted sea trout

The Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission in December approved new limits and management zones for spotted sea trout effective Feb. 1.

In the new Central East zone (Palm Beach through Volusia counties), the daily bag limit for sea trout will drop from four to two fish.
The slot size for sea trout also shrank by an inch. Under the new rules, sea trout must be between 15 and 19 inches in total length to be legal to keep.

The sea trout season also will be closed during November and December, meaning no recreational harvest will be allowed in the Central East zone during those two months.

Coming events

January: Grouper season closed Jan. 1. The seasonal closure means red, black, gag and several other species of grouper cannot be harvested until the season reopens May 1. For details, visit myfwc.com and select “saltwater fishing” and “recreational regulations.”
Jan. 4: Basic boating safety class offered by Coast Guard Auxiliary, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the headquarters building at Spanish River Park, 3939 N. Ocean Blvd., Boca Raton. Fee $35 ($5 for youths ages 12-19). Register at the door. Bring lunch. Call 391-3600. Leave a message.

Jan. 8-11: 83rd annual Silver Sailfish Derby, a sailfish release tournament organized by the West Palm Beach Fishing Club and based at Sailfish Marina in Palm Beach Shores. Captains meeting Jan. 8 at the fishing club. Fishing will be Jan. 9-10, followed by awards dinner Jan. 11. Entry fee $1,000 per boat for fishing club members, $1,500 per boat for non-members, plus $300 late fee that kicked in Dec. 21. 832-6780 or www.westpalmbeachfishingclub.org.

Jan. 17-18: Operation Sailfish release tournament based at Sailfish Marina in Palm Beach Shores. Kickoff party 6-10 p.m. Jan. 15 at Sailfish Marina. Take a hero fishing day Jan. 16. Competition Jan. 17-18. Entry fee $1,700. 954-725-4010 or www.operationsailfish.com.

Jan. 25: Basic boating safety class offered by Coast Guard Auxiliary, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the classroom building next to the boat ramps, Harvey E. Oyer Jr. Park, 2010 N. Federal Highway, Boynton Beach. Fee $20. Register at the door. Call 331-2429.

Tip of the month

If you find a sick, injured or dead sea turtle, call the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Wildlife Alert Hotline, 888-404-3922.

The hotline also can be used to report problems with manatees and other wildlife. Be prepared to give the exact location of the turtle or other animal, to report whether it’s alive or dead, to state its approximate size and the closest access point to reach it.

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

The twisted trunks of the buttonwood make a scenic surrounding for a pair of benches. Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

By Deborah S. Hartz-Seeley

Por La Mar Park in Boca Raton is known for its large gnarly and sprawling southern buttonwood tree. In 1992, the tree received the city’s historic designation for its “landmark significance as well as its historic association and specimen quality.”

The park also recently received an award from the Boca Raton Beautification Committee. “We felt the tree had character and had lived so long that it and the park around it deserved recognition,” says Jo-Ann Landon, past president and longtime committee member.

Today, with its horizontally growing trunk and gnarly bark, that buttonwood remains a testament to the artistry of Mother Nature.
It’s so picturesque that it is often used as a backdrop for graduation and wedding photos, says Samantha Griffin, a records and customer service specialist for the city who lives nearby.

The sprawling tree is set in a traffic circle defined by three neighborhood streets. “When I drive by and see that park, I take a deep breath and think, I’m home,” says Griffin.

A historical photo from the 1920s shows three women lounging under trees in this area that would later become the park.
“It shows us that Boca Raton’s pioneers knew about this spot. It was probably a nice place to get some shade away from the beach,” says Susan Gillis, curator of the Boca Raton Historical Society and Museum.

Women lounge among the trees in 1928 when the park area had a small pond. Photo provided by the Boca Raton Historical Society

Even today visitors are discovering this tiny park’s attractions.

James Rosenberg, 27, of Delray Beach and Karen Restrepo, 26, of Fort Lauderdale have ridden their bikes through the Por La Mar area for over a year.

But only recently did they discover the spreading buttonwood in a ring of strangler figs, sabal palms and some smaller buttonwoods just starting on their growth journey.

The first thing this duo did, after getting off their bikes in the park, was to gently climb the historic buttonwood that creates a natural jungle gym.

Although this tree looks unique, Dawn Sinka, horticulturist/arborist for the city of Boca Raton, explains that this is a natural growth pattern for this species.

She adds that the buttonwood naturally has a vase shape with drooping foliage. But when the foliage touches the ground, as it does repeatedly in this park, the tree begins to grow upward again.

And of course, the force of wind and storms have influenced how this tree has grown.

“Certainly, anyone who stumbles across this tree can’t help but be impressed,” Sinka says.

This .3-acre park and its character tree have been a meeting place for generations of Por La Mar residents, including William Wear, 72.

He lives in the Por La Mar house his grandparents built and where he visited them as a youngster. He remembers the nearby park as a “magnet” for him and his friends, who would climb in the tree.

“Even today, the park is a hidden gem,” he says.

Tree tip

In order to have a buttonwood tree that grows straight to the sky on a single trunk, it requires pruning and multiple staking periods, especially during storms. But even when trained to grow straight, the tree has a tendency to lean and droop. 

You can see some of these straighter buttonwoods growing along Via Cabana and on Northeast Sixth Drive in Boca Raton between Northeast 32nd Street and Spanish River Boulevard.

Isn’t nature amazing?

— Dawn Sinka, horticulturist/arborist for the city of Boca Raton

If You Go

Where: Por La Mar Park is set in a quiet traffic circle created by the coming together of Palm Avenue, Park Drive West and Southeast Olive Way in Boca Raton. It’s just west of A1A and south of East Palmetto Park Road. There is no designated parking.

When: Open 8 a.m. to sunset

Deborah S. Hartz-Seeley can be reached at debhartz@att.net.

By Janis Fontaine

The year 2020.

It rolls off our tongues, the symbol of perfect visual acuity. So, a year with that moniker should be a great year, right?

We asked clergy members how they feel about 2020 and for their best advice for starting the new year on the right foot:

Andy Hagen, pastor for Advent Life Ministries in Boca Raton, said he thought about the idea of the year 2020 and 20/20 vision a few years ago. “That it’s supposed to be perfect vision. I tried to imagine what 2020 would be like.” Hagen realized the futility of trying to predict the future, knowing God has his own ideas about that, and just kept moving forward.

Now he says, “The thing I’m loving as we enter 2020 is people are being more kind and more generous. Saturday I flew to the Bahamas with Bob Stark, a (retired) local businessman who is a pilot and owns his own plane. He wanted to help but didn’t know how, so he contacted me. I reached out to the congregation, and we flew 200 backpacks filled with toys donated by our church family to tiny Moore’s Island in Stark’s twin Cessna. No reindeer required.”

More and more, Hagen says he’s being asked to connect people who want to help with people who need help. “I’m a goodwill broker,” he said.

Rabbi Ruvi New is the spiritual leader and director of Chabad of East Boca and the editor of Inside Out magazine, which focuses on Jewish thought and philosophy. He says his congregation is excited about the new year because it’s also Chabad’s 20th anniversary and there’s a lot to celebrate.

“Now we’re the boutique Chabad,” New said. An upgraded space to handle the growing congregation and a new façade drawn from the eight entries to the sacred city of Jerusalem give Chabad “an opportunity to up our impact,” New says.
“There’s a significance to different decades; they should represent a paradigm shift, a time to see things in a new way. It’s a new chapter.”

Ask yourself, New says, if you are merely existing or are you living? Challenging yourself to grow is a sign of life. “The Hebrew term for year is shana but the word also means change. Ask ‘How am I different than I was last year?’ But don’t waste time or space worrying about things that will never happen or with your eyes focused on the rearview mirror. Only cars should have rearview mirrors. Be in the now.”

New says that every day you wake up is God’s saying, “I need you in the world.”

Jane Faysash of the Southern Palm Zen Group (www.floridazen.com) is a Buddhist pupil and teacher, and she facilitates the monthly Interfaith Café in Delray Beach. It’s a meeting of people of all faiths who come together to hear expert speakers and discuss spiritual issues.

Faysash says one path to a happy future begins with meditation. Most people spend their lives in hyper-drive and can’t imagine “doing nothing” for 30 minutes a day, so Faysash says, start small.

“Start by sitting quietly for five minutes every day. Pay attention to what arises.” If nothing else, Faysash says, “Meditation will help you know yourself better.

Faysash says one reason people fail to keep their New Year’s resolutions is they set goals too high. Mammoth goals lead to frustration and failure. Break them down into manageable pieces, like that adage about eating an elephant: “One bite at a time.”
“Do something, just one small thing, toward your goal every day,” Faysash says. “A new year is a chance to start over. Find a community of people with the same intention or goal for support.”

Josh Broide, the outreach rabbi at Boca Raton Synagogue and director of the Center for Jewish Engagement at the Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County, also feels optimistic.

“I think 2020 will be a year where we can do better as a community. People are grateful and want to do great things, but anything we choose to do should start by taking a good look in the mirror.”

Broide is concerned that we’re not following the most basic life law: the Golden Rule. “We need more civility in our dealings with one another and we need to be better listeners. We need to stop retaliatory abuse — you hurt me, I’ll hurt you — because it spirals out of control. We need to be the bigger person.”

Broide is committed to spreading an enthusiastic message: “I can’t wait for 2020! I’m hoping it will bring good things.”

Rabbi Leibel Stolik of Chabad of South Palm Beach was philosophical: “Building on the concept that 2020 are the numbers that represent perfect visual acuity, if we train our emotional and spiritual vision to be more accepting, generous and empathetic, we are guaranteed a more peaceful and successful year. Recognizing God’s hand in the big and small parts of our lives allows us to shake off aggravation and despair.”

Wendy Tobias, associate pastor at St. Joseph’s Episcopal Church, says she’s approaching 2020 by saying yes. Yes to love, yes to God’s presence in her life, yes to community and yes to “creation care,” a worldwide ministry that educates, inspires and mobilizes Christians to care for God’s creation and be stewards of the planet by fighting pollution.

“The earth is a great gift and we should be caring for it,” Tobias said.

Say yes to the community by looking for the helpers, people who are lifting up others, and joining them. “The closer the connection between us, the closer we are to God. And the closer we are to God, the stronger our connection to each other,” Tobias said.
Say yes to kindness. “You’ve heard people ask, ‘Do you want to be right or do you want to be happy?’ It takes a lot of courage to choose the kinder path.”

Tobias says if you look around, you’ll see people doing amazing things. It starts with your attitude.

“My mother forbade us from using the word ‘hate’ in our house. She said there was already enough hate in the world. Start the new year by removing the word ‘hate’ from your vocabulary and say yes to love.”

Janis Fontaine writes about people of faith, their congregations, causes and events. Contact her at janisfontaine@outlook.com.

About 200 parishioners gathered last month to dedicate the Nativity scene at St. Lucy Catholic Church in Highland Beach. The figures included a removable Jesus that could be placed in the manger on Christmas Eve. Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

By Janis Fontaine

As cars whizzed by on A1A, about 200 parishioners from St. Lucy Catholic Church in Highland Beach gathered after dark for the big reveal of the new life-size Nativity scene. After Father Brian Horgan blessed the manger scene, someone flipped a switch and the characters came to life, with “oohs” and “aahs” all around.

The 12 full-color fiberglass figures featured the one thing the Nativity team demanded: a removable Jesus. The custom is to leave the manger empty until midnight Christmas Eve, when the baby is placed in the scene.

“We didn’t want one with the baby Jesus bolted to the cradle,” Jeannette Schmitz said.

Schmitz is the church’s director of family ministry and social outreach and was part of the volunteer team assigned to finding a suitable holy family for the knolls in front of St. Lucy. It took almost a year.

Finally, at www.catholicsupply.com for just under $10,000, the team found the “72-inch Heaven’s Majesty 12 Piece Full Nativity Set — Life Size.” Schmitz said the volunteers took a special collection for the Nativity over the summer, so the church budget didn’t have to kick in a dime. She found out that a Nativity scene “is very important to a lot of people.”

The tableau features Mary and Joseph, the three wise men, a shepherd carrying a lamb, a sheep, an ox and a donkey, and the angel of the Lord watching over the whole scene. The angel’s wings are gold and almost 7 feet tall. The detail is quite stunning. “We liked the beautiful faces and expressions,” Schmitz said.

After the lighting, parishioners gathered in Fellowship Hall for the annual Feast of St. Lucy, the church’s patron saint. The church served prime rib and snapper and au gratin potatoes.

The lighted display got immediate attention, Schmitz said. “People are stopping to take photos.”

The essence of St. Lucy, whose name means light, is light. A light in the world leading the way for Christians today just as the light of the North Star led the wise men to Bethlehem so long ago.

St. Lucy Catholic Church is at 3510 S. Ocean Blvd.

Author to speak at Unity on living better life

Dennis Merritt Jones, author of The Art of Abundance — Ten Rules for a Prosperous Life, released in 2018, will speak at services at Unity of Delray Beach on Jan. 12. This book and Jones’ two previous books — The Art of Uncertainty — How to Live in the Mystery of Life and Love It and The Art of Being — 101 Ways to Practice Purpose in Your Life — were recipients of Nautilus Awards (“Better Books for a Better World”). He offers free downloadable study guides for the books on his website.

Jones will speak about The Art of Uncertainty at the 9:15 and 11 a.m. services and will present a workshop from 1 to 3:30 p.m. to explore “Practicing the Power of Presence.”

Unity of Delray Beach is at 101 NW 22nd St. Call Unity at 276-5796 or visit www.DennisMerrittJones.com.

Human trafficking expert to speak at St. Lucy

The second annual Human Trafficking Luncheon will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Jan. 28 at St. Lucy Catholic Church in Highland Beach.

The keynote speaker is Liza Smoker, an attorney and managing director of the Human Trafficking Academy at St. Thomas School of Law. She graduated from FSU with degrees in multinational business and real estate and law.

Smoker was selected as one of 60 presidential leadership scholars in 2019 for her “leadership growth potential” and “personal leadership projects aimed at improving civic engagement or social good,” and Place of Hope will honor Smoker with its first Illumination Award.

Proceeds from the luncheon will benefit Place of Hope’s human trafficking prevention and education programs. The programs include screenings of a documentary on human trafficking in South Florida and presentations to community, corporate, civic and religious groups. Experts agree the best weapon against this epidemic is education.

Tickets to the luncheon are $55. Sponsorships are available.

For tickets or information, visit www.placeofhoperinker.org/humantraffickingluncheon.

Interfaith conference to address bigotry

JAM & ALL is an organization of Jews, Muslims, Christians and people of all other faiths or no faith who come together to discuss important issues.

On Feb. 1 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., JAM will host a conference called “Transforming Bigotry and Hate: From Awareness to Action,” led by keynote speaker Arno Michaelis at the Lynn College of Nursing at FAU Boca Raton, 777 Glades Road.

Michaelis used to be a white supremacist, and he will share what drew him to white supremacy and what led to his transformation away from it.

Also part of the conference is “Managing Your Prejudices” by Gail Price-Wise, president of the Florida Center for Cultural Competence.

Tickets, which include a box lunch, are $25 in advance at www.eventbrite.com. Tickets will be $30 at the door. The conference is free for FAU students with ID. For more information, call 289-4621 or 251-5336.

For more about JAM & ALL, visit jamandallinterfaith.net.

Seventh-grader Evangeline Price placed second and eighth-grader Olivia Robbins placed first, earning awards from Principal Vikki Delgado. Photo provided

Forty students competed for two spots to represent the school in the Southeastern Florida Scripps district spelling bee, set for March 10 in Boca Raton. The winner of the district bee will have the opportunity to compete at the regional level.

Delray Beach’s Seagate Hotel hosted about 20 children who got to meet Santa, his wife and helpers. Photos provided

By Janis Fontaine

On Dec. 12, as it has every year for the last six years, the Seagate Hotel & Spa in Delray Beach hosted kindergartners and first-graders from the Achievement Centers for Children & Families and the Boys and Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County for a Santa Claus meet-and-greet. The children enjoyed rides on the Seagate Trolley, a party with cookies, crafts and carols with Mrs. Claus, and gift bags stuffed with goodies to take home.

And look at Santa! This was no hired-off-Craigslist figure. E. Anthony Wilson, CEO of Seagate Hospitality Group, played the jolly man and Carie Cody, the hotel’s retail manager, was Mrs. Claus.

Wilson left town on Santa’s heels, but we reached him by email: “One of my favorite Christmas traditions that I look forward to every year is getting the opportunity to dress up as Santa for an annual holiday children’s event. All kids should experience the joy of meeting Santa and I’m honored to be able to provide that experience.

“There’s only one thing better than supporting the Achievement Centers and the Boys and Girls Clubs, and that’s seeing smiles on the children’s faces when they meet Santa face-to-face. It’s the little things that make this holiday season so special.”
Way to go, Mr. Wilson!

Bahamian Christmas breakfast for kids

In Boynton Beach, a party for displaced Bahamians meant gifts such as new dresses for Zaniah Maycock, 10, and her sister Leah, 3.

Most kids look forward to Christmas with unbridled glee, but for children who lost everything to Hurricane Dorian when it devastated the northern Bahamas in early September, a bountiful Christmas didn’t seem possible. But through the efforts of Sandy Collier, who owns Hey, Sandy PR, and Bethan Whitely, founder of Children’s Oasis International, dozens of kids received a happy — and delicious — Christmas.

On Dec. 14, families gathered at the New Disciples Worship Center in Boynton Beach for an authentic Bahamian breakfast. Volunteers served Bahamian favorites outside under tents in perfect South Florida weather. Nothing like the weather that brought Shanterica Bain and her three kids to Boynton Beach.

Bain says she and her children nearly perished in the storm. As the water rose around them, Bain and her fiancé, John Comet, took their three children (the youngest just 4 months old) plus four nieces and nephews to a shelter in their van. But the doors of the shelter were locked up tight, and the screeching winds and stinging rain prevented anyone inside from hearing their calls for help.
Cellphone service on Grand Bahama had been out all night, but Bain got through. Comet carried each of the kids, the oldest 14, one by one, to the side door.

The next day, Bain and the kids were evacuated, but Comet stayed behind.

Bain is grateful for the help she and her family have received and says the kids are happy and excelling in school, which is important to her. But she doesn’t want to go back to the Bahamas.

She says the experience has been harder, mentally and emotionally, on her than the kids, who have bounced back. But the jovial spirits of the volunteers who served special dishes from home lifted her spirits.

“We cooked all night,” Collier said. Dishes included stewed conch, corned beef, steamed tuna, broiled grouper, chicken souse, yellow and white grits, johnnycake and potato bread. The deep-fryer bubbled nonstop and the pans of deliciousness just kept coming.

Collier got help from the crew from Funky Fritters, including owner Brandon Mervil, and Mini Meals on Wheels founder Christina Dixon Wells. The food was paid for by West Palm Beach attorneys Michael Pike, of the firm Pike & Lustig, and Tayson Gaines.
After breakfast, the kids listened to a Christmas story read by Whitely while the gifts were readied. Then each child was called up personally to receive his or her present. Each actually got two gifts: one to open then and one for Christmas morning.

The one thing that didn’t go as planned, Collier said, was “11 children who weren’t registered didn’t receive anything, but we told them we’d fix that.”

For more info, call Hey, Sandy PR at 386-5262 or email heysandypr@gmail.com. For more information about COI, visit www.childrensoasisinternational.com.

Help needed to assemble packages for rescued kids

Volunteers are needed for the Child Rescue Coalition’s Blankets and Bear Hugs Community Day, which takes place from 2 to 4 p.m. Jan. 25. Tickets are $25.

Carly Yoost, founder and CEO of the Boca Raton-based CRC, wrote that since she founded the coalition in 2013, it has been involved in the arrests of thousands of suspects and has helped rescue hundreds of children. The coalition has done it with Child Protection System technology, which tracks predators who are sharing child porn online.

Experts say millions of images are shared and traded online every day. The CRC works with child exploitation investigators, police officers, digital forensic experts, prosecutors and child welfare agencies, and uses corporate and private philanthropy to apprehend and convict abusers and rescue children.

When that happens, child victims can take a bit of comfort from care packages that include a teddy bear and a soft blanket, a coloring book and crayons. Police officers stock their patrol cars just in case.

On Blankets and Bear Hugs Community Day, volunteers of all ages are invited to join law enforcement to assemble teddy bear care packages. The event will include a presentation about the CRC’s work and how you can keep your kids safe online. All ages are welcome.

For more information, email events@childrescuecoalition.org or call 208-9000.

New color schemes and settings help to create a more open feel in the dining rooms. Photo provided

By Brian Biggane

Nearly 200 people were entertained by the Palm Beach Pipers bagpipe ensemble and a five-piece band as St. Andrews Club of Delray Beach celebrated the completion of its expansive renovation project on Dec. 6.

President Henry Blackiston made a short speech and presided over a ribbon-cutting ceremony before the bagpipe ensemble, respecting the Scottish tradition of St. Andrews, led attendees inside the clubhouse and up the stairs to the refurbished ballroom.
“It was really spectacular,” General Manager Robert Grassi said.

Blackiston presented gifts to members who had been involved in planning for the project, which began in November 2018. Permits were secured in April, construction started in May and the job was completed in late November.

Grassi said the goal of the renovations was to meet members’ requests to bring a “more airy atmosphere” and more of a Florida feel to the facility. “The dining rooms are yellow, gold and white, and each room has a distinctive color combination with the wallpaper, so they blend nicely,” he said. “The members wanted more casual dining and more bars, so we built a huge bar downstairs and we have more casual space. There’s also a beautiful porch that looks out on the ocean.”

The renovations were more than cosmetic. They included new furniture throughout, improved lighting and an upgraded sound system. Also updated were the software, wiring and phone systems.

“It was a massive renovation because we took everything in need of an update and addressed it,” Grassi said.

The goal going forward is to offer more diversity in the dining area and attract more members by broadening the club’s target market. While the club has typically cut back on activities during summer months, Grassi said the plan now is to be open year-round except for September.

“We’re a family-friendly club,” Grassi declared. “The most family-friendly club on A1A.”

A heated, scenic saltwater pool with spa is perfectly framed by the spacious terrace overlooking the Intracoastal Waterway and grounds.

The residence offers five bedrooms, five full and two half baths with more than 11,000 total square feet. Meticulously maintained to include special upgrades and improvements by the owner, this property has impact windows and doors, whole house generator, Control4 technology, elevator, six air-conditioning zones, central vacuum, two large hot water heaters, two gas fireplaces, storage and four-car air-conditioned garage.

The covered loggia overlooks the pool and waterway and has a summer kitchen with dining area.

A custom 40,000-pound boat lift made by No Profile is part of the 99 feet of water frontage. The lift measures 20 by 60 feet.

The home has a paneled library with a fireplace, a paneled billiards room, a chef’s kitchen with butler’s pantry, wine cellar, ground floor laundry and substantial storage.

A home theater has a 120-inch screen and hidden projector, stadium seating, custom lights and controls.

All en suite bedrooms are accessed via the grand staircase or elevator. The master wing is a luxurious retreat with sitting room, a morning bar, a private balcony and dual master baths. Upstairs has its own laundry facilities as well.

A soaring gold-leaf ceiling, Biltmore Estate-inspired chandelier and stone fireplace are interior custom touches in the formal living room. A solid wall of windows overlooks the waterway.

Offered at $6,995,000. Contact Nick Malinosky, Douglas Elliman, 900 E. Atlantic Avenue, Suite 1, Delray Beach, 561-306-4597, nicholas.malinosky@elliman.com

The 10th annual ‘It’s a Wonderful Run’ 5K race drew 440 registered participants ages 4-89. Seventy-eight volunteers prepped hot pancake meals in the cafeteria for the well-conditioned field. ABOVE: The school’s cheer team added Santa to its lineup at the event. (l-r) Gabriella Jones, Raina Demarest, Maya Maczynsk, Santa, Ashley Fernandez and Hannah Fiore. Photo provided

By Sallie James

When it comes to fast and furious, Brightline — Florida’s neon-yellow passenger express train service — has proved to be the deadliest train system per mile in America.
According to an Associated Press analysis of Federal Railroad Administration records for the nation’s 821 railroads, 41 people have been killed by Brightline trains since July 2017, when someone died during a railroad test run.
Brightline’s death rate — of more than one person per month since it began operating — equals about one death per every 29,000 miles the trains have traveled, the study showed.
“This is something we obsess about. … It’s tragic,” Brightline President Patrick Goddard told the AP. “There is nothing we want more than for that number to go to zero.”
Brightline, soon to be Virgin Trains, said it planned to match any amount provided in a $500,000 appropriations request in a bill from state Rep. Mike Caruso, R-Delray Beach, aimed at suicide prevention. The money would go to the 211 Palm Beach/Treasure Coast Helpline.
Tri-Rail’s commuter service had one death about every 110,000 miles, the AP reported. Most other urban passenger lines average about 100,000 miles per fatality, some many times that, the AP said.
British billionaire Richard Branson of the Virgin Group announced last year a partnership with Brightline that included putting the Virgin name on the trains. Virgin Group owns less than 2% of the rail company, according to regulatory filings.
Brightline runs about 17 trains each way daily between Miami and West Palm Beach and plans to expand another 170 miles to Orlando by 2022. The trains speed up to 79 mph through some of the state’s most-densely populated areas.
The Federal Railroad Administration said U.S. trains strike more than 800 people annually, with an average of about 2.5 daily. About 500 are suspected suicides.
Michael Hicks, Brightline media relations director, called the incidents “tragic” but “all the result of deliberate, unlawful actions to ignore warning signs or safety barriers.”
“The vast majority of incidents involving our trains have been suicides or are drug related. We have and will continue to take a leadership role in raising awareness for rail safety and mental health issues in our community,” Hicks said.
“We are rolling out innovative new technologies at crossings and putting in place fencing and landscaping to serve as barriers and reminders to stay off the tracks. ... We have run thousands of safety PSAs, distributed thousands of safety materials, worked with local law enforcement and schools,” he said.
“Most importantly we implore people to stay off the tracks and to treat rail safety warnings no different than red lights or stop signs.”

This south-facing image shows Dixie Highway on the left and a vegetative buffer between the proposed parking garage and the Library Commons neighborhood on the right. Rendering provided

Related Story: Brightline tries to deal with nation’s worst death rate on tracks

By Mary Hladky

Negotiations between the city and Virgin Trains USA on a Boca Raton station are moving ahead at breakneck speed, with the City Council expected to vote Dec. 10 on a final deal.
Under an aggressive schedule requested by Virgin Trains, the council would have voted on Nov. 26. But council members and Virgin Trains officials on Nov. 12 agreed to delay a final public hearing for two weeks to give city staff more time to finalize an agreement and to avoid casting a vote in Thanksgiving week when interested residents might be unable to attend.
Even with the delay, the prospect that an agreement could be wrapped up less than five months after Virgin Trains notified the city it wanted to build a station in the downtown is stunning, considering the city approval process for other projects has sometimes dragged on for years.
All signs point to City Council approval. The city’s Planning and Zoning Board on Nov. 21 unanimously voted in favor of recommending that the City Council approve leasing city-owned land to Virgin Trains for the station and a parking garage. A vote on the station and garage site plan will come later.
“I see nothing but good coming out of this train station,” said board member Larry Cellon.
Four days later at a council workshop meeting, Virgin Trains made two concessions intended to soften criticism from residents who live due north of the station and garage site and to make its proposed agreement more financially attractive to the council.
“Thank you for listening to our residents and making the accommodations,” council member Monica Mayotte told Virgin Trains officials.
Virgin Trains is in a hurry, putting pressure on City Council members who badly want a station. The for-profit rail company wants to start construction in March, with the station in operation by the end of 2020.

City presses on two details
Council members have not objected to the main provisions of the most recent draft agreement submitted by Virgin Trains. Those include a long-term lease of 1.8 acres to the rail company for $1 a year and the city’s paying most of the $13.9 million cost of building a parking garage.
Virgin Trains will pay for the $25 million station on the site east of the Downtown Library and has pushed off into the future its contentious plans to develop about 2 adjacent acres of city-owned land.
Council members pressed for further negotiations on only two matters: They want a 50% share of the parking garage revenues and a minor revision to the garage location so there is a greater buffer between it and the Library Commons neighborhood north of the garage.
Brian Kronberg, Virgin Trains’ vice president for development, agreed at the Nov. 25 workshop meeting to split the garage revenues, but did not specify the amount.
While Library Commons residents and Friends of the Boca Raton Library don’t object to the station, they want the 4.5-story parking garage moved so it doesn’t loom over their neighborhood.
City Council members signaled no interest in a big change to Virgin Trains’ proposed garage location. The majority suggested moving the garage 20 feet south, which would provide a bigger buffer space for Library Commons but still leave land available for potential future development.
Virgin Trains on Nov. 25 agreed to push it 25 feet south. With that, and an existing 20-foot city easement that has a sidewalk and landscaping, there would be a 45-foot buffer between the garage and the neighborhood.
The change will have minimal impact on the number of garage parking spaces. Dedicated free spaces will be set aside for library patrons and they will continue to have no-cost surface parking. The garage also will be available to Virgin Trains passengers and the public.
The parking garage would cost nearly $14 million to build, according to Virgin Trains. The city would pay $12 million and Virgin Trains would pay $1.9 million to cover the cost of the dedicated library parking.
The station is supported by many city residents, including those who commute to work, and key institutions such as Florida Atlantic University, Boca Chamber and the Boca Raton Resort & Club.

Critics claim ‘surrender’
Library Commons residents and Friends of the Boca Raton Library are the main opponents, objecting to a garage so near the library and neighborhood and what they believe is the eventual certainty of multistory residential and commercial development on their doorstep.
At City Council meetings on Nov. 12 and 13, several residents contended that since Virgin Trains wants a station in Boca Raton, the city has leverage to get concessions but isn’t using it.
Manjunath Pendakur, a retired FAU professor, questioned why the city is “giving land away” for $1 a year.
“We shouldn’t be subsidizing this thing,” said another resident.
Library Commons resident Adam Rosenzweig proposed an alternative parking garage location that would place it immediately west of the station, moving it away from his neighborhood while preserving much of the library’s parking lot and green space. His concept would eliminate any future development on the site.
The city’s talks with Virgin Trains are not a negotiation, he said, but rather “a full-blown surrender.”
“We thought we would hear a lot of tough questions from the dais. We didn’t hear any,” said Library Commons resident and attorney Bill Gelin, who said the station and garage are currently positioned in a way that allows maximum development on the city property.
“You didn’t even ask them to come back with an alternate drawing (for the garage). … Why are you so married to their design?” he asked.
Even though Virgin Trains has put development on hold, Library Commons residents and Friends of the Boca Raton Library see it as inevitable since the company has developed property near its stations in Miami and West Palm Beach.
Their concerns were heightened when word spread recently that two privately owned parcels located south of the station site are in escrow. They believe Virgin Trains is acquiring the properties, but evidence presented to The Coastal Star does not show an obvious link to the rail company.
Even so, private property owners have said Virgin Trains has approached them about selling their property, although none who spoke with the newspaper said they had sold as of mid-November.
That raises the possibility that development could extend beyond the city-owned land that has been the subject of negotiations.
Asked about the two parcels, Ben Porritt, Virgin Trains’ senior vice president for corporate affairs, said in an email, “I have nothing to offer you at this time on the properties.” 

Viability questioned
One issue the City Council has barely addressed is Virgin Trains’ economic viability. Some residents fear the company could go out of business, and a consultant’s report to the city wasn’t reassuring.
Although ridership and revenue are increasing, both fall below projections, according to the report by Colliers International. A total of 2.1 million riders were projected in 2019, but Virgin Trains was on track to have only 934,000.
Virgin Trains is adding stations at PortMiami, Aventura and probably Boca Raton, which the company says will increase ridership by 2 million passengers once the stations are in operation.
In 2018, its first year of operations, Virgin Trains lost $117 million on $10 million in total revenue. The company is expected to earn $20.4 million in 2019, or only 26% of its revenue projection, the report says.
Mayotte, who requested the financial data, asked if Virgin Trains has adequate funding to build and operate a Boca Raton station.
A company official told her that Virgin Trains closed on $1.75 billion in private activity bonds in April. In a news release, the company said that with the closing, it has enough money to lay rail tracks from West Palm Beach to Orlando. The construction is expected to be completed in 2022.
The draft agreement between the city and the rail company states that the city may terminate the lease for the station and parking garage land if Virgin Trains discontinues service or if service diminishes substantially.

Land request set aside
When Virgin Trains informed city officials in July that it wanted to build a station in the downtown, it asked for the donation of about 4 acres east and south of the library.
Virgin Trains would develop those portions of the land not used for a station and garage. Company officials offered no concrete plans, but said it could include high-rise residential, retail, office and hotel.
Since then, Virgin Trains has backed off the land donation request. In September, it asked for an option to buy a portion of the land at fair market value for a transit-oriented development.
But that idea complicated efforts to reach a quick agreement with the city. So Virgin Trains said it would put aside development plans for now.
Most recently, Virgin Trains is seeking a right of first refusal if the city decides to sell the property that the company eventually wants to develop after Dec. 31, 2024. The city would not sell it before then.
While the rail company would lease the land it wants for the station and parking garage for $1 a year, the city considers it a land sale because of the length of the lease. The initial lease term is 29 years, but with renewals could total 89 years.
City code requires any sale or lease of city property be done at fair market value. There is an exception, however, for the sale or lease of property that would be of “significant economic benefit” to the city.
Virgin Trains has provided an economic impact study that says the station would contribute $15.5 million annually in economic benefits, including $10.9 million in money spent by visitors using Virgin Trains to come to Boca Raton.
Virgin Trains has agreed to spend as much as $300,000 to relocate the Junior League of Boca Raton’s Community Garden, which will be displaced by the station.
City officials think they have found the perfect spot for it in the southeast area of Meadows Park at 1300 NW Eighth St. While it is not in the downtown, council members were told that the Junior League likes the location because it has ample parking, room for expansion and is pesticide-free.
Virgin Trains had asked the city to fund an elevated pedestrian bridge over Dixie Highway so that people can walk from the station across the busy roadway into the downtown. The company has since said it would help the city get grants to finance the bridge.

By Jane Smith

Josie’s Ristorante will have to leave its Riverwalk Plaza location by Nov. 30, 2026, when its lease ends, according to documents filed with the Palm Beach County clerk’s office.
The Boynton Beach restaurant, which opened in 1992, has a strong following on the barrier island for its traditional Italian cuisine.
Until the lease ends, Josie’s will share a valet operation with the nearby Prime Catch restaurant. That eatery owns the land and building at the southwestern base of the Woolbright Road bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway.
“We want to be good neighbors,” said Luke Therien, whose family opened Prime Catch in 2004.
Prime Catch struck a deal in March 2018 with Isram Realty, owner of the Riverwalk Plaza. In exchange for about .3 acres of waterfront land that Prime Catch owned, it will be guaranteed to exclusively keep 50 shared parking spaces after Josie’s lease ends. Isram also agreed not to rent Josie’s site to another sit-down restaurant.
Josie’s owners could not be reached for comment, and a representive at the restaurant declined to comment.
Isram recently filed plans with Boynton Beach showing how it could build a 10-story, U-shaped apartment complex.
Josie’s will become a free-standing building after demolition of the Winn-Dixie structure starts in mid-December, said Baruch Cohen, Isram’s chief operating officer.
Isram has not decided what to do with the building when Josie’s lease ends, Cohen said. He did not know whether there would be space for Josie’s at another location in Riverwalk.
On Nov. 5, the Boynton Beach City Commission approved the project’s plat.
The Hallandale-based company paid $9.5 million for the aging shopping center in March 2011. The Winn-Dixie grocery in the nearly 10-acre plaza closed in January 2015.
That closing allowed Isram to make plans to redevelop the center into a complex that includes apartments, stating the change was a better use of the waterfront land.
In January 2017, a previous City Commission approved the 326-unit project despite residents’ objections to the height and mass at the base of the bridge.
Throughout 2019, Isram has worked on erecting two buildings along Federal Highway, which will house a Chipotle’s fast-casual restaurant and another tenant.
Isram renovated another building in the plaza housing a Walgreens drugstore, Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft store, Sushi Simon restaurant and Bond Street Ale and Coffee.
The two restaurants were renting space in the Winn-Dixie building.
At the same time, Isram had to update the underground utilities, fix the drainage for the complex and raise the parking lot, creating driving challenges for customers and diners.
Now, that work is moving into the area in front of Josie’s and Prime Catch.
Work will be done in two phases, Cohen said. The north part will be shut down first, then the southern part.
Therien expects that area to be ripped up for the next three months. Workers will install upgraded lines for water, sewer, storm water, electrical and natural gas.
The big thing will be the installation of an exfiltration trench that must sit above the water table. The parking lot will be raised 1.5 to 2 feet to accommodate the trench storing runoff, according to the city.
The trenches allow the runoff to ooze through a filter of rocks and enter the groundwater system. Excess water would flow out to the Intracoastal.
During the parking lot renovation, Prime Catch closed for about six weeks starting in September to remodel the interior and exterior.
“The first thing we did was to change the layout,” said Therien, whose family also owns the waterfront Banana Boat restaurant in Boynton Beach. “When you walked into the restaurant, you faced a wall. Now, you can see the waterfront.
“It’s lighter and brighter with more windows.”

Nancy Hurd was a teacher at the start and then the CEO. She retired in 2013. Photo provided

Related Story: ‘Havana Nights’ raises $1.6 million for nonprofits

By Charles Elmore

In 1969, a moon landing, a raucous music festival near Woodstock, New York, and the Vietnam War dominated the news. Tucked into South Florida newspapers that fall: mention of a “pilot project” in Delray Beach to educate children of working parents who could not otherwise afford preschool.
The program set out to cap parent fees at $2 a week and relied on community donations to keep the doors open, recalled Nancy Hurd. She was hired as a teacher and social worker fresh out of Michigan State University in that founding year for $100 a week. 
“I remember watching Neil Armstrong come down the ladder to the surface of the moon and thinking, ‘What a time to be alive,’ ” Hurd said.
While it was exciting to help launch a project, she didn’t quite imagine she would become its CEO and work there until she retired in 2013, she said.
But what would eventually become known as the Achievement Centers for Children and Families had a way of grabbing people. It pulled them into its orbit. 
It celebrates a 50th anniversary in 2019 with a legacy built on thousands of individual stories. Teachers. Donors. Volunteers. Parents. And students like Wendy Fleuridor, now 33.
“It’s really the reason I am who I am and do what I do,” Fleuridor said.
By her own account, she went from being a kid at risk of falling behind right out of the educational starting gate to a track standout and cheerleader and honor student. She graduated from Florida State University and then took an advanced degree in physical therapy, the field that employs her now.
At her house, “there were times when the lights were cut off. The water was cut off.”
Her parents came from Haiti. They spoke Creole and “couldn’t really help me with homework,” she said.
Both parents worked, sometimes more than one job at a time in hotel maintenance, restaurants or botanical nurseries.
At 3 years old, she entered a place that offered not just an introduction to subjects such as reading, writing and math but, as she saw it, fun. She wanted to go. The kids got meals. They played music and games. Gifts materialized on occasions like birthdays and Christmas.
“It’s where I learned English,” Fleuridor said.

Wendy Fleuridor was a student at age 3 and now belongs to the parents board. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

Like those of many other people associated with the Achievement Centers, hers is a multigenerational story. She serves on the parents board, and her son Diyari, 5, recently graduated from the preschool program. He even gave a talk about Benjamin Banneker, the African-American author, surveyor and naturalist, she said.
“He gave a speech and shockingly, he knew it,” Fleuridor said. “He really blossomed by coming here.”
Today Achievement Centers serves about 900 children annually at three Delray Beach locations: the main Nancy K. Hurd Campus at 555 NW Fourth St., plus programs at Village Academy and Pine Grove Elementary.
The nonprofit organization runs toddler, preschool and after-school programs, teen and summer camps, and initiatives that help families connect with resources to help them manage budgets and build stability.
It regularly draws top-tier accreditation scores, and its foundation maintains a four-star or highest rating from Charity Navigator.
It serves 243,000 free meals a year.
CEO Stephanie Seibel credits “the entire Achievement Centers community — from the people that work here, to the children that play here, the people that make this place run behind the scenes, the boards that govern, the parents and families that entrust us, the teens that keep things lively, our donors that support us, our volunteers — all of them.  It’s truly a special place.”
One of those volunteers is Michael Katz, 64. He said he retired from a career in the retail business among other ventures and wanted to do something meaningful. 
He said he realized he was no trained educator when he started, and tried to take his cues from the teachers and the students themselves.
When learning letters of the alphabet, for example, some kids responded well when working in pairs and competing to see who could get the right answer first, Katz discovered. They made it a game.
“For these kids it means the world,” he said. “It gives them a foundation. It gives them confidence. When they go to kindergarten they feel like ‘I can do this.’ I’m proud to be volunteering and have a connection to it.”
Tanise Cox, the senior director of out-of-school operations, said, “It’s a good feeling to have parents and students come back to share stories and tell us how they appreciate what we did.”
Ninety-eight percent of Achievement Centers’ early-learning graduates who attended at least 70% of the time meet or exceed kindergarten readiness as measured by the Bracken School Readiness Assessment, officials say. Nearly a quarter are rated advanced or very advanced.
That kind of performance helped win trust and accreditation at a host of agencies. These days, about half of the group’s $4.5 million annual budget comes from government grants and programs such as Head Start, Seibel said. The rest comes from parent fees and private fundraising. Achievement Centers is the lead beneficiary of a charity poker tournament at the Boca Raton Resort & Club that raised $1.6 million in November, for example.

Modest beginnings
But before Achievement Centers became “a homegrown program at the top of its game,” Hurd said, its future was anything but obvious.
“There was no road map when we started,” Hurd said, with no mandatory kindergarten in Florida and few regulations for preschool education. “This was a cottage industry run largely in churches and people’s homes. We started out very modest, very small.”

ABOVE: Children danced at a holiday party in 1974 at one of the churches that hosted programs in the early years. BELOW: Groundbreaking at the current Achievement Centers site in 1985. Photos provided

Founded as Community Child Care Center of Delray Beach, it welcomed an initial batch of 20 students in donated Sunday school classrooms, soon to be followed by another group at a second church.
Over time, the scope expanded to older children in after-school programs, which included computer education, music, dance, art, homework assistance, hands-on science experiments and learning African drums.
“We formed our own drum line and the older children got really good,” Hurd said. “They livened up many a parade and fundraiser.”
Another activity gave instruction in meditation and calming skills.
“We really tried to stay on the cutting edge with everything that made learning a joy,” Hurd said.
By 1974, host churches were rebuilding and reorganizing and could no longer house the enterprise. Some residents expressed concerns about a proposed move to a house at 215 SE First Ave. on the grounds the center would bring too much traffic and noise. Initially the plan was denied by a city planning and zoning board. A sympathetic City Commission finally approved the project.
Eventually, the support of key members of the business community and elected leaders paved the way for the construction of a complex on Northwest Fourth Street.
“It’s a legacy for this city,” Hurd said. “It’s certainly to their credit they supported us when we didn’t have two nickels to rub together.”
One goal that has not changed is keeping parent fees affordable.
Achievement Centers officials say they provide a scholarship rate for toddlers and preschoolers at $70 per week and $30 per week for after-school.
Families that qualify for what are termed government scholarships may pay as little as $5 per week. Head Start families pay nothing, officials said.
That’s a far cry from what commercial providers charge, making it possible for mothers in particular to adapt to big changes in the American economy.
In 1969, women made up 37.8% of the workforce, according the U.S. Department of Labor. Five decades later, it is just under 48%.
Unemployment levels have been running below 4% in Palm Beach County, well within what economists typically consider “full employment.” That suggests the economy is not only absorbing those workers in its stride but in fact relying on them to function at full steam.
“As people began to see how successful it was, I would tell potential donors the parents now are taxpayers and not tax-drainers,” Hurd said. “They’re working one and sometimes two jobs. Our children are now going into school ahead of the curve instead of behind. And we keep them there.”
Sometimes moon shots work out. Fleuridor, the former student and now a working mother, needs little convincing that Achievement Centers proved to be a success story and a source of pride in her hometown.
“I’m very grateful,” she said. 

Bobby Julien, CEO of the Kolter Group, and Sala Brown, his executive assistant, enjoy a comedy skit that was part of the poker extravaganza. Julien came up with the idea when he served on the Achievement Centers board. At left is Tarun Bhalla, Kolter’s IT chief. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

Related Story: A place to thrive for kids — As it turns 50, Achievement Centers ‘at top of its game’

By Charles Elmore

The price to get in started at $6,000 a seat. Dress was chic Havana evening attire. Live music, dinner and a cocktail reception set the stage for a poker tournament of epic proportions at the Boca Raton Resort & Club.
Lest anyone be shocked — shocked! — to find gambling going on here, the proceeds went to charities offering preschool and after-school education, meals, help learning to read and a host of other services.
The Havana Nights Poker Charity Tournament delivered its biggest jackpot yet, more than $1.6 million, for Achievement Centers for Children and Families in Delray Beach and other nonprofits in its latest incarnation Nov. 7.

Dan Economos and his brother Nicholas Jr. (far right) are part of the charity event that raised one of the largest single-night amounts in county history. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

More than 130 businesses sponsored the participants.
Fellow organizers said the concept goes back to a suggestion from Bobby Julien, chief executive officer of the Kolter Group, a real estate development firm based in Delray Beach. Julien, a former Achievement Centers board member, wondered if there might be a different route to raise money instead of, say, a golf tournament or formal dinner. He said he heard about a similar event in another market and thought it might offer an entertaining twist.
“I don’t like wearing a black tie,” Julien said, stepping outside the Cathedral Room at the Boca Raton Resort & Club as the din of festivities hummed inside. “I liked the idea of something more casual.”
Michael Neal, chief executive officer of Kast Construction in West Palm Beach and a former board member at Achievement Centers himself, remembered that Julien even had an idea for the venue.
“He said, ‘Let’s do it at the Boca Resort,’ ” Neal said. “Boom. Home run.”

A record night of giving
Charity watchers said the total amount raised ranks among the largest single-night events in a county with a history of big-ticket largess.
A February gala in Palm Beach raised a reported $1.5 million for Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County. Also early in 2019, the Palm Beach Zoo & Conservation Society raised $1.75 million at its annual Tropical Safari Gala, according to published reports.
“Palm Beach County is recognized as one of Florida’s most philanthropic counties,” said Bradley Hurlburt, president and CEO of the Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties. “We are very fortunate to live in a community where people understand the importance and are committed to giving back to those in need throughout the year.”
The focus of the poker event is on nonprofits based in the communities they serve, Julien said: “We want to serve grass-roots charities.”
The total this year surpassed anything else seen in the four times the event has been staged, with planning and preparation taking as long as two to three years between galas, according to organizers. The 2016 event raised more than $1 million, a spokesman said.
The leading beneficiary is Achievement Centers, which is celebrating its 50-year anniversary of providing preschool and after-school care and education, among other programs.
“This is incredible,” said Stephanie Seibel, chief executive officer at Achievement Centers, sporting a fedora for the occasion. “The people on our boards are so willing to jump in and help. People are there for the right reasons.”
The event provides the single largest source of private-sector donations for her organization, Seibel said.
Precise contributions were still being tallied, but more than a dozen charities will benefit in all, organizers said. One of them is Literacy Coalition of Palm Beach County, whose chief executive, Kristin Calder, was in attendance as well.
“It really is wonderful to be the recipient of the generosity flowing this evening,” Calder said.
Why do it? A place like Achievement Centers “steals your heart,” Neal said.
Julien said, “A lot of people need help. We love giving back.”