By Mary Kate Leming, Editor

Most years at this time we’d be planning our annual Coastal Star holiday party. We like to kick off the new year by getting everyone who works for the newspaper together for an afternoon of socializing.

Many have worked together in years past at other publications, but now seldom see each other in our distributed work environment.

Missing this annual gathering is difficult. Zoom is good for many things, but can’t replace chatting one-on-one with people you like and respect.

And 2020 was a difficult year for everyone at The Coastal Star.

Beyond basic COVID-19 fears have come cancer and hospitalizations and loss. Siblings, parents, children and grandchildren are far away. The additional freelance work on which our employees depend has dwindled, leaving those not on pensions struggling with finances.

When people miss deadlines, or file lifeless stories or break down in tears during the editing process, I reach into my management toolkit for extra patience. I realize everyone is struggling.

The process of reporting — never easy — became far more difficult in 2020.

None of us is immune from the stress we lived through this past year. And now, covering remote meetings is proving to be a new, difficult challenge. Reporters are often stuck streaming bad audio or relying on town hall recordings acquired days after an in-person meeting; I can’t safely require anyone who works for me to attend an indoor gathering.

So instead of a holiday party (at least until much later in the year), I’d like to use this space to recognize everyone who works to pull together this newspaper each month: You are an amazing and talented team. Thank you for your commitment to providing the best news and information to our coastal communities, both in print and online.

And thank you to our readers for your words of encouragement, and our advertisers for financially supporting the paper this past year.

Here’s to better times in 2021. Happy New Year!

If you’d like to support our journalism efforts with a tax-free donation, please visit https://fpf.column.us/the-coastal-star.

Rebecca Scott has joined the board of directors of Impact 100 Palm Beach County as the group considers 25 semifinalists for $100,000 grants in 2021. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Sallie James

Meet Rebecca “Becky” Scott: mother, grandmother, philanthropist and dream-maker.

Scott, who has devoted decades of her life to giving back, was recently named to the board of directors of Impact 100 Palm Beach County. The nonprofit organization awards $100,000 grants to nonprofits in southern Palm Beach County for impactful projects that can change lives.

“It allows them to dream big and do something completely different from what they ever imagined,” said Scott, who lives in eastern Boca Raton. “We are excited to be able to give more away because the organization can do so much more with the entire $100,000.”

Scott has always been generous when it comes to giving of her time. She volunteered for years at her children’s school, spent 15 years as a group leader at her church, and served 10 years with Impact 100 as a dedicated member, hosting numerous events before she was named to the board.

She believes participating in the women’s nonprofit as a member is as beneficial to the participants as it is to the grant recipients.

“I think the growth that occurs in the women involved as they pool not only their financial resources but their resources of time and talent creates this wonderful gift to the community,” Scott said. “I am very committed to it.” 

Originally from North Carolina, Scott earned a bachelor of science degree from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, then attended Duke University Medical Center’s anesthesia program for nurses, where she met her husband, Steven Scott, a medical doctor.

She worked several years as a nurse anesthetist before devoting her life to full-time motherhood. The result? Five grown children, six grandchildren and a lifelong commitment to community service.

In 2019, Impact 100 awarded five $100,000 grants. Grant recipients were the Institute for Regional Conservation; the Center for Child Counseling; Autism After 21; Palm Beach Dramaworks, and Street Waves Corp.

And that’s just one year.

In a decade, Impact 100 has contributed more than $3.8 million in grants to local nonprofit efforts in arts, culture and historic preservation; education; environment and animal welfare; family, and health and wellness.

The organization’s membership has grown to more than 500 members, a number Scott is hoping to raise to 600. Expanding membership is key to the group’s ability to award large grants.

Here’s why: Each member donates $1,000 annually to the grant pool, which is then divided up among top applicants. Five hundred members translates into $500,000 in grant money. And so on.

“It makes a smaller gift become so much more transformative,” Scott, who is in her 60s, explained. “I enjoy it very much. That is why I continued to be involved. My husband and I have always been interested in philanthropy.”

Kathy Adkins said it’s enthusiasm like Scott’s that has ensured Impact 100’s success.

“We are so thrilled to have Becky join our board of directors,” said Adkins, president of Impact 100 PBC. “She has been a dedicated Impact 100 PBC member for many years and brings a wealth of experience and insight from her previous volunteer roles. Becky is a tremendous asset to our organization and we are grateful for her commitment to furthering our mission.”

Scott noted that many are responsible for the organization’s success: “The engine behind the success of this chapter has been the founding members and the fact that they have continued to stay involved for all of these years,” Scott said. “It is completely driven by volunteers.”

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By Larry Barszewski

The Coastal Star captured five first-place awards and eight other commendations in the annual Florida Press Club competition.

The press club held the annual awards ceremony online Dec. 19. The Coastal Star won top awards in its class in five categories:

• Breaking news writing: the team of Ron Hayes, Jerry Lower, Tim Stepien and Rachel O’Hara and staff for their 2019 coverage of Hurricane Dorian.
• Commentary writing: Mary Kate Leming for columns about helping the Bahamas following its Hurricane Dorian devastation, gratitude in the time of COVID-19, and a Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office “snowstorm” in South Palm Beach over providing police services.
• Environmental news writing: Larry Keller for his story about Gumbo Limbo Nature Center’s sea turtle crew.
• Government news writing: Steve Plunkett for a compilation of stories he wrote out of Boca Raton and Gulf Stream.
• Religion news writing: Hayes for his story about two Sisters Elizabeth — “Happy” and “Kind” — who came from Poland and teach at St. Vincent Ferrer Church and School.

In addition, the press club awarded second-place awards to Lower for sports feature photography and Joyce Reingold for health writing.

Third-place awards went to O’Hara and Lower for feature photo essay; to Rich Pollack for in-depth reporting; to Jan Engoren, Hap Erstein, Greg Stepanich and Sandra Schulman for arts news writing; to Mary Thurwachter for community news writing; to Mary Hladky for COVID-19 reporting; and to Brian Biggane for sports features writing.

The awards marked the first state journalism competition to honor coverage of the deadly COVID-19 pandemic in Florida.

For nearly 70 years, the Florida Press Club, originally called the Florida Women’s Press Club, has honored the best in Florida journalism. Honorees have expanded into digital-only publications, but officials say what draws the judges’ eyes has remained consistent over the years: engaging storytelling.

By Dan Moffett

Ocean Ridge voters will get the chance to choose two town commissioners in the March 9 municipal election after four candidates qualified in December to run for office.

The field includes two familiar names. Current Mayor Kristine de Haseth is running for another three-year term, and former Mayor Geoff Pugh has returned from private life after leaving the commission in 2018.

Two political newcomers round out the field. John Kramer and Carolyn Cassidy both have expressed concerns over government transparency issues as they seek commission seats for the first time.

Incumbent Commissioner Phil Besler decided not to run for a second term after three years in office.

Previously from Westhampton, New York, Cassidy owns a real estate business and has lived in Ocean Ridge for 41/2 years. She has served as vice president of the town’s Garden Club and been active in Impact 100 Palm Beach County, a group that awards competitive $100,000 grants to nonprofit organizations.

“I have a very strong interest and passion for my community,” Cassidy said. “I’m concerned about the lack of communication and transparency government has shown with residents.”

Kramer has owned a home on North Ocean Boulevard for nearly six years. He has been an outspoken critic of the town’s closing of two beach access points near his residence to allow beachfront homeowners to build sea walls along dunes damaged by storms in 2020.

Kramer criticized commissioners for not doing a better job of informing neighbors about the closures and not considering carefully enough the project’s impact on nearby families.

“I think you’re falling into the trap of inconveniencing the many to accommodate the few,” he told the commission during its December meeting.

Pugh is the most experienced candidate. He served six years as the town’s mayor, from 2012-2018, and has 15 years overall on the commission. The owner of a pool construction business, he left office three years ago, saying he wanted to spend more time with his wife and family.

During his tenure as mayor, Pugh helped guide Ocean Ridge through a rocky period of personnel changes during which the town manager, clerk, attorney and police chief had to be replaced. He also led the town’s effort to deal with rapid growth across the bridge in Boynton Beach.

The commission chose de Haseth as mayor in March, and she inherited shaping the town’s COVID-19 response. A founding organizer of the Florida Coalition for Preservation, de Haseth was elected to the commission in 2018.

She cites developing the town’s five-year capital projects plan to upgrade storm infrastructure and initiating the CivicReady emergency alert network as two of her top accomplishments.

“I feel the town is on a positive trajectory,” de Haseth said. “We’ve taken on long-overdue issues and I’d like to see them through.”

Voters will be asked to select two of the four candidates, with winners being the two receiving the most votes.

IPIC’s Mizner Park theater reopened in the fall with social distancing and other precautions in place but now is facing an eviction proceeding in circuit court. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Mary Hladky

IPIC theater’s landlord in Mizner Park is seeking eviction of its tenant for non-payment of rent.

The theater has not paid its rent for eight months and owed $635,510 as of November, according to the eviction case filed in Palm Beach County Circuit Court on Nov. 25 by Crocker Downtown Development Associates. That amount would increase by $79,489 for each additional month that rent is not paid.

IPIC, a chain of 14 luxury theaters across the country, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Aug. 5, 2019, as theater patronage decreased nationwide and larger theater chains copied IPIC’s dine-in option and reclining seats.

It emerged from the legal process less than three months later when its assets were sold to an affiliate of the Retirement Systems of Alabama, the chain’s largest creditor.

Like theaters across the country, IPIC was forced to halt operations in the spring as the coronavirus pandemic prompted government orders to close all non-essential businesses.

They began reopening in May.

It is unclear if the pandemic has caused IPIC’s problems, but many moviegoers are shunning theaters nationwide.

Paul Safran, IPIC’s CEO and legal counsel, did not return a call and email requesting comment. A public relations representative of the company did not answer an email query.
Attorney David W. Black of Plantation, who represents the landlord, said in an email that he does not discuss pending litigation.

As of Dec. 16, IPIC had not responded in court to the eviction lawsuit.

Court records show no similar eviction proceeding involving IPIC’s theater in Delray Beach.

Crocker Downtown Development Associates, which is tied to Mizner Park owner Brookfield Property Partners, has in recent months sought evictions of other tenants.

They include the Blue Fish restaurant, which owed $123,105 as of September, Planet Blue women’s clothing store, which owed $185,744 as of November, and Les Bijoux jewelry store, which was behind $457,298 as of May. The Les Bijoux case settled in September, with the company agreeing to pay the amount owed over time.

But Planet Blue is fighting the eviction, saying the city ordered the closures of non-essential businesses on March 25. After the store reopened, business was stagnant because of customer fears during a resurgence of COVID-19.

As a result, it was impossible for the company to pay its rent through no fault of its own, Planet Blue said in a lawsuit filed against Crocker on Dec. 3.

The company asserts that an article in its lease provides that its rent obligation can be modified in the event of a problem such as a pandemic.

While the pandemic may have made it especially difficult for businesses to pay rent, eviction cases are not uncommon. Crocker filed three lawsuits against tenants in 2017, one in 2016 and three in 2015, court records show.

By Jane Smith

The Florida Department of Health in Palm Beach County was still waiting last month for Delray Beach to finish inspecting its reclaimed water locations.

Then, the DOH will determine whether the information provided is enough to close out its investigation of the city’s reclaimed water program, according to December emails.

“The investigation is ongoing,” DOH spokesman Alexander Shaw wrote Dec. 18.

Delray Beach is trying to avoid civil fines from the DOH, which sent a warning letter on July 1. That letter listed 13 possible violations in the reclaimed water program.

City leaders met virtually on July 22 with the DOH staff to review the possible violations and Delray Beach’s response.

Interim City Manager Jennifer Alvarez told the Beach Properties Owners’ Association members at their Dec. 16 annual meeting that the city was more than 90% finished with its fixes. “We are very close to being done,” she said.

The DOH became involved in inspecting the city’s reclaimed water system on Jan. 2, 2020, when a resident who lives at 801 S. Ocean Blvd. called to complain about a December 2018 cross connection that occurred at her house. The caller did not explain why she waited more than a year to make a complaint.

Cross connections happen when the drinking water pipes are mistakenly connected to the reclaimed water lines. Reclaimed water is highly treated wastewater that is suitable only for lawn irrigation.

In February, Delray Beach shut down its reclaimed water system to avoid a citywide boil water order demanded by DOH. The DOH demand was triggered by the 801 S. Ocean resident’s complaint.

After shutting down the reclaimed water system, the city hired consultants and contractors to inspect each reclaimed water installation to make sure it was done properly and included the necessary backflow preventers. Backflow devices are used to prevent the reclaimed water from mixing with the drinking water.

The city spent $1.08 million as of mid-December on fixing its reclaimed water system, according to Gina Carter, Delray Beach spokeswoman. The amount covered hiring outside companies to inspect each reclaimed water location and install missing backflow devices.

Reclaimed water locations that underwent repairs were activated only after the DOH approved.

Delray Beach was hampered in its testing individual locations twice this fall when the South County Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant took over the outfall pipe. The pipe normally carries reclaimed water to the eastern half of the city. During heavy rains, the plant is allowed to send treated wastewater into the ocean because the ground is saturated.

In a Dec. 7 email to the DOH, Juan Guevarez, assistant utilities director, and Victor Majtenyi, deputy utilities director, addressed three unanswered questions the DOH posed to the Utilities Department on Nov. 18.

Two questions concerned how many backflow devices were missing from properties with reclaimed water and how many cross connections had been found.

Steven Garcia, a DOH environmental supervisor, also asked the city to explain the discrepancy between the former utilities director’s report on the 2018 cross connection — when she had said no one became ill — and the telephone complaints of illness made to the water plant during that period.

The exact number of missing backflow devices was determined to be 581 properties after a Dec. 4 record review. The department previously had reported 567. Guevarez and Majtenyi apologized for the confusion.

On the second question, the utilities directors said the number of cross connections found since 2018 was three: 801 S. Ocean, 120 S. Ocean and 1029 Langer Way. The last two were found in April and July 2020.

The low number contradicts what Delray Beach staff had said in a February 2020 meeting with DOH staff. At that meeting, a city staffer said 12 cross connections were found. No explanation was given for the discrepancy. On the third issue, the directors found no telephone records about water customers reporting illnesses but discovered a May 17, 2019, letter, titled Cross-Connection Issue Facts, written by Christine Ferrigan, a utilities inspector. The letter states customers had complained about being sick from cross connections.

On Dec. 3, Guevarez interviewed the city staffers mentioned in the letter.

William Barr, utility locator, recalled a conversation with a resident at 1171 S. Ocean who said he and members of his household were getting sick. Barr passed the information to Scott Solomon, now retired from the city. Barr also said he did not know what happened with that information.

The other staff members mentioned in the letter did not witness or could not recall customers complaining about getting sick.

On Dec. 4, Guevarez did a telephone interview with Ferrigan. She said she told her former supervisor about customers getting sick. She did not send an email or another document before writing the letter in May 2019.

Ferrigan’s former supervisor and other management staff held meetings to discuss the findings of the cross connection report, but Ferrigan was not invited to those meetings. Guevarez was not able to find any other document that might explain the discrepancy.

In the spring, Delray Beach hired an outside consultant to review its reclaimed water system. The city paid him $20,000 for the report, which was supposed to include determining who had responsibility for installing and inspecting the backflow devices.  

He did not find a culprit.

Instead, according to his Oct. 23 report, he found that Delray Beach did not have a point person in charge and lacked “institutional control” over the reclaimed water system.

By Jane Smith

Boynton Beach will have a second person review police payroll reimbursement requests for manatee protection after the county Office of Inspector General pointed out documentation problems.

The OIG report, released on Dec. 21, states that the city and county “have generally adequate controls” over agreed-upon reimbursement requests.

But when the OIG tested 29 city reimbursement requests in a six-year period, it found 15 of 29, or 52%, did not include official payroll records to support the hours worked by

Boynton Beach police officers, as required by the agreement.

The county approved the payments.

After the problem was noted, Boynton Beach did supply the payroll records needed for documentation.

“Going forward, the reimbursement requests will be reviewed by a secondary reviewer to ensure that all paperwork required for submittal is attached,” City Manager Lori LaVerriere wrote in her Dec. 15 response.

Boynton Beach police provide an increased law enforcement presence on the Intracoastal Waterway during manatee season, Nov. 15 through March 31.

The county agreed to pay a specified rate per hour for each officer for on-water enforcement activity and approved court proceedings, according to the agreement. The annual amount is set by the County Commission at the start of each financial year on Oct. 1.

By Dan Moffett

Gulf Stream should make upgrades and repairs today to prepare for rising seas that will strain the town’s stormwater infrastructure in years to come.

That’s the conclusion of West Palm Beach-based engineering consultants from Baxter & Woodman, who presented a King Tide Resiliency Assessment report to the Town Commission on Dec. 11.

The report examined recent problems during king tides, which included a breach of a sea wall along the Intracoastal Waterway and several low-lying areas of street flooding.

The consultants made these recommendations for action to the commission:
• Four existing duck bill-style drainage valves along the Intracoastal north of Golfview Drive should be replaced with more advanced inline check valves. Three additional inline valves should be installed. The cost of each valve is estimated to range from $5,000 to $10,000.
• The town should work with the property owner at 3550 Polo Drive to regrade a side lot that is vulnerable to breach.
• The west ends of Banyan Road and Palm Way need to be regraded to prevent flooding.
• The town should advise owners of The Little Club golf course that its lakes are vulnerable to flooding and could cause problems with the town’s roads and drainage system.

The report relied on a South Florida Water Management District study that found the average high tide has risen approximately 6 inches since 1985, and projections that expect that rate to more than double over the next 50 years.

Commissioner Paul Lyons suggested that responding to the engineering report might require changes to the town’s 10-year, $10 million capital improvement plan for streets and water pipes.

Town Manager Greg Dunham agreed. “The rise of sea levels is not contemplated in the CIP,” he said. “We definitely have roads with dips in them and water just stands there.”

In other business, the commission unanimously approved a raise of about $15,000 for Dunham, bringing his annual salary to $135,000.

Mayor Scott Morgan said the increase was based on a survey of town manager salaries in nearby coastal communities. Morgan said the Ocean Ridge manager — with salary, insurance, car allowance and other benefits — has a $192,000 package. Giving Dunham the salary boost puts him near that, the mayor said, and gets Gulf Stream to “a competitive level.”

Dunham, who came to Gulf Stream from Kenly, North Carolina, nearly four years ago, said he was “humbled by the gesture.” Commissioners praised his handling of public work projects that are ongoing.

“He’s here on weekends, he’s here at nights, but more than that, he is creative, thoughtful and has foresight,” Morgan said. “He has a rapport with our residents. We’re blessed to have him as town manager.”

The raise edges Dunham past Police Chief Edward Allen, whose pay and benefits total $186,534, but he is still behind longtime Town Clerk Rita Taylor, whose compensation package is $196,216.

A shovel moves sand brought in to reinforce a sea wall being installed along beachfronts of three properties just south of Ocean Ridge’s Anna Street beach crossover. Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

By Dan Moffett

In February, Ocean Ridge commissioners declared a state of emergency after a series of fierce winter storms damaged 1,700 feet of the town’s coastline, tearing up dune lines and crumbling sea walls.

It turns out relations between neighbors may also have been damaged.

The Town Commission, during its November meeting, approved a plan that would allow a half-dozen oceanfront homeowners to build protective sea walls along their eroded dunes, with three of those homeowners agreeing to spend $70,000 of their own money to build a 20-foot section of sea wall for the town along the Anna Street crossover.

To bring in the equipment for the sea wall project, the town closed the crossover access at Edith Street and Anna Street.

Town officials thought they had a solution in place that suited the neighborhood. But a group of unhappy residents came forward en masse at the Dec. 7 commission meeting, complaining about losing their beach access and questioning why officials didn’t do a better job of informing the public about the project.

“Isn’t it a little odd that most of the people here had no warning and no idea that the beach access is going to be closed?” Hudson Avenue resident Theodore Ritota asked the commission. Ritota said he wasn’t opposed to building the sea walls but objected to closing “simultaneous beach access” points.

“It’s really disappointing to residents like us who buy properties here for the assets then find out an asset like beach access is being pulled out from under us,” said Sharon Monson, a Hudson Avenue resident.

Mayor Kristine de Haseth said the town faced an emergency situation in which the state Department of Environmental Protection made most of the decisions about how repairs would proceed. Commissioners had actually favored a more expansive sea wall project, but state environmental officials wouldn’t approve it.

“All property owners’ desires and needs were taken into account,” de Haseth said. The beachfront homeowners and their dunes, she said, “are the first line of defense for the entire barrier island.”

The commission discussed the project during its November meeting and posted diagrams, descriptions and aerial photos of the plan on the town website, before voting unanimously to approve construction. The work has to be done between December and March to avoid interfering with turtle nesting season.

“I think what’s fueling a lot of this concern is mostly our fault on the communication effort,” said Vice Mayor Steve Coz. But he said the sea walls were urgently needed. “Those houses are on the brink of falling in.”

Commissioner Susan Hurlburt said that although opponents may be “getting an inconvenience for four months,” the homeowners have no choice but to make repairs and the whole town benefits over the long term by “getting a little bit of sea wall out of it.” She said the town was committed to completing the work expeditiously.

The oceanfront homeowners have told the town they are committed to minimizing annoyances for neighbors — for example, the contractors are trying to reduce noise by pressing piles into place, rather than driving them.

“I’m delighted so many people came to the meeting and spoke out publicly,” de Haseth said. “I’d welcome them to come out again and stay involved.”

Christine Cummings, a registered nurse who works at Bethesda East, was the among the first local frontline workers to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, from Katie Van Lennep, director of professional development at Boca Raton Regional Hospital. Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

By Charles Elmore

The struggle against COVID-19 is far from over, but the prick of a vaccine needle in her arm delivered a dose of relief and hope for registered nurse Christine Cummings.

“It feels good to be reaching this milestone,” said Cummings, who works with coronavirus patients at Bethesda East Hospital in Boynton Beach. “It was a brutal year.”

Her shot on Dec. 28 put her among the first of about 1,600 vaccinations expected over the course of a week for employees at Boca Raton Regional and Bethesda hospitals, both part of the Baptist Health system.

For nearly a year, such workers have lived with the risk they might get sick, and infect others around them, as they provide frontline care. More than 1,700 U.S. health care workers have died from the coronavirus, according to a nurses union’s report in September. Polls show close to half of Americans express reluctance to stand at the front of the line to receive vaccines, but Cummings said she was ready for a chance to help bring the virus under control.

Think about what that would mean, she said.

“We can all hug our grandparents again,” she said.

Senior facilities next up

Residents in long-term care centers are getting priority attention too. As the shots become available to more people, health officials are grappling with public apprehension about vaccines that arrived in the fast lane by historical standards. Take the fear that the vaccine itself can spread the virus.

“The vaccine cannot give you COVID-19,” said Sara Elizabeth Hamm, who lives in Highland Beach and is chief clinical and public health officer for Lifespace Communities. She has been talking to residents in several of the company’s communities, including Harbour’s Edge in Delray Beach.

Both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines give “our cells instructions for how to make a harmless protein that is unique to the virus,” according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That is designed to spur the body to make antibodies to fight the virus. Trials found both vaccines effective 94% to 95% of the time.

In the meantime, measures such as masks, distancing and hand-washing will still be needed for months to come, until enough people get vaccinated, Hamm said.

She acknowledges some “vaccine hesitation” out there as the fast-tracked program rolls out in a bid to stop the worst pandemic in a century and end the loneliness of protective isolation for many seniors.

About 44% of Americans responding to an ABC News/Ipsos poll in December said they would prefer not to get the shot until more is known about safety and effectiveness; 15% said they’d refuse it entirely.

Ron Schwartz, president of the resident council at Harbour’s Edge, said he believes most of his neighbors are ready to embrace the shots.

“Most of us wish there had been more testing and experience with the vaccines,” Schwartz said. “But we think the benefits will outweigh the risks.”

The rollout has been hampered by delivery delays, but at least a portion of the more than 300 residents at Harbour’s Edge are expected to be offered shots in January.

At Abbey Delray, a senior community of 245 residents, shots were initially scheduled to begin Dec. 22 for some residents receiving care in health centers, administrators said. That was pushed back by more than a week. 

More than 850 people in Palm Beach County received at least the first of two vaccination shots by Dec. 21, joining more than 43,000 across Florida, state records show.

Trials showed side effects common to many vaccines, including fatigue, headache, chills, fever and pain and redness in the injection area, Hamm said. But they tend to last only a day or two, she said.

“Side effects mean the vaccine is doing its job, and the body is making antibodies,” she said in a presentation based on information from the Society for Post-Acute Care and Long-Term Care Medicine. She called such effects “normal, common and expected.”

She directly addressed worries that the first people receiving vaccinations are “guinea pigs” and the process was “rushed.”

She said “emergency use authorization” did speed up the usual timetable to make vaccines available the same year the pandemic started, but “no steps were skipped” in developing and testing. 

More than 335,000 deaths nationally have been attributed to COVID-19, including more than 1,800 in Palm Beach County. About 42% of the county’s deaths have occurred among residents and staff at long-term care facilities. That is why such residents are so high on the priority list for shots now.

Many of those residents have lived through some of the toughest challenges the world can throw at them, said Schwartz from Harbour’s Edge. 

“Our residents have been through wars, personal tragedies and many stressful events,” he said. “The result is that they have learned to roll with the punches.”

Some are in their 70s, 80s or 90s, with a few older than 100, he said. The virus has been “scary and upsetting” to many, he said, and his sense is most are prepared to do what it takes for a chance to end the pandemic.

“I think most residents are anxiously awaiting the vaccine,” Schwartz said. “I would be surprised if many of our residents will pass on the chance to be vaccinated.”

One frustration seniors have aired is that even with the virus surging, many people still seem to have no urgency about wearing masks or practicing social distancing to control the spread until vaccines have a chance to work.

“Quite a few residents expressed concern about the lack of enforcement regarding wearing masks,” Schwartz said. “I know of no resident here who would leave their apartment unmasked, so we are shocked and frightened when we have to leave our community for necessary appointments.”

That threatens to prolong the suffering for everybody, he said.

“We are looking forward to once again meeting our friends and family without restrictions,” Schwartz said.

Hamm said, “The more people we vaccinate, the less likely we are to continue this vicious cycle and finally begin to establish our ‘new normal’ in the United States.”

To learn more about COVID-19 vaccines: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/different-vaccines/how-they-work.html.

By Mary Hladky

Boca Raton and Palm Beach County are pushing back against a federal appellate court ruling by a three-judge panel that struck down their bans on the controversial practice of conversion therapy.

The city and county filed a petition on Dec. 11 that seeks a rehearing of the case by the entire 11th Circuit Court of Appeals.

Cities and counties across Florida and in other states rushed to support Boca Raton’s and the county’s effort by signing on to a friend-of-the-court brief written by the city of Miami that had to be filed by Dec. 18. They include Delray Beach, Boynton Beach, West Palm Beach, Wilton Manors and Miami Beach.

“We are definitely expecting more from around the country and Palm Beach County,” said Rand Hoch, president and founder of the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council, which drafted a model ordinance that cities in Palm Beach County have used to enact their own conversion therapy bans.

Conversion therapy seeks to change a person’s gender identity or sexual orientation. The American Psychological Association and American Academy of Pediatrics, among others, have found it causes anger, anxiety, depression, guilt, hopelessness and self-harm.

Two marriage and family therapists — Robert W. Otto of Boca Raton and Julie Hamilton of Palm Beach Gardens — sued Boca Raton and the county in 2018, arguing that the bans violated their free speech rights.

U.S. District Judge Robin Rosenberg did not grant their request for an injunction that would have allowed them to continue providing conversion therapy while the court case was pending. They appealed to the 11th Circuit.

That court’s panel agreed that the bans violate the therapists’ free speech rights and directed Rosenberg to issue the injunction.

“People have intense moral, religious and spiritual views about these matters — on all sides,” Judge Britt Grant wrote for the majority. “And that is exactly why the First Amendment does not allow communities to determine how their neighbors may be counseled about matters of sexual orientation or gender.”

In her dissent, Judge Beverly Martin cited many medical organizations that had warned conversion therapy causes harm, and that it was reasonable to enact bans. She noted that the city and county bans were narrowly written to apply only to counseling children.

In their petition for rehearing, the city and county argued that the ruling suggested it was a final decision in the case, even though the panel was simply reviewing the denial of a preliminary injunction.

They also contended the ruling did not give proper deference to Rosenberg’s factual finding that damage done by conversion therapy to LGBTQ youth “comes from well-known research organizations and subject matter experts.”

“The panel of the court purports to say we have decided the case without trial. That is the problem,” Hoch said.

“We want our day in court,” he said.

The 11th Circuit has long been viewed by lawyers as a conservative court. In recent years, it has become more so. Six of its 12 judges were appointed by President Donald Trump.

Two judges who struck down the bans as unconstitutional are Trump appointees.

Even so, Hoch doesn’t think this case is doomed.

The issue before the 11th Circuit is not conversion therapy, he said. Rather, it is whether Rosenberg ruled correctly in denying the injunction. That is a non-ideological matter for which the court has plenty of precedent.

Twenty states and more than 80 counties and cities have enacted laws prohibiting conversion therapy on minors.

Hoch said the bans in Palm Beach County have not been enforced because no children have come forward to say they have undergone the therapy and suffered because of it.
Even so, Hoch said, “it has been a deterrent.”

Jane Smith contributed to this story.

By Jane Smith

Delray Beach is asking residents to avoid coming into City Hall to pay bills, fees or fines to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

The widespread effects of COVID-19 illnesses have resulted in slower city services, such as the time it takes to get a building permit, according to Mayor Shelly Petrolia.
“Since March 30, approximately 55 city employees have tested positive and there have been approximately 500 incidents of quarantine” among city personnel such as Fire Rescue and Police departments, Gina Carter, the Delray Beach spokeswoman, said in a Dec. 14 email. The city employs about 800 workers.

“One infection can have a ripple effect. For every person that contracts the virus, their co-workers have to quarantine for days and test negative before they can return to work.”
Delray Beach has paid $108,064 in overtime to Fire Rescue employees since Oct. 1 because of the pandemic, according to Dani Moschella, department spokeswoman. The employees hold the ranks of firefighter, driver-engineer or captain, she said.

Delray Beach is not alone. Boca Raton is paying more overtime for its “essential employees who cover shifts for colleagues out sick or are in quarantine due to exposure,” Chrissy Gibson, city spokeswoman, said in a Dec. 18 email. The city also offers online bill-paying.

Delray Beach firefighters have responded to about 500 COVID-related calls since the end of March.

“It has become the new normal for us,” Assistant Chief Greg Giaccone wrote on Dec. 15. “We would be concerned if there were a surge of cases or exposures within the department that would put pressure on our staffing ability, but we’ve been adjusting well.”

For the Delray Beach Police Department with 166 employees, the cost of overtime since the beginning of the pandemic is $619,836.48, Ted White, department spokesman, said in a Dec. 16 email.

The ranks of employees that received the pandemic overtime were officers, sergeants, lieutenants and captains, White wrote.

“Despite 30 sworn employees testing positive and 10 civilians testing positive since March, we have not reduced our services,” Chief Javaro Sims told the Beach Property Owners’ Association members on Dec. 16. 

“We’re actually working smarter in providing the necessary services to our residents, as well as keeping officers safe in the process,” he wrote in a Dec. 16 email to The Coastal Star.

Delray Beach firefighters began receiving COVID-19 vaccines on Dec. 22. The Police Department was expected to receive vaccines after Christmas, Petrolia posted Dec. 18 on her Facebook page.

Mary Hladky contributed to this story.

Kristin Alexandre of Gulf Stream wrote a novel, Gem City Gypsy, that led her to produce a story for a movie, Dead Reckoning. Photo provided

By Brian Biggane

When Gulf Stream resident Kristin Alexandre decided to turn her novel Gem City Gypsy into a movie, she had no idea of what she would be up against.

“I found out that no novelist goes out and gets a movie made,” said Alexandre. “It’s just impossible. It’s ridiculous. But I refused to give up … just persevered. But it was so hard.”

The fruits of her labor, titled Dead Reckoning, stars up-and-coming actors K.J. Apa and India Eisley and is available on several streaming websites, including Amazon Prime, YouTube and Vudu.

Alexandre, who has authored several novels, took film writing courses online, worked up a script and then headed to Hollywood to pitch it at the annual Film Festival.

“I learned that it basically was a $30 million project, and nobody was going to trust a newcomer to do it. So I decided to do another script, and had an idea of having a boy and girl fall in love, and the boy is related to terrorists. So that’s when I wrote Dead Reckoning.”

The movie is set in Nantucket, a small island off Cape Cod, and Alexandre’s original title was Altar Rock — an actual location featured in the movie where, as she puts it, “kids like to go to smoke pot and drink and get away from their parents.”

Shout!, the company that bought and distributed the film, “decided they had to change the name because it took so long to make it.”

Alexandre said the complications in getting the film made are similar to those of building a house.

“You’ve got all these parts: the architect, the builder, the landscaper, and it’s a very, very difficult process. … It’s much better to write a book and have somebody buy the rights to your book.”

Alexandre, 72, is married to DeWitt Alexandre and is a member of the New Jersey State Board of the Humane Society of the United States. She works out daily, counts cycling and golf among her interests and is working on a made-for-TV series to be titled Dark Safari.

Q: Where did you grow up and go to school?
A: I grew up in the small suburb of Oakwood, several miles south of Dayton, Ohio. It’s the same suburb where the Wright Brothers lived. I went to the local high school there and first wrote for the school paper, later contributing a weekly column to a local paper there while living in Europe. One of my favorite columns featured my bizarre interview with Ray Charles while I was visiting the French Riviera. He was on drugs and refused to appear before the audience; the people were screaming in protest.

Q: How do you think that has influenced you?
A: Living in Dayton in the ’60s influenced me, as those surrounding me were motivated to do well and move away. There was a sense that jobs and the future were in the East. I wanted to get to New York and make a mark.

Q: What professions have you worked in? What professional accomplishments are you most proud of?
A: I’m very proud to be an Earth Day founder with my former husband. I was the speaker coordinator for this event and worked with Mayor (John) Lindsay’s office, inviting celebrities and authors to come to New York City and share their thoughts. It proved to me that action can bring about change. I learned that the Earth and all creatures are in trouble as a result of man’s impact.
    Later, I worked as a newscaster in New York City, and for the island of Puerto Rico as a publicist and speechwriter. I continued to write for newspapers and magazines and eventually hosted a talk show that was syndicated and aired on Public Broadcasting. 
I’m proud of publishing my first novel and getting involved in film. I’m in the Actors Guild and the Writers Guild and I’ve been involved with producing five films. I wrote, raised the production funds and even helped cast my current film, Dead Reckoning, that just launched on demand and which stars K.J. Apa, India Eisley, Scott Adkins and James Remar.

Q: What advice do you have for a young person seeking a career today? 
A: My suggestion is to look around, see whose career makes you envious. That’s the key. When someone is doing something that makes you excited in a jealous way, that’s where you should be.

Q: How did you choose to make your home in Gulf Stream?
A: My husband and I visited the area by boat 20 years ago. We loved the vibe, the way the town of Delray Beach felt and the whole feeling of the area. We bought an apartment first and just loved it.

Q: What is your favorite part about living in Gulf Stream?  
A: The people are so friendly and it really is a village. 

Q: What book are you reading now?
A: I’m reading Nemesis, by Peter Evans, about the relationship between Jackie O, Aristotle Onassis and Bobby Kennedy.

Q: What music do you listen to when you want to relax?
A: Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan. My playlist is mostly from the ’70s so that’s the kind of music I love. Springsteen gets me very worked up. I love him. When I want to be inspired, I listen to the Beatles. Paul McCartney’s music just does it for me.

Q: Have you had mentors in your life? Individuals who have inspired your life decisions?
A: My mother. She believed a person could do anything if they just tried. She was orphaned at 10 but was very driven. She was a terrific mom. 
I’m in awe of Jane Goodall and David Attenborough. They are so articulate about the importance of saving our planet and respecting other creatures. We worship God and then destroy all he has given us. It makes no sense whatsoever.

Q: If your life story were to be made into a movie, who would play you?
A: Christine Baranski. I just love her. She’s funny, she’s assertive. … But she has a great sense of humor. She’d be great to play me.

By Mary Hladky

As part of its continuing effort to improve walkability in the downtown, the city is installing rapid flashing beacons at four locations along East Palmetto Park Road.

The beacons draw attention to approaching vehicles as pedestrians look before crossing the street.

They are being installed at crosswalks at Southeast Third Avenue and between Southeast Fourth and Fifth Avenues.

The work, which began in mid-November, is intended to improve pedestrian safety at key crosswalks.

By Mary Hladky

In yet more fallout from the coronavirus pandemic, the Boca Raton Resort & Club will terminate 995 employees effective Feb. 6.

The resort furloughed the employees in March as the first COVID-19 cases were reported in Florida and businesses closed.

In July, the resort allowed employees who wanted to return to work to remain on furlough status. The resort continued to provide health insurance coverage for employees who could pay their portion of the coverage cost.

But as is the case for all other hotels in the county, the demand for rooms has remained far below normal. “Unfortunately, demand remains devastated and business is uncertain,”

General Manager John Carns said in a Dec. 14 letter to the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity.

Saying “we do not believe it is fair to keep (employees) on leave indefinitely,” the decision was made to terminate them, Carns wrote.

The resort will provide severance pay to full-time and longer-term part-time employees, the letter said.

The terminations include the furloughed employees and a small group of currently employed landscapers. The employees work at the resort, Boca Beach Club and Boca Country Club. The resort recently decided to donate the Boca Country Club to the city.

MSD Partners, formed by billionaire Michael S. Dell’s private investment firm, and Northview Hotel Group bought the resort in 2019 for $875 million in Palm Beach County’s biggest ever real estate deal.

The resort is now in the midst of a $150 million renovation that includes demolition of the nearly 42,000-square-foot Great Hall, construction of a 10,000-square-foot Mizner Ballroom, and revisions that make better use of the resort’s location on the Intracoastal Waterway.

By Mary Hladky and Rich Pollack

President Donald Trump’s rush to grant clemencies before leaving office reached into Palm Beach County last month when he issued full pardons to former County Commissioner Mary McCarty and Boca Raton real estate mogul James Batmasian.

McCarty, a Republican who lives in coastal Delray Beach and launched her political career on the City Commission, pleaded guilty in 2009 to a federal charge of honest services fraud for steering bond-underwriting business to her husband and for accepting free or discounted hotel rooms from a company she backed to build a hotel at the Palm Beach County Convention Center.

She served 21 months of a 31/2-year sentence in a federal prison.

In announcing the pardons, the White House said the U.S. Supreme Court has since interpreted the honest service fraud statute more narrowly, “meaning that Ms. McCarty’s conduct might not be criminally prosecuted today.”

Her late husband, Kevin, pleaded guilty to failing to report his wife’s crime and was sentenced to eight months in federal prison. The couple paid $250,000 in restitution.

“This is very good news,” McCarty said shortly after the pardon was announced on Dec. 23. “I’m honored that the president thought enough of my case to pardon me.”

The pardon, she said, is “a vindication of sort.”

Former Delray Beach Mayor Jay Alperin, a friend of Mary McCarty’s, said he respects her for not complaining about the time she spent in prison when the Supreme Court issued its ruling.

“She deserved the pardon, although she can never retrieve what she lost,” he said.

Batmasian, a Republican donor, served eight months in federal prison in 2008 for failing to pay the IRS $253,513 in payroll taxes for employees of his real estate company, Investments Ltd.

He reimbursed the government the full amount owed from 2001 to 2003.

“I am so grateful for President Trump’s benevolence, as are all the members of my family,” Batmasian said in a statement reported by The Real Deal.

Batmasian, a Harvard-educated lawyer, and his wife, Marta, moved to coastal Boca Raton in 1983 with the intention of retiring. But they changed their minds within days and began buying properties, according to Investments Ltd.’s website.

They are now Boca Raton’s largest downtown commercial landowners, with a portfolio that includes scores of homes, condos, apartment and office buildings, warehouses and retail centers. Most are in Boca Raton, but they also own properties throughout Palm Beach and Broward counties.

Two of their signature properties are the mixed-use Royal Palm Place in downtown Boca Raton and Fifth Avenue Shops at the intersection of Federal Highway and Northeast Fifth Avenue.

The Batmasians figure prominently in the criminal case brought against former Mayor Susan Haynie.

Haynie, who has pleaded not guilty and is awaiting trial, was arrested in 2018 on charges of official misconduct, perjury, misuse of public office and failure to disclose voting conflicts. She faces more than 20 years in prison if convicted.

Prosecutors say that Haynie used her position on the City Council to vote on six matters that financially benefited James Batmasian and failed to disclose income she had received from him. The investigation found that Haynie failed to report $335,000 in income on financial disclosure forms required by the state, including $84,000 from Batmasian or Investments Ltd., from 2014 through 2017.

Batmasian has not been charged with a crime in the Haynie case. In a 2020 interview with The Coastal Star, Marta Batmasian vehemently denied any wrongdoing by the couple.
McCarty’s pardon was supported by former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, a White House adviser, and Christopher Ruddy, a Trump confidant and West Palm Beach resident who is CEO of the conservative media company Newsmax, the White House said.

McCarty’s brother is Brian Ballard, one of the most powerful lobbyists in Washington and a top Trump fundraiser. He is a member of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort, has known Trump for years and has played a role in his political activities, including his re-election effort, the Wall Street Journal has reported.

Bondi is a partner with Ballard’s lobbying firm, Ballard Partners.

Asked whether her brother’s close relationship with Trump played a role in her pardon, McCarty said, “It didn’t hurt.”

But McCarty said she has her own relationship with Trump, dating back to when she served on the County Commission as Trump was making plans for a Palm Beach County golf course.

“I always had a good relationship with the president when he was establishing a golf course here,” she said.

McCarty believes that Trump was personally involved in the decision to pardon her. “I think it was all him,” she said.

The White House said Batmasian’s pardon was supported by U.S. Rep. Brian Mast, R-Palm City, criminal justice reform advocate Alice Johnson, and golfer Bernhard Langer, a reported friend of Trump.

“Mr. Batmasian accepted full responsibility for his actions, fully repaid the IRS the money he owed, and served his 8-month sentence,” the release said. It also cited Batmasian’s charitable works.

The Batmasians’ philanthropy includes the James H & Marta T Batmasian Family Foundation, which they have said supports more than 65 organizations.

James Batmasian also invests in opportunity zones, an initiative created as part of the tax overhaul Congress passed and Trump supported in 2017. They offer investors big savings in capital gains tax if they invest in poor neighborhoods. Critics fault the zones for gentrifying neighborhoods rather than helping Black communities.

Trump has touted the program in speeches as an example of how he is helping struggling African-Americans. Batmasian attended a ribbon cutting for a Charlotte, North Carolina, opportunity zone in September, according to an Investments Ltd. news release. In the release, Batmasian praised the zones, saying “the ability to make a direct local impact is truly powerful.”

Among those supporting Batmasian’s pardon was Doug Mummaw, a Boca Raton architect who frequently works with Investments Ltd. on new projects and renovations.

Mummaw said that Batmasian’s company asked him to write a letter of recommendation for a pardon.

“I fully support it,” he said. “Since I have come to know Jim and served on nonprofit boards with him, I have seen him help so many. … Jim is a very kind man, very giving.” A presidential pardon restores rights lost as a result of being convicted of a federal crime, such as the right to vote, hold state or local office or serve as a juror. It may lessen the stigma of a conviction, but does not erase or expunge the record of the conviction. It may also be helpful in obtaining licenses, bonding or employment and could make it easier to get financing from a bank.

By Mary Thurwachter

Lantana’s longtime Mayor David J. Stewart faces two challengers in the March 9 election — Joe Ferrell and Robert Hagerty.

Ferrell, 58, a flooring distributor and 20-year resident, is an alternate on the town’s Planning and Zoning Commission and made an unsuccessful run against current council member Malcolm Balfour in 2013.

Hagerty, 56, is a retired police officer who has been a Lantana resident for 24 years.

Stewart, 67, an air conditioning consultant, has been mayor for 21 years.

“I want to continue what I’ve done in being fiscally responsible and making improvements for Lantana residents,” he says. “I’ve kept taxes low and services high, built our reserves to almost $10 million and erased the town’s debt.”

He cites his relationship-building skills with elected officials, locally and at the state level, among the strengths he brings to office. Beyond that, Stewart says he has institutional knowledge both from having been mayor for two decades and having served as president and an active member of the Palm Beach County League of Cities. He says he has made many contacts through his work with both the county and the state.

Another strength, he says, is his ability to explain things “in layman’s terms” so people can better understand Town Council proceedings.

“The biggest issue in Lantana, and all municipalities, is the pandemic,” Stewart says. “Because of COVID-19, residents have not been able to provide for their families as they have in past.

“COVID put some people out of work, some in physical constraints so people haven’t been able to do what they did for their families. Sometimes when you are in a crisis, it’s better to have that continuity and institutional knowledge.”

Ferrell says he decided to run because of “the lack of response to issues such as the flooding in Sea Pines. There is also a feeling of disrespect by the citizenry of Lantana of the current mayor and Town Council.”

The biggest issue, says Ferrell, is “the lack of meaningful spending on the infrastructure — the roads have needed paving and striping for years, Sea Pines drainage system, Maddock Park play field needs to be resodded and city landscaping is tired.”

Another concern, Ferrell says, is “the lack of a central town hall that could house all the towns’ offices, except for the Police Department, in one place. The Police Department has a modern office.”

The strengths he would bring to office, Ferrell says, are his 30-plus years in the construction industry. “That has given me valuable experience in empathizing with people of differing ideas, contract negotiation, following through on promises and maintaining an ethical morality as the basis of my personality.”

Hagerty, who retired as a commander for the Lantana Police Department after working for the town for more than two decades, said he has the long-term experience and results-oriented approach needed to deal with the challenges the town faces.

“I feel a change in the mayor’s office is needed for the residents of this town to bring more effective and compassionate leadership, a stronger focus on public safety, realistic visioning, and appropriate beautification efforts,” Hagerty says. “As the former emergency management director for Lantana, I have the proven skills to proactively keep us safe from coronavirus, and responsibly get our economy moving again.”

Like Stewart, Hagerty says the major problem the town faces today has to do with the pandemic.

“The biggest issue in Lantana is how we keep our town safe from coronavirus while responsibly getting our economy moving again, and that requires the kind of effective, results-oriented leadership I will provide,” Hagerty says.

“I have a broad skill set of experience, dedication and understanding of how Lantana works from 30 years of service to the citizens of Lantana.

“Having been involved in various aspects of local government, including emergency management, budgeting and staffing responsibility, I would bring a more effective and common-sense approach to the office of mayor.”

Ferrell and Hagerty have attended some town meetings during the past year, although neither gave an exact number.

“Very few, due to social distancing,” Ferrell says. “The town of Lantana has a nice website that lets you attend meetings online and read the minutes.”

Stewart says he has missed only one council meeting in 21 years, because he was out of town on town business.

By Rich Pollack

As he dodged a fleeing car that had suspiciously parked in his circular driveway, 85-year-old Bob Ganger instinctively recalled tumbling lessons he learned during his school years decades ago.

“I did a couple of somersaults,” said Ganger, who lives in Gulf Stream and is a former Gulf Stream vice mayor and longtime community leader.

Bruised and suffering from cuts and scrapes on his knees and elbows, Ganger managed to get to his feet and call for help. Paramedics from Delray Beach Fire Rescue responded quickly, as did two Gulf Stream police officers, but the car that Ganger believes was a red Ford Thunderbird was long gone.

Police, using license plate readers in both Delray Beach to the south and Ocean Ridge to the north, identified one Thunderbird traveling soon after the incident but it turned out to belong to a 77-year-old Delray woman who was returning from Publix.

Ganger said the car brushed him as he tumbled out of the way, and he spent one night in the hospital. He said the incident highlights the need for cameras along State Road A1A in Gulf Stream, especially in light of a rash of auto thefts.

Several town leaders, including Mayor Scott Morgan and Police Chief Ed Allen, don’t believe the cameras are needed.

As of mid-December, the town had 11 stolen vehicles reported in 2020, all of which were high-end vehicles unlocked and with keys left inside.

While Ganger believes additional cameras could serve as a deterrent to law breakers, Morgan says a review by the Police Department presented to town leaders demonstrated that the cameras in Delray Beach and Ocean Ridge are sufficient and that resources would be better used elsewhere.

“Since Gulf Stream is already well covered for camera identification of suspect vehicles, our commission concluded that additional funding should be directed toward trying to prevent crimes from occurring, rather than just photographing after-the-fact activity,” Morgan said.

With that in mind, the town authorized adding another officer and another vehicle to patrol the community.

“We believe this is a better deterrent to crime than redundant camera equipment,” Morgan said.

Allen agrees and says he suspects the car thefts are the work of professional criminals who won’t be stopped by additional surveillance.

The car thieves, he says, are fairly sophisticated and know where cameras are and how to work around them. In most cases, the crooks usually travel by pairs in rental or stolen cars that are hard to track.

That was likely the case in the incident that occurred in Ganger’s driveway late on a Sunday afternoon.

It was about 5:30 p.m. on Nov. 22 and halftime of the Miami Dolphins game when Ganger stepped outside and found a car with dark tinted windows in his driveway. He could tell two people were inside and one appeared to be on the phone.

Thinking the occupants might need directions or other assistance, Ganger approached the car from the driver’s side and asked — through the closed window — if he could help.

That’s when the car bolted, brushing Ganger.

“It didn’t occur to me to connect this with the car thefts,” he said.

In what he believes could be more than a coincidence, Ganger saw another car pull into his driveway on a Sunday afternoon a couple of weeks later.

“Two weeks later to the day, damned if another car didn’t come and park in my driveway in the exact same spot,” he said.

This time the occupants saw Ganger, who was in a tree and doing yard work, and took off on their own.

Although Ganger hopes town leaders will revisit the idea of cameras to augment those in neighboring towns, the police chief is continuing to encourage residents to lock their cars and not leave valuables — or keys — inside.

Police also recommend that residents call them immediately if they see a suspicious incident and try to avoid any confrontations.

“That’s what we’re here for,” Allen said.

CORRECTION: The December edition of The Coastal Star incorrectly reported the name of Gulf Stream’s newest police officer. He is Justin Menard.

By Jane Smith

Two incumbent Delray Beach city commissioners and the mayor will have challengers in the March 9 municipal election.

Mayor Shelly Petrolia, who opened her reelection campaign in June 2018, raised $84,371.90 as of Nov. 30. A residential real estate broker, she lent her campaign $53,715.90. The rest of her donors are mainly individuals, with some home builders and other firms sprinkled into the mix.

Her competitor is Tracy Caruso, wife of state Rep. Michael Caruso, one of the few Republican legislators in Palm Beach County. Tracy Caruso is the current chairwoman of the city’s Historic Preservation Board.

Caruso lent her campaign $51,000 of the total $78,580 reported on Nov. 30.

One-third of Caruso’s 45 contributors were political action committees, according to the campaign finance report submitted by Debbie Millner, of the Political Accounting Group LLC. The same Jensen Beach firm was hired by Michael Caruso in his recent reelection to the state House.

A third mayoral candidate, Tennille Decoste, dropped out of the race on Dec. 10. She had raised $10,966.42 and spent $9,154.35. Decoste was the city’s former human resources director.
Adam Frankel, a criminal defense lawyer, is hoping to return to his Seat 1 on the commission. He raised $12,000 in November, according to his campaign finance report.

Of the 13 contributors listed, at least three do business with the city. All donated $1,000 each to Frankel’s reelection campaign. Ocean Beach Service Inc., of Riviera Beach, has a contract to provide the city’s beach equipment rentals, including chairs and umbrellas.

Tin Roof runs a music club/restaurant on the city’s trendy Atlantic Avenue, while Seaside Builders LLC is a luxury home builder in Delray Beach.

His opponent is Price Patton. A veteran journalist, Patton worked for more than two decades at The Palm Beach Post. He became a founding partner of The Coastal Star after it began in 2008. He has taken a leave of absence from that role.

Patton also has served on city advisory boards for six years, covering two terms on the Historic Preservation Board and his current vice chairman seat on the Site Plan Review and Appearance Board.

As of Nov. 30, Patton raised $10,800, including a $10,000 personal loan and the remainder from three individuals.

The race for Seat 3 features a rematch between incumbent Ryan Boylston and Mitch Katz. Katz was first elected to the commission in 2015.

In March 2018, Katz received 397 more mail-in ballots, but lost on Election Day when nearly 1,400 more people voted for Boylston, who has a digital marketing firm.

Boylston lent his reelection campaign $10,000 in November when he did not have a challenger. He has also served on the Downtown Development Authority board, including one year as chairman.

Katz, who works for a private higher education company, entered the race on Dec. 7.

Anyone registered to vote in Delray Beach can cast a ballot in each race.

By Dan Moffett

Town Manager Bill Thrasher was so disappointed by a Briny Breezes Town Council vote to postpone putting a charter amendment referendum on the March ballot that he considered resigning.

That was enough for the council to reverse itself and unanimously approve sending the issue of whether to have a formal town charter to voters in the next election.

“Once I start a project I want to finish a project,” Thrasher said during a hastily called special council meeting on Dec. 22.  “I don’t want to waste my time and I don’t want to waste your time.”

Thrasher said too much effort and time had gone into developing the amendments to delay the vote now.

The council agreed on reflection. President Sue Thaler said Thrasher was “too valuable” to the town to risk losing.

During the regular town meeting on Dec. 17, the council voted 3-2 to postpone the referendum until 2022 to avoid paying up to $10,000 for a special ballot from the Palm Beach County Elections Supervisor. Thrasher said that figure could be negotiated down and the town could use some of the $32,000 available in relief funding to cover the cost.

Aldermen Chick Behringer and Bill Birch joined Thaler in reversing their original votes to hold back the referendum.

The council learned earlier in December that, because no challengers came forward to take on incumbents for alderman seats, the town would have to pay for a special ballot to hold the referendum March 9.

Because Thaler, Mayor Gene Adams and Behringer went unchallenged during the town’s qualifying period, Briny would have had no other ballot issues in March.

Thaler at first said it made more sense to wait until 2022 for the town to put its charter amendments on the ballot — along with statewide and countywide races — and save thousands of dollars.

“For me, the entire motivation is cost,” Thaler said in arguing for postponement during the Dec. 17 meeting. “I think $10,000 is a lot of money for the Briny Breezes town budget.”

Alderwoman Christina Adams disagreed. She said the town had invested a lot of effort in developing the charter proposals and should move forward as planned.

“I’m leery of postponing this,” Adams said. “It’s taken the time of a dedicated committee and it’s taken the time of our attorney Keith Davis to put up this document.”

Alderwoman Kathy Gross joined Adams in voting not to postpone.

The amendments, if approved by voters, would give the town a formal charter, something it hasn’t had since its incorporation as a municipality in 1963. The proposed changes would give the town specific regulations, definitions and procedures for governance.

They would also define the job description of the town manager position and make the clerk an appointed position, not elected.

In other business at the Dec. 17 meeting:

• Thrasher earned glowing reviews from the council during performance evaluations as he completes his first year on the job.
“He’s very methodical and thinks things through very well,” said Mayor Adams. “He answers your questions without pushing opinions.”
Thaler said Thrasher “kept us on an even keel” during a difficult year dealing with COVID-19.
“He brought a level of professionalism I don’t think we’ve had at Town Hall,” Behringer said.
Council members agreed they had no problems with Thrasher’s performance during the summer, when he worked remotely from his home in North Carolina. The town ran smoothly, they said.
“I wouldn’t have known if he was here or in North Carolina,” the mayor said.

• Adams said the Palm Beach County Health Department has scrapped plans to administer COVID-19 vaccinations in Point of Dispensing centers in municipalities.
Instead, the public will get vaccinations through pharmacies, doctors’ offices and other health care providers, probably in the spring.
However, Adams said, the town has updated its POD agreement with the county, and the mayor hopes the cooperation will be bene- ficial for the next health emergency.