By Larry Barszewski

Developers interested in a high-profile downtown Boynton Beach site have plenty of ideas for what to put there.

They say a supermarket or hotel could be built on the city-owned property, or maybe apartment buildings up to 10 stories tall — including ground-level shops or a rooftop community garden — and amenities such as a parking garage, train station and outdoor gathering spots.

Boynton Beach commissioners aren’t sure what to do with the 2.6-acre property at 115 N. Federal Highway, which the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency purchased two years ago for $3 million. But they’re thrilled to see the interest the site is generating. Six unsolicited proposals had been submitted by the commission’s Dec. 8 CRA board meeting.

“What a good problem to have, right? A typical concern is that not enough people are interested,” Vice Mayor Ty Penserga said. “I could not be happier with the amount of interest that’s coming out.”

The property, between Federal Highway and Northeast Fourth Street, is north of Ocean Avenue and the Hurricane Alley Raw Bar and Restaurant. It currently is used as surface level parking and had included the now-demolished Congregational United Church of Christ building that recently served as the city’s temporary library.

“This is kind of like our Main and Main, as the saying goes. This is a strategic intersection,” Penserga said of Ocean Avenue at Federal Highway. “It is a prime real estate key for downtown. And having realized that, this is not something I want to get wrong.”

Rather than rush into a decision, commissioners voted to reject all the proposals. They want the CRA to establish its own priorities first for development there. They requested that staff meet with city and Palm Beach County officials — and with neighboring businesses and residents — to come up with suggested priorities for the board to consider in February. The commission then plans to issue a formal request for proposals, which would invite anyone interested to submit a proposal based on the CRA’s priorities.

Mayor Steven Grant thanked the firms that submitted letters of interest on their own regarding the site.

“We really appreciate the time and effort that you put in this and we’re looking to get the best project possible — and to work with our community for the sustainability and resiliency of our city,” Grant said. “We will be speaking with you in the future.”

The CRA received the first letter of interest in August from a group led by William Morris of Southcoast Partners and Harold and Max Van Arnem of Van Arnem Properties.

Commissioners at the time said they planned to wait 90 days before considering the proposal in case anyone else was interested. Five additional proposals were received within a span of weeks following the CRA board’s November meeting.

The proposals, rejected by commissioners without review, could come back in some form during the RFP process. The following is a synopsis of those proposals.
• Ocean Avenue Residences and Shoppes, LLC: The Morris and Van Arnem proposal offered to build 229 apartments, 18,000 square feet of commercial space and a privately financed 544-space garage, including 120 public spaces. Its tallest building would be eight stories. It proposed incorporating the city’s Dewey Park into its overall design, an idea that has been picked up by other proposers.
• Banyan Oasis: E2L Real Estate Solutions LLC, under its president, Mark Hefferin, proposed building a hotel and two apartment buildings — all with ground-level commercial and restaurant space. The company is also the lead developer on the Boynton Beach Town Square project. Its plan called for 220 apartments, 34,000 square feet of retail space, a 130-room hotel and a 686-space publicly financed parking garage, including 150 public parking spaces. Its tallest building would be eight stories.
• Green115: The Blackonyx Capital LLC plan is focused on an environmentally friendly mixed-use development, including 21,000 square feet of commercial and retail space. It also proposed having a rooftop community garden, and 2,300 square feet of “co-work” office space for people who can’t work from home and can’t get to a main office. Its design included two 10-story buildings with a total of 243 residential units, with one building having a 408-space, six-level parking garage. There would be another 119 surface parking spaces on the site.
• Supermarket: B&H Fine Foods II Inc., which operates Howard’s Market on Southwest 18th Street in Boca Raton, proposed a 20,000-square-foot grocery store on the site with 120 parking spaces. The supermarket would include an “urban greenhouse” selling farm-to-table produce grown on site and in the region. B&H Director Barry Adkin said the site could also have a commercial kitchen to give local entrepreneurs a place to produce and sell their products.
• Residential/commercial use: Affiliated Development founder Jeff Burns said his company is interested in building 220 luxury rental housing units with ground-level commercial space, while revitalizing Dewey Park and making other improvements that create pedestrian connectivity to a future Brightline passenger train station.
• Adjacent property owner proposal: Davis Camalier, owner of the adjacent Federal Highway property rented out to Boardwalk Italian Ice & Creamery, said he would like to form a public-private partnership with the CRA to develop the combined properties. His letter had few specifics, other than saying he wanted to create “a development that would maximize the improvement of the site and its impact to the City and its residents”— or for him to purchase the CRA property outright.

Commissioners have said they would like to see additional parcels included in the final product to create a more cohesive development on Federal between Ocean Avenue and Boynton Beach Boulevard.

The commission also views the property as a critical link in the city’s overall redevelopment, forming connections from the Town Square project on Seacrest Boulevard to the Boynton Beach Marina District on the Intracoastal Waterway.

Susan Oyer, whose family owns the property where Hurricane Alley is situated and two other adjacent parcels, said the submitted proposals are a good starting point for future discussions.

“I would tend to think that maybe you want to look at elements of combining them,” Oyer said.

“We do have a food desert, so maybe that grocery store idea is worth incorporating in some way. E2L has a wonderful pathway kind of system that is really impressive, very reminiscent of something you would see in Europe,” Oyer said. “I actually was just blown away by Blackonyx and their level of sustainability and their level of moving forward and the attraction that would bring to our city. I think in a perfect world, I would mash them all together and create perfection.”

Hurricane Alley owner Kim Kelly, who had objected to the original proposal submitted in August, said the commission is moving in the right direction. Her newly formed group, the Downtown Business Coalition for a Brighter and Better Boynton Beach, expects to play a role in the priorities the CRA puts together.

“I really like where this is going. I think this is a great decision,” Kelly told commissioners. “It’s going to be worth the wait. It’s going to make it better.”

Firefighters work the scene where a private estate straddles both sides of A1A at the south end of town. Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

A truck driver died Dec. 18 after his vehicle veered off State Road A1A at the south end of Manalapan, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office reported. The box truck hit multiple trees, a power utility box and a gas line before catching fire with the driver trapped inside. The impact ejected a passenger through the windshield and onto the road, with the passenger sustaining unknown injuries, deputies said.

The Sheriff’s Office identified the driver as Felix Ramos Jr., 54, of Margate, and the passenger as Jesus Lazaro Safront Rodriguez, 52, of Hialeah. Ramos died at the scene. Rodriguez was taken to St. Mary’s Hospital by Palm Beach Fire Rescue.

Deputies said Ramos was traveling north in the 3000 block of South Ocean Boulevard at about 10:30 a.m. For unknown reasons, he veered over the southbound lane and continued onto the landscaped shoulder on the road’s west side.

Because of a gas leak and electrical short related to the accident, haz-mat crews from Delray Beach, West Palm Beach and Boca Raton also responded to the scene.

By Dan Moffett

Three incumbents will return to the Manalapan Town Commission in 2021 after no other candidates came forward to challenge them in the March election during last month’s qualifying period.

Keith Waters returns as mayor, Stewart Satter is back in an at-large position and Hank Siemon will have another term representing Point Manalapan.

Jack Doyle did not qualify for an ocean seat and was unopposed. The commission will appoint a replacement in March.

Waters has been on the commission since 2016 and has served as mayor since 2017. He has said that the most important issue on the commission’s agenda going forward is setting up the conversion the town must make from septic tanks to municipal sewers.

That planning was put on hold last year because of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Siemon has served on the commission since 2017, and Satter came aboard in 2019.

South Palm Beach residents give each other space as they await COVID-19 tests from the county outside Town Hall last month. Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

By Dan Moffett

South Palm Beach is resuming some activities at Town Hall after concerns about coronavirus exposure prompted a partial shutdown of the building last month.

The town canceled its December council meeting when an employee tested positive for the virus after leaving work with symptoms.

Mayor Bonnie Fischer said the employee has recovered, tested negative and was expected to return to work soon. Fischer said no other confirmed COVID-19 cases have been identified in the town since.

She said the building was sanitized and the town’s staff is following public health protocols and limiting public access.

“I think we handled it well,” Fischer said. “Now we have to move on from here.”

The next regular Town Council meeting is scheduled for Jan. 12 beginning at 4 p.m. in Town Hall. Access to the meeting will be limited, however.

South Palm Beach has taken proactive steps to mitigate the effects of the pandemic.

On Dec. 11, more than 150 people came for COVID-19 testing administered by the Palm Beach County Health Department’s mobile unit outside Town Hall. It was the department’s fourth testing visit in 2020.

The council received a $17,500 grant from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and used it to buy 10,000 face masks for the town. They are expected to arrive by the middle of January and will be distributed three or four to each household.

Last spring officials handed out 3,000 masks.

LANTANA — Dorothy “Dottie” A. Sylvester died Oct. 18 at her home in the Carlisle in Lantana. She was 92.

Mrs. Sylvester was born in Pittsburgh on July 9, 1928, to Catherine A. Freeman and Joseph F. Smith. One of nine children, she is survived by sister Marlene Dawson and brother Thomas Smith. Her siblings Joseph Smith, Helen Kazlausky, Scott Smith, Greg Smith, Ella Mae Weightman and William Smith predeceased her.

Mrs. Sylvester is survived by three daughters, Laura Finn (Jack), Renee Sprague (Scott), Gail McMillan (Steve), and one son, Raymond Sylvester (Pam). In addition, she is survived by five grandchildren: Dean Sprague (Diana), Katie Sprague, Raymond Sylvester, Carly Sylvester and Ava Sylvester.

Raised on a farm in Manor, Pennsylvania, Mrs. Sylvester loved sharing stories of milking the cow, Blackie, feeding the chickens and the love the family had for all the animals on the farm. The family enjoyed fun-filled days swimming in the creek and during winter ice skating on the pond.

In 1949 she met the man who would become her beloved husband, Raymond L. Sylvester. They were married for 48 years until his death in 1997. As a young couple they embarked on an unforgettable three-month journey traveling throughout Italy and other parts of Europe with their closest friends.

A few years later, they moved to Mount Lebanon, Pennsylvania, where they lived for 30 years and raised their family. Besides being a devoted mother, Mrs. Sylvester loved cooking, gardening and decorating. In addition, she enjoyed jobs such as fashion modeling, working in the cosmetics industry and selling insurance before retiring to Delray Beach.

Ballroom dancing was a passion during her later years and won her many friends. 

To all who knew her, Mrs. Sylvester was a caring person with a big heart and beautiful smile. She loved nature and saw the good in things.

A true humanitarian and a friend to all, she was the first to lend a helping hand to anyone in need.

She filled her home with warmth, beauty and love and nothing meant more to her than spending time with her children and grandchildren. Her family was the center of her life, and to them she is remembered as an amazing woman full of grace, wisdom, courage and style.

Family and friends are blessed to share decades of wonderful memories and adventurous stories that she experienced throughout her life. She will be greatly missed but never forgotten. Dorothy’s essence will live on in all who knew and loved her.

There was a private service at the Carlisle on Nov. 6. A celebration of her life will be held at a later date. Donations in her memory may be given to Big Dog Ranch Rescue in Loxahatchee or the charity of your choice. 

Obituary submitted by the family

By Dan Moffett

SOUTH PALM BEACH — Craig Henne had no shortage of job descriptions in his life. He was an arborist, an actor, a stand-up comedian, tattoo artist, semipro poker player, car salesman, repo man, truck driver, moving company owner, Tesla and motorcycle advocate, political analyst, podcaster and radio talk show host.

Around South Palm Beach, he was known as the guy who rose during the Town Council’s public comment period to call out officials. He commented frequently on what he called excess government spending and questionable judgment of elected leaders. He also expressed support for law enforcement.

Often, he got loud and he got angry.

“Because he was larger than life, sometimes maybe some people didn’t always appreciate it,” said his partner, Phillis Febbraro. “He was a renaissance man with many gifts.”

Craig R. Henne died on Dec. 2 at the age of 72. Plans to hold a service to celebrate his life are incomplete.

Mr. Henne and Ms. Febbraro were high school sweethearts in Long Island in the 1960s, and they reconnected 12 years ago. “He looked for me for 38 years,” she said.

They enjoyed traveling together throughout the country and were committed to participating in their local government during the last decade.

“He was interested in maintaining the small, quaint seaside community with wonderful people,” she said of his activism.

“Craig’s bark was often worse than his bite,” said Mayor Bonnie Fischer. “But in his heart of hearts, he cared about the town. I wish more people cared as much.”

Mr. Henne, originally from Bayville, New York, was a U.S. Air Force veteran. As an actor he had brushes with some of Hollywood’s brightest stars. He had a small role in Robert De Niro’s 1991 movie Cape Fear, an appearance in television’s Miami Vice with Don Johnson and a bit part in the Burt Reynolds TV series B.L. Stryker in 1990.

As a talk show host, he relied on his storytelling talent to make the case for conservative politics.

“For 90 percent of my life I have been fortunate to live the way I wanted,” he told visitors to his Facebook page. “I have no expensive habits but live the life of a Jack London character.”

Besides Ms. Febbraro, Mr. Henne is survived by his daughter Tara; son Jason and his wife, Carman; daughter Nicole and her husband, Michael; son Brant and his wife, Jade, and three grandchildren.

DELRAY BEACH — Frederick Carl Horenburger of Delray Beach died on Dec. 12. He was 83.

Mr. Horenburger was the owner of Fred’s Tennis Classics Inc. and well-known for providing customers with his expert advice and knowledge in the tennis world.

He was a star athlete in basketball and other sports in his youth, but by his late 20s tennis became his overwhelming sport of choice. His career in tennis spanned over 45 years in the Delray Beach area, including 17 years as the tennis pro at the Gulf Stream Bath and Tennis Club.

Known for his excellent stringing capabilities, he strung rackets for weekend tennis warriors, world-class players and one president of the United States, George H.W. Bush.

Born on Feb. 22, 1937, in New York City, Mr. Horenburger spent much of his youth on Staten Island and Long Island. He attended Northfield Mount Hermon and Tufts University prior to joining the Marines, where he played on the basketball team during his tour of duty.

Mr. Horenburger is survived by his devoted wife of 29 years, Leslie B. Horenburger, his son Fred Horenburger Jr., daughter, Dana Schweitzer, granddaughter, Emily Mosher (Shawn), grandson, Jack Scarton, great-granddaughter, Amelia Annabelle Mosher, sisters, Julie Tarelton and Anne Lahr, and brother, James Horenburger.

A celebration of life will be held at a later date when it is safe to gather the many people whose lives were touched by this gentle man.

For those who would like to make a donation in Mr. Horenburger’s memory, consider a contribution to the Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network, 4520 East West Highway, Suite 610, Bethesda, MD 20814.

Obituary submitted by the family

Long before it housed the Historical Society and Museum, Boca’s old Town Hall included a fire station. Photo provided

By Christine Davis

The Boca Raton Historical Society & Museum has undergone a total of $3.9 million in redesign and renovation, with an official reopening date to be announced in early 2021.

‘The historic Town Hall has been our home since the mid-1980s,” said the museum’s executive director, Mary Csar. “But, due to space limitations, our exhibitions have been temporary and largely two-dimensional.

“Not any longer. The dynamic redesign of the new Boca Raton Historical Society & Museum will allow for both permanent and changing exhibitions that will appeal to families, students and research buffs of all ages — all under the concept of ‘History Alive!’” 

The new permanent galleries will include a historic timeline starting with the earliest pre-Columbian inhabitants up to the 21st century, and exhibits such as Pioneer Days, focused on the local heritage of a small farming community; Addison Mizner, featuring the museum’s collection of Mizner Industries’ and Mizner’s architectural drawings and images; World War II, when the Boca Raton Army Airfield served as the Air Corps’ top secret radar training facility; and IBM, featuring a collection of functioning vintage personal computers.

The Historical Society & Museum is still raising money for this renovation, and naming opportunities are available. For information, call Csar at 561-395-6766, email her at director@bocahistory.org or visit www.BocaHistory.org.

The museum is located in Historic Town Hall at 71 N. Federal Highway.

Boca Beach House Luxury Residences & Marina, at 725 S. Ocean Blvd., Boca Raton, a waterfront development of Key International and Integra Investments, recently celebrated its groundbreaking. The property has secured $42.6 million in construction financing from Bank OZK.

Slated for completion in the third quarter of 2022, the 3.2-acre, four-story condominium development will offer 32 condominiums, concierge services, and a private 18-slip marina. Boca Beach House launched sales in May 2019 and is almost 80% sold, with nearly half of the condo buyers from out of state. Remaining residences range from two- to four-bedroom units with 3,855 to 5,041 square feet featuring flow-through floor plans, 10-foot ceilings and semi-private elevator access.

Design is by Sieger Suárez Architects, with contemporary interiors by Linda Ruderman Interiors. The grounds were designed by Raymond Jungles. Key International Sales is the brokerage of record. For more information, visit www.bbhresidences.com or call 561-453-1400.

Understanding the need to offer a health-focused environment, the condominium development 3550 South Ocean in South Palm Beach has expanded its partnership with the Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa to offer private and group fitness classes. Eau Spa personal trainers’ exercise programs have been designed to help residents achieve their fitness goals.

The classes are available virtually and on-site at 3550 South Ocean with residents’ Eau Palm Beach developer gift certificates. In addition to fitness classes, residents have access to

Eau’s spa experiences at 3550 South Ocean, from massages to facial treatments and more. 

The Seagate Resort’s managing company, Long Weekend Hospitality, announced that it will spearhead the Delray Beach resort’s renovation and rebranding, with New York-based Studio Robert McKinley leading the redesign projects.

Collaborators will include food and beverage developer McGuire Moorman Hospitality, consultant Liz Lambert, landscaper Raymond Jungles and architect Leo A. Daly. The hotel and beach club refurbishments are set to begin in June and be completed by the end of 2021. The club will be renovated, 154 hotel guest rooms will be remodeled and public spaces — including new restaurants and lounge concepts — will be redesigned.

Upon completion of this work, renovations of the country club at 3600 Hamlet Drive in Delray Beach will begin.

An ocean-to-Intracoastal 2-acre parcel at 980 S. Ocean, Manalapan, sold for $17,258,175 on Dec. 16. The seller was Monica Sound Ltd., a British Virgin Islands company with a Boynton Beach address, and the buyer was 980 S. Ocean LLC, a Florida limited liability company with a West Palm Beach address. According to Realtor.com, Sotheby’s agent

Andrew Thomka-Gazdik represented the seller, and Vince Spadea Jr., an agent with Douglas Elliman, represented the buyer.  

Recorded on Nov. 19, two waterfront lots in Boca Raton were purchased for a combined $14.8 million. A 1.32-acre lot with a 3,369-square-foot home, at 690 NE Fifth Ave., sold for $10 million, and the neighboring vacant lot of 0.83 of an acre, at 720 NE Fifth Ave., sold for $4.795 million. 

The seller was 690 5th Avenue Associates LLC, managed by Fort Lauderdale auto dealer Stuart Hayim, and the buyer was 690/720 NE 5th Avenue Boca LLC, managed by a Hillsboro Beach couple, Thomas and Michelle Murphy. Combined, the properties have 220 feet of frontage on the Intracoastal Waterway.

The D’Angelo Ligouri team, Premier Estate Properties, represented the buyer and seller for both parcels.

Billionaire Boris Jordan paid $14 million for an 8,303-square-foot Intracoastal Waterway home at 1175 Spanish River Road, Boca Raton, on Nov. 30. Seller Richard Tarlow was represented by Gerard Liguori, Joseph Liguori and Carmen D’Angelo Jr. of Premier Estate Properties. The five-bedroom mid-century modern-style home was constructed on the .78-acre lot in the Estates neighborhood in 2015 by J.H. Norman.

A resident of New York, Jordan has run businesses both in the United States and in Russia. As executive chairman, he helped build his company, Curaleaf, into the largest cannabis company in the United States. Forbes recently estimated his net worth at $1.9 billion.

In spite of COVID-19 challenges, Florida Atlantic University achieved a record-breaking milestone in sponsored research funding for the first quarter of fiscal year 2020-2021.

The first quarter, which began on July 1, saw a 92% increase in research funding compared to the first three months of fiscal 2019-2020. Federal, state and private agencies awarded FAU faculty $38.9 million for the first quarter, 2020. That number was $20.2 million during the same time frame in 2019.

“Securing research funding is no easy feat, especially during these exceptionally challenging times,” said Daniel C. Flynn, Ph.D., FAU’s vice president for research. “This monumental milestone for Florida Atlantic University is a testament to our talented, dedicated and passionate researchers who are making great contributions in science, technology, health and the humanities at a pivotal time in Florida’s and our nation’s history.”

Among the largest grants in that time frame:
• An $11,179,001, four-year contract from the United States Office of Naval Research to develop a next-generation, high-intake, compact, defined excitation bathyphotometer sensor. Bathyphotometer measurements of bioluminescence are used to study light emissions from luminescent marine organisms, including phytoplankton and zooplankton.
• A five-year, $5.3 million R01 grant from the National Institute on Aging of the National Institutes of Health for a project that will enable researchers to test and evaluate an in-vehicle sensing system that could provide early warnings of cognitive change for older U.S. drivers.
• A five-year, $2.4 million grant from the National Science Foundation to train graduate students in data science technologies and applications.
• A $2.2 million grant for the “Harmful Algal Bloom Assessment of Lake Okeechobee” project.  

Dr. Bernadette Russell, Palm Beach State College’s vice president of e-learning and instructional technology and Boca Raton campus provost, retired in December. She had led the campus for 13 years, and she assumed leadership for e-learning collegewide five years ago.

A national search is underway for her replacement.

The college recognized Russell for her service at a district board of trustees meeting.

“For over a decade Dr. Russell has been a tremendous asset to the college, our students, and the community. She has been a strong advocate for the college in the Boca Raton community, and she has created a caring family atmosphere on the Boca Raton campus. Her commitment to academic excellence has been a common thread throughout her service to the college,’’ said the college’s president, Ava L. Parker, J.D. “As we prepared to respond to the pandemic, her leadership on the e-learning and instructional technology front really helped us through an unprecedented transition from in-person to remote learning this summer.

“I wish her well in her retirement. She will be missed.”

Christel Silver, owner of Silver International Realty in Delray Beach, was appointed to the National Association of Realtors’ 2021 Certified International Property Specialist advisory board.

“Global home buying activity is happening all around us,” Silver said. “The ability to close a transaction with an international buyer may depend upon the Realtor’s ability to get along with a person culturally. There are cultural nuances that Realtors need to be aware of in working with individuals of a different culture. The CIPS curriculum reviews many cultural customs.”

Elyse Duff and Billy Cunningham of Park View Realty with toys collected for the Boys & Girls Clubs. Photo provided

Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County members received at least one gift and enjoyed an extra-special holiday party held at their club, thanks to the annual Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County gift drive.

“There was real concern that our club members were going to be disappointed this holiday season, with not enough toys and gifts to go around. Thanks to overwhelming community support, our area’s most disadvantaged children will have a happy holiday after all,” said Eric Roby, the organization’s marketing, PR and holiday gift drive director.

Traditional corporate sponsors included The Breakers Palm Beach and Office Depot, and newer partners included GL Homes. Another new partner, Park View Realty, helped get more than a dozen Delray Beach businesses involved with the gift drive. Boca West Children’s Foundation, Spirit of Giving and Rocking Horse Foundation also offered help.

The pandemic affected Project Holiday, which sends care packages to military members and is run by Delores Rangel, executive secretary to the Delray Beach City Commission.

For the 15th annual event, the call went out in mid-November for monetary donations, not the usual granola bars and personal care items, Rangel said. The money went to buy big boxes of peanut butter crackers and granola bars, large cans of coffee and “a lot of beef jerky,” she said.

Project volunteers, wearing face masks and standing about 6 feet apart, put together 65 boxes on Dec. 12. They worked in the City Hall lobby and up and down its halls, Rangel said.

She started the program after her daughter joined the Air Force right after 9/11 and began sending weekly care packages overseas through her daughter’s five tours in Iraq.

Her co-workers soon began leaving candy bars, toiletries and paperbacks on Rangel’s desk. For Christmas 2006, Rangel joined two established programs, You Are Not Alone and One Soldier at a Time, creating Project Holiday.

With Florida food banks reporting as much as a 300% to 400% increase in demand and more than 2.7 million people struggling with hunger, Publix began a six-week program in mid-December to support six Feeding America food banks — including Feeding South Florida, which serves the Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach and Monroe areas. The donations include pasta, canned vegetables, canned beans, cereal and boxed potatoes.

“When we heard from food banks that they were facing a critical food shortage, we knew that, as a food retailer, we had another opportunity to help,” said Publix CEO Todd Jones.

“As federally funded food deliveries decrease, food banks need help to serve our communities,” said Paco Vélez, president and CEO of Feeding South Florida. “For decades, Publix has consistently looked for creative ways to support those in need. Their leadership in 2020 has played a vital role in sustaining our clients throughout this most challenging and unusual year.”

This new initiative is in addition to the program Publix launched in April to purchase surplus produce and milk from farmers affected by the pandemic and deliver it directly to food banks. Through that program, Publix expected to purchase and deliver more than 7 million pounds of produce and more than 250,000 gallons of milk to the six Florida food banks that received additional support for the 2020 holiday season.

The Gold Coast PR Council Inc., a South Florida independent group of public relations, marketing and communications professionals, has announced its 2021 board of directors.

The newly elected president is Melissa Perlman, president and founder of BlueIvy Communications, a Delray Beach-based public relations and communications agency.

Founded in 2011, BlueIvy Communications has been recognized twice by PRNews as one of the Top 15 PR professionals to watch. Perlman was also named in 2017 by South Florida Business & Wealth magazine as an Up & Comer in the public relations category; by Boca Life magazine as one of the publication’s 2014 “40 Under 40”; and by the South Florida Sun-Sentinel as part of the publication’s inaugural 2012 Top Workplaces awards.

The Gold Coast PR Council’s other 2021 directors are: Vice President Amy Murphy, constitutional tax collector, Palm Beach County; Secretary Gary Schweikhart, PR-BS; Treasurer Michael Turnbell, Food for the Poor; Immediate Past President Debbie Abrams, the Buzz Agency.

Scott Benarde has joined Oxbridge Academy, a West Palm Beach college preparatory school, as its assistant director of communications. Previously, Benarde was director of communications for the Norton Museum of Art, and he served as the communications manager for the Jewish Community Center of the Greater Palm Beaches.

Benarde’s career in the communications field included jobs as a journalist for The Palm Beach Post and Sun-Sentinel, and as a freelance writer. His articles have been published in The New York Times, Washington Post and Rolling Stone.

Jane Smith contributed to this column.

Send business news to Christine Davis at cdavis9797@gmail.com

The backlight frond of a green thatch palm glows in the late-day sun. Photos by Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

Related story: Subtropical paradise a delightful part of Norton Museum’s revamp

By Deborah S. Hartz-Seeley

Although many people think of the coconut palm as the quintessential South Florida palm tree, it’s not a native. In fact, the state has 11 native palm trees but not a coconut among them. To explore these indigenous palms, visit the newly reopened and socially distanced Norton Museum of Art in West Palm Beach.

Here, the permanent installation of the Florida 11 is on display throughout the museum’s Sculpture Garden. The planting was funded by a $20,000 grant awarded in 2019.
It came from the Stanley Smith Horticultural Trust, which supports “organizations working to advance research and/or education in ornamental horticulture.”

The trunks of (l-r) cabbage, buccaneer, silver and royal palms show the wide variety of color and textures of Florida’s native palms.

Florida’s landscape is flush with palms, but only 11 are indigenous
to the state. You can view them all at the Norton’s Sculpture Garden

Everglades palm, paurotis palm (Acoelorrhaphe wrightii — threatened)
Description: A clustering palm that can reach 30 feet tall. Slow growing, this palm is cold tolerant. Big thorns on leaf stems curve in both directions, so whether you move your hand in or out of the plant, you will get stabbed.
Growing conditions: Can be grown from extreme South Florida north to Orlando. These much-used palms are a wetland species requiring full sun and more moisture than irrigation systems can deliver.
Available: At native nurseries.

Key thatch palm, brittle thatch palm (Leucothrinax morrisii — threatened)
Description: Resembles the Thrinax radiata (green thatch palm), but this palm has silver underleaves and stiffer foliage. Small and slow growing with a thick trunk and open crown that reaches 5 to 7 feet wide. Older specimens reach 15 to 20 feet tall, well proportioned to backyards.
Growing conditions: Found in dry, deciduous forests and coastal areas. Requires sun to partial shade with little water once established in the landscape. Likes alkaline soil; in nature it grows on lime rock. Drought tolerant. Well adapted to heat, drought, storms and salt spray.
Available: At native nurseries where they tend to be pricey.

Florida royal palm (Roystonea elata — endangered)
Note: Often confused with the Cuban royal palm (Roystonea regia), and it is difficult to tell them apart. But the Florida palms have been distinct for 1,000 years so that they are a slightly different adaptation found only in Florida. The only natural stands of these palms existing today are in the Fakahatchee swamp and in the royal palm hammock of Everglades National Park.
Description: With a concrete-like trunk, this fast-growing palm often reaches 20 inches in diameter and 40 feet tall. Hurricane tolerant. Drops its large fronds. That’s fine in the wild but in the home landscape, the fronds can damage nearby trees and buildings, so they are often removed before they drop.
Growing conditions: Does well in swamps but, once it’s established, can resist drought. Although you often see them growing along streets or as singular trees, in nature they grow in dense hardwood or cypress forests where they push their crowns above the other trees to get light. Available: If it is available from native growers, the true native variety will have been grown from legally collected seeds.

Cabbage palm, also called palmetto, Carolina palmetto, swamp cabbage (Sabal palmetto)
Description: Our state tree comes booted (leaf bases remain on tree after leaves fall) or slick (leaf bases fall off with leaves or are trimmed for a smoother trunk). No need to trim these trees, as they provide habitat for animals, nectar for pollinators, and berries for birds and other animals. Bats that roost in the hanging brown leaves eat mosquitoes. Requires about 15 years’ growth before developing a trunk and then grows 6 inches in a good year.
Growing conditions: Grows in just about any soil as well as in swamps and beach areas. Hurricane resistant and salt tolerant.
Available: A common species grown from seeds in native nurseries. Or they are harvested fully grown from cattle grazing land. These full-size specimens are expensive to purchase in small quantities, cheaper by the trailer truckload.

Needle palm, porcupine palm (Rhapidophyllum hystrix)
Description: This clumping fan palm has dark green foliage with a small trunk that slowly grows to only about 3 feet tall. Has needlelike spines between the leaves.
Growing conditions: The needle is a north Florida species, with Palm Beach County just outside the historic growing range.
Likes shady, moist areas and average-to-rich organic soil, but will tolerate drought. Best planted in the understory of trees such as live oaks, cypress trees and slash pines.
Available: A commercially exploited palm that has been over-harvested in its native locations because it is one of the few palms that can grow in temperate climates. Grows very slowly from seed in native nurseries.
Silver palm, silver thatch palm (Coccothrinax argentata — threatened)
Description: Seeds have been spread by birds using the East Coast flyway for more than 1,000 years, so this palm grows in the Florida Keys up through Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties. In Palm Beach it was first reported in the 1920s.
It is a single-stemmed or non-clustering palm with small, fan-shaped dark green leaves attached to a thin stem. The leaves twist in the wind, exposing their silvery undersides.
It grows about ½ to 1 inch a year, reaching 8 to 10 feet at maturity with some living over 100 years. Good for backyard planting as the trees remain in scale to one- and two-story homes.
Growing conditions: Requires full sun and alkaline soil that can be created by amending with lime rock pea gravel. Hurricane resistant. Very low maintenance.
Available: At native nurseries.
Buccaneer palm, hog palm, cherry palm (Pseudophoenix sargentii — endangered)
Description: Leaves resemble feathers; the slow-growing silver-blue trunk is smooth. Large clusters of yellowish-white flowers become big red seeds and then fruits that in the past were fed to hogs. This stopped reproduction of these palms, resulting in a dying out of the species.
Growing conditions: Thrives in the home garden in full sun; very drought tolerant.
Available: Often at high prices from native nurseries that cultivate these palms.
Green thatch palm, buffalo-top palm (Thrinax radiata — endangered)
Description: Fast growing with a delicate trunk and green leaves that have a pleasant “plastic” feel. Best planted in groupings, not as a hedge. Perfect for a dooryard or by a backyard pool.
Growing conditions: Shade or sun, wet or dry.
Available: Endangered due to habitat loss but grown commercially.

Dwarf palmetto, little blue-stem (Sabal minor)
Description: Its usual southern growing limit is around Lake Placid, northwest of Lake Okeechobee. Resembles a Sabal palm without a trunk. A small bushy palm with a bluish green cast; good filler among native plantings.
In the landscape, it resembles a bunch of leaves that grow 5 feet high and 5 feet wide. Has absolutely flat fan leaves with slits halfway up the middle. Very cold tolerant.
Growing conditions: Shady, moist habitat (needs more water than can be achieved with irrigation). Prefers the shady understory of a wet forest or cypress swamp.
Available: At native nurseries.

Scrub palmetto (Sabal etonia)
Description: Resembles a Sabal palm without a trunk because the trunk spirals underground for 10 to 20 feet and then grows skyward so that leaves reach 6 feet above ground. When they appear, the fans have curling mid-rib leaves.
The underground trunk was a survival mechanism for this plant, which originally grew in scrubland prone to wildfires. And it was probably sought after by ancient animals such as grazing mastodons and ground sloths.
Growing conditions: Found naturally nowhere else in the world but Florida, where it thrives from Broward County to Ocala. Full sun and well-drained soil; withstands fire.
Available: At native nurseries where they are raised from seeds in small quantities.

Saw palmetto, silver saw palm (Serenoa repens)
Note: The seeds are used as a holistic treatment for prostate problems. Cattle ranchers have been known to sell the berries from these palms growing on their property. The berries can earn them more than do the cattle they raise.
Jonathan Dickinson, a shipwrecked merchant from the late 1600s, was fed saw palmetto berries by the native population and described the fruit as tasting like “rotten cheese steeped in tobacco juice.”
Description: Leaf stems have sharp spines that give the species its common name. It is a slow-growing fan palm with trunk that usually hugs the ground to protect it from fire. Branches radiate from central spot. Many have dark green leaves but coastal varieties often are silvery white.
Clusters of small flowers smell like coconut and attract bees, producing what some consider to be the best honey available. Provides food and habitat to more than 10 bird species, 27 mammals, 25 amphibians, 61 reptiles and countless insects and butterflies.
Growing conditions: Grows in clumps or dense thickets in sandy coastal areas, and as undergrowth in elevated areas with acidic yet organic-rich soil. Adapts well to salt spray. Use to fill a corner or create a screen.
Available: At native nurseries where they are grown from seeds legally collected from the wild (seeds are not grown commercially for harvest).

Information sources: Amber Mathis, former director of horticulture at the Norton Museum of Art in West Palm Beach, and Richard Moyroud, Lake Worth native nursery owner and conservationist.
Photos by Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star and provided by the Institute for Regional Conservation, Wikipedia and the Florida Native Plant Society

By Amy Woods

The Literacy Coalition of Palm Beach County won the 2020 Health & Human Services Organization of the Year award given by the Chamber of Commerce of the Palm Beaches.
Kristin Calder, the coalition’s CEO, accepted the honor during a virtual ceremony.

“This recognition allows us to raise awareness about the families that struggle each day and the ways we are helping to provide literacy and life skills to help them be successful in school and in life,” Calder said. “Our programs and initiatives have an impact countywide, and even in challenging times when we can’t meet in person we have adapted to deliver our programs virtually to continue educating and engaging our students so they continue to reach milestones and make important gains.”

In other coalition news, the Grand Bee, which spelling participants experienced virtually this season because of the pandemic, raised $20,000. The theme was “A Year of Mystery,” and more than 60 competitors helped make it a success.

The coalition’s mission is to improve the quality of life through literacy by serving 29,000 adults, children and families annually.

Doris Kearns Goodwin joins virtual gala in Boca Festival of the Arts Boca has raised more than $33,000 to benefit music education in South County, including the new Festival of the Arts Boca Music Competition.

Proceeds were generated during a virtual gala.

“We are very grateful to all those who tuned in and pledged their support for our ongoing mission to expand our community music-education programs,” said Joanna Marie Kaye, the festival’s executive director.

“The gala captured 632 views — many that included watch parties.

“This number exceeded our expectations and surpassed the reach a live gala would have garnered.”

Among the guests to the virtual gala were presidential historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, former U.S. poet laureate Robert Pinsky and superstar violinist Joshua Bell, in addition to the festival’s music director, Constantine Kitsopoulos.

Funding targets small, emerging cultural groups

The Cultural Council for Palm Beach County is administering funds totaling $212,500 to 24 select organizations.

A motion approved by the council’s board designates dollars from the Cultural Development Fund for Small or Emerging Cultural Organizations to go to nonprofits with operating revenues of at least $25,000.

“This annual funding program supports diverse arts programming focused on education and cultural heritage in Palm Beach County,” President and CEO Dave Lawrence said.

“These programs provide opportunities to children and youth and create opportunities for residents to experience innovative cultural programs. We’re grateful to the Palm Beach County Board of Commissioners for their support and are honored to help these organizations grow through this grant.”

Grant amounts are based not only on organizations’ budgets but also on application scores and the county-approved funding pool.
For a list of 2020-21 winners, visit www.palmbeachculture.com/our-impact/grant-programs/small-or-emerging-organizations/ and look under the Grantee Toolkit.

Boca Regional campaign receives another big gift

Another $1 million gift has been made to “Keeping the Promise — the Campaign for Boca Raton Regional Hospital.”

The donation is one of nearly two dozen seven- and eight-figure amounts received by the campaign, which is steadily pushing toward its $250 million goal.

“The Sands Family Foundation and Constellation Brands only recently joined our family at Boca Raton Regional Hospital,” CEO Lincoln Mendez said. “They immediately embraced our culture of health care and philanthropy as well as our vision for the future. We look forward to a long and healthy relationship with the Sands family, and we are deeply grateful for their support.”

Rob Sands, executive chairman of Constellation Brands, added: “My parents set a wonderful philanthropic example and instilled in us the importance of giving back to support your community. It is a tradition that as a company and as individuals we continue to uphold. I hope our contribution inspires other philanthropic gifts to Boca Regional in this fundraising effort.”

United Way benefits from NCCI’s giving campaign

The National Council on Compensation Insurance raised $255,000 during its annual giving campaign for the United Way of Palm Beach County.

The campaign took place virtually and featured one drive that procured 304 books for the Achievement Centers for Children & Families and another that procured 1,410 pounds of food for CROS Ministries.

“Education and nutrition are so essential for building healthy minds and bodies,” said Freddie July-Johnson, NCCI’s campaign chairwoman, who noted the campaign’s theme,

“Nourishing the Minds and Bodies in Our Community.”

“Our team is proud that the pandemic didn’t hold us back from making a lasting impact on the lives of families in need in Palm Beach County.”

For information about the United Way of Palm Beach County, call 561-375-6600 or visit https://unitedwaypbc.org.

Junior League event haul: $160K and 40,000 diapers

The Junior League of Boca Raton had its 33rd annual Woman Volunteer of the Year event — virtually, of course — and raised more than $160,000 to help South County.

The event also brought in nearly 40,000 diapers for the Diaper Bank.

“Yvette Drucker and Nancy Walsh made the virtual Woman Volunteer of the Year a night to remember,” President Cristy Stewart-Harfmann said.

“Most importantly, thanks to attendees and our generous donors, the event raised significant funds to help women and children in our community.”

The theme was “Honoring the History of Women Volunteers” and highlighted the 685 past nominees.

From A to Y: 25 nonprofits vie for $100,000 grants

Impact 100 Palm Beach County has selected the 25 semifinalists that will have the opportunity to submit full applications for one of several $100,000 high-impact grants benefiting the nonprofit community.

The female-led organization used the virtual platform of Facebook Live to announce the charities in the 2021 competition.

“We received 84 grant applications this year, which means there are $8.4 million in funding requests from local nonprofits in need,” President Kathy Adkins said. “Impact 100 PBC acts as a lifeline to these vital organizations but more so than ever this grant-giving year.”

The charities are: Alzheimer’s Community Care; American Association of Caregiving Youth; Boca Raton Museum of Art; Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County; Coastal Conservation Association Florida; Connect to Greatness; Digital Vibez; First Serve USA; Florence Fuller Child Development Centers; Florida Atlantic University Foundation; Help Our Wounded Foundation; Junior Achievement of the Palm Beaches & Treasure Coast; Love Serving Autism; Milagro Center; Nova Southeastern University; Palm Beach State College; Pathways to Prosperity; Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League; PROPEL; Schoolhouse Children’s Museum & Learning Center; Spady Cultural Heritage Museum; Sweet Dream Makers; Tri-County Animal Rescue; Unicorn Children’s Foundation; and Young Singers of the Palm Beaches.

For information, call 561-336-4623 or visit www.impact100pbc.org.

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

Photo provided

Members of the Boynton Woman’s Club assembled 150 bags of candy for distribution to clients of the Palm Beach Habilitation Center in Lake Worth. The club chose the center as its 2020/2021 President’s Project. It offers vocational training, employment and community job placement as well as recreational activities and residential services to people with disabilities.

Photo provided

Crown Colony Club residents and the Ocean Ridge Police Department teamed up to provide dozens of toys and packages to Aid to Victims of Domestic Abuse for use at its shelter in Delray Beach. The packages included clothing, makeup, diapers and other essentials. The facility is one of only two shelters in the county that provide this kind of service.

Morana St. Hilaire, Garçon, Candace Tamposi and Ali Tamposi. Photo provided

Grammy-nominated songwriter Ali Tamposi and former NFL wide receiver Pierre Garçon attended the First Haitian Baptist Church Children’s Christmas Gift Giveaway and the unveiling of its new Enrichment Center in Belle Glade. The 4,500-square-foot center replaces a 1940s building that housed the after-school program for children for the past 25 years. Donations of $600,000 have been raised for the center, but an equal amount is still needed.

Adkins and Layman are caught on camera by videographer Jack Schulman. Photo provided

Impact 100 Palm Beach County and the Boca Raton Resort & Club sponsored a Zoom gathering led by organization President Kathy Adkins, membership Co-Chairwomen Kathryn Gillespie, Lisa Warren and Nicole Mugavero and grants Co-Chairwoman Renee Layman. The speakers provided background on the nonprofit and its plans for the 2021 grant cycle. ‘The key component of this organization is that women can make a tremendous impact in their own backyard,’

Adkins said. ‘As we enter our 10th year of grants in Palm Beach County, we are incredibly proud of the good our members are doing right here at home.’ 

Shaw with board President Gary Peters in 2006. Photo provided

Eric Shaw, Boca Helping Hands’ longest-serving board member, stepped down after 18 years of service, 14 as vice president. Shaw, described by staffers as ‘the perfect gentleman,’ personified the nonprofit’s mission of providing food, medical and financial assistance to people in need. ‘I stayed so long because it has been a phenomenal trip,’ he said. ‘It has been my personal pleasure and a professional privilege to be a small part of this great organization doing so much good for so many in our caring and compassionate community.’

Dozens of residents decorated themselves, their cars and golf carts, and even their pets as they took part in the neighborhood’s annual Holiday Festival of Lights Parade.
Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

Mike and Deidre Neal (l-r) and their neighbors, Nick, Katherine and Mazie Malinoski, greet Mrs. Claus. Photos by Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

The coronavirus changed how municipalities celebrated the holidays, with the traditional large public gatherings canceled. In Ocean Ridge, the town spread Christmas cheer with a parade featuring Santa Claus, replacing the usual indoor event.

Golf carts loaded with Santa and his wife, and with town commissioners and the mayor dressed as elves, dispensed candy canes and dog treats. They received a police escort as they ventured down every street in Ocean Ridge and Briny Breezes.

Cathy Allen as Mrs. Claus, wife of Gulf Stream Police Chief Edward Allen, drops her mask for a moment to smile for a group of children.

The Reiter family —(l-r) Josh, Russell, Sam, Anya, Susan and Lily — is dressed for the occasion as Santa draws near on Old Ocean Boulevard.

The 150,000-square-foot Delray Beach Market will have more than 30 vendors of food and other products. It is scheduled to open in March. Rendering provided

By Jan Norris

With completion only a few calendar pages away, the Delray Beach Market is in the final stretch of signing on vendors. But like other businesses opening just now, 2020 problems are bleeding into 2021 plans for what is billed as the state’s largest food hall.

The $60 million, four-story project on Southeast Third Avenue, created by Menin Development of Delray Beach, has been years in planning. With 150,000 square feet — roughly three times the size of New York’s famed Eataly — it’s slated to have more than 30 independent vendors selling everything from sushi to surfboards starting sometime in March.

“Obviously, COVID has thrown us for a loop,” said Jordana Jarjura, Menin’s president and special counsel. “So what we’ve done is cut the permanent stalls from 32 to 25 and spaced them out. To make up for the stalls we removed, we’ll be reaching out to vendors using carts, such as Guaca Go,” she said.

Craig O’Keefe, managing partner of Clique Hospitality, the group responsible for managing the food hall, said that “one of the cool parts of having to eliminate stalls” is the creation of “an awesome opportunity for more startups, small mom-and-pops who wouldn’t otherwise have a chance to get the exposure they’ll get here.

“This will give people an opportunity to experiment and do some cool stuff.”

These vendors will rotate, depending on their success. The goal of each is to become a regular vendor, and Jarjura said “we will be happy” to lose anyone to a brick and mortar space. “That will mean they were successful. We’d love to see that.”

The development group has tried to attract food makers who aren’t represented along the busy Atlantic Avenue and surrounds.

“We were looking for authentic ethnic, local when possible, healthy and memorable,” Jarjura said. “We have Indian, Lebanese, Pan-Asian, healthy quick breakfasts and many more that will be unique.”

Vendors will include vegan, Mexican traditional, Italian pastries and a Caribbean stall with conch salad, conch fritters and Kalik beer.

They will come from around the county with a few outside of the area, Jarjura said. Some local chefs and food providers are on board. For example, Jimmy Everett of Driftwood in Boynton Beach will pay homage to Mexican sisters with Sorella’s, a fresh pasta stall.

“I was trained by these two Mexican sisters in New York who learned how to make pasta from this little Italian woman. Back in the day they really were the ones doing fresh pasta shapes for all the top restaurants,” he said. One of the pair died from cancer and with her went the dream of opening their own pasta shop.

“So Sorella’s means sister in Italian, and the shop is in honor of them,” Everett said. The tiny stall — roughly 250 square feet — will offer fresh pastas made on the spot, and sauces with some other components for a pasta dish.

He’ll manage in the little booth, he said. “Oh, I’m defin-itely used to working in tiny spaces: I had a kitchen in L.A. that was 75 or 100 square foot.”

A display case will have pastas by the pound, along with sauces to take home for a DIY dinner.

The retail is a bonus for Everett, and even though it won’t bear the Driftwood name, it’s up to his standards. Retail, he said, is a growing aspect in the restaurant industry as COVID-19 still keeps diners at bay.

The developers have taken the virus into consideration, with a cashless business model, touchless bathrooms, collapsible nano walls for open-air spaces, and outdoor seating as well as spaced-out interior tables.

The stalls are minimalist in decor by design.

“We wanted stripped-down stalls so the public can see the vendors in action. They can watch the pasta being made, and the sushi chef making sushi,” Jarjura said.

The money for decor was spent instead on murals, and a variety of artwork by local and national artists in a mix of media will be displayed, and rotated in and out.

“We want it to be a feast for the eyes and the soul,” Jarjura said.

A great deal of interaction will be involved in keeping the sprawling space lively. The mezzanine features a show kitchen and play area for kids, as well as a community gathering space where meetings or social events could be staged. While parents get some computer work done on the free Wi-Fi, kids can engage in gaming nearby. Balconies provide more open-air spaces on this level.

Jarjura believes the market will become a new social gathering space. “The Greenmarket is the green outdoor community space; we’re going to be the indoor community hub.”

The projected number of visitors is large, 2,000 a day, but the team said that has to do with the large hall, long hours of 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. every day, and the chance for visitors to come and go or to stay awhile.

“It seems like a really large number, but over the course of an entire day, people will come and go throughout, and different spaces will be utilized. With so much flex space it offers a lot of freedom to move around,” O’Keefe said.

The vendors have signed on for one year, minimum. And not all are for food, despite the description of the market.

Briny Breezes' surf shop Nomad is slated to set up shop indoors. It will offer beachwear and supplies for a day at the shore.

“We have some retail spaces in the market. They were a local favorite. I went to school with Ronnie Heavyside,” Jarjura said. “His father started it in the ’80s. And I know his brother Ryan through Ronnie. I just thought Delray was such a large part of their history.”

One example of the market’s authentic ethnic flavor is the Tiffin Box, a fast, fresh Indian takeout.

“We wanted traditional Indian,” Jarjura said. “The way he presents his cuisine, it’s more approachable. Even if you’re not familiar with Indian, it’s very easy to approach it.”
Bona Bona is an extravagant ice cream shop that has adult “boozy” mixtures along with family favorites. Tekka Bar is the sushi stall, coming from operators who are from Las Vegas.

O’Keefe said cocktails and beers will play a role in the market. A lounge area in the flex space on the mezzanine can host special or private events and turn into a more club-like atmosphere at night.

“Several vendors have their beer and wine license,” he said. “Sake at the sushi stall. There is a central bar on the ground floor; it’s the main focus for beverages on the ground floor. There will be the coolest craft beer bar in Palm Beach County among the retail components. The mezzanine bar is the only other bar with hard liquor.”

The lounge area is a potential community hot spot in the daytime, O’Keefe said. “Maybe Mommy and Me cooking classes, or how to play the ukulele, or yoga people can do. It will be real community engagement.”

Plenty of outdoor seating will be available on the oversized sidewalks.

“There is so much advanced technology throughout,” O’Keefe said. “You can order as a group on your phone with an app, from individual stalls, and pay as one ticket. And you will get a text message once your food is ready for pickup.”

As for parking, the four-story structure includes 220 spaces in an enclosed garage.

The market is scheduled to open in March at 33 SE Third Ave., Delray Beach, and be open daily, 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Co-owner John Calomiris of Dune Deck Cafe in Lantana said he was embarrassed after decades in business to have to discuss a rodent problem at the oceanfront restaurant.

“We know, the city knows and the exterminator knows about it,” he said. “They live under the wooden sidewalk and in the brush all around the restaurant. That is their home. They are out of control. The city came to clear out the brush at the back of the restaurant, but you can’t control them.”

Inspectors shut down the popular eatery when rats were found in the kitchen, and other violations, including a dirty ice dispenser, were discovered.

Overnight the restaurant was cleaned, reinspected and reopened within a day, Calomiris said. Crews come in early daily to clean, and a second crew comes at night, he said.

Exterminators come sometimes three times a week as needed.

Without a sealed walkway next to the restaurant on the ocean side, he doesn’t foresee an end to the problem.

“It’s embarrassing,” Calomiris said. “I’ve been here for 40 years, and haven’t been shut down except for COVID for 90 days.”

In brief: A makeover is in the works this year for the former Rum Bar and Grill at the Waterstone Resort and Marina in Boca Raton. It’s planned to become a premier outdoor waterfront dining experience, according to publicist Michelle Soudry of the Gab Group. … A high-end steakhouse will open in Delray Beach in 2021, brought to South Florida by the owners of Scarpetta and Campagna in New York City. Details will come as plans are released. ... At the end of December, longtime restaurateur Henry Olmino moved Mario’s, his popular Italian eatery at 225 Ocean Avenue in Lantana, to 707 Lake Ave., Lake Worth. In September, Olmino opened Fire and Ice at the Lake Worth location. The restaurant is now known as Mario’s on Lake Avenue. Mario’s had been in Lantana since 2015.

Jan Norris is a food writer who can be reached at nativefla@gmail.com

By Christine Davis

Patients admitted with COVID-19 at Boca Raton Regional Hospital may enroll in a clinical trial to test a new treatment for the disease. The trial is named Prevent, reflecting the hope that it will rapidly reverse the damages of pneumonia associated with COVID-19.

Researchers at Eugene M. & Christine E. Lynn Cancer Institute are enrolling patients for the trial, which uses a single, low dose of thoracic radiation to reduce the inflammatory process in the lungs. Very low doses have been effective in treating benign inflammatory diseases.

Experts say the treatment may prevent deaths and avoid the need for intubation.

Patients diagnosed within nine days of hospital admission with pulmonary pneumonia symptoms and 50 years of age or older are eligible for the trial. The Prevent multicenter clinical trial is jointly led by principal investigators from Lynn Cancer Institute and the Ohio State University. The trial is one of several investigational treatments for COVID-19 being researched at Boca Raton Regional Hospital.

Certified clinical research coordinator David Scott, president and CEO of Palm Beach Research in West Palm Beach, announced that Palm Beach Research is enrolling people for two phase 3 trials regarding COVID-19.

The Janssen’s study, of an adenovirus type 26 vector vaccine, is a two-year project for which Palm Beach Research will provide access to COVID-19 testing and related medical care. Participants will be compensated for every visit, up to a total of $775. Half of the patients will get the vaccine and the other half a placebo.

“Janssen’s vaccine is constructed to encode the COVID-19 spike protein. It is like a genetically engineered cold virus meant to look like the COVID-19 virus outer shell. So, your body will produce antibodies to remove that protein shell whenever it sees it. Thus, it trains your body’s immune system,” Scott explained.

To take part, visit https://palmbeachresearch.com/2020/03/02/covid-19-vaccine-study/

AstraZeneca’s convalescent study is of a prophylaxis, an infusion of antibodies intended to provide immediate protection from COVID-19. It is a one-year study, and during that time Palm Beach Research will provide access to COVID-19 testing and related medical care to participants. Patients will be compensated for every visit, up to a total of $850.

About one-third of the patients will get the placebo and the remaining two-thirds the convalescent plasma.

“AstraZeneca’s convalescent plasma study is providing patients with an infusion of antibodies that should provide protection against COVID-19, as the antibody (formula) came from hospitalized patients who recovered from a bad COVID-19 infection. This is not training your body’s immune system: It is providing immediate immunity,” Scott explained.

To take part, visit https://palmbeachresearch.com/2019/12/09/convalescentplasma/

Asked when patients receiving placebos would get an actual vaccine or plasma, Scott said: “Patients receiving placebo are enrolled in the clinical trial and the sponsors have been providing active product or vaccine after reaching important study milestones. The short answer is the protocol does not need a patient on placebo after a certain point, and the sponsors grant access to active product to those patients, at that point. Every sponsor is different.”

An optimistic time line for public access to vaccines may be the summer or fall of 2021, he thinks, adding: “If the FDA rescinds emergency use authorization, then the general public will have to wait until the clinical trials are concluded. The earliest would be October 2022.

“Vaccination through a clinical trial is the fastest path for most. Additionally, medical care is provided and ongoing in a clinical trial setting. Also patients are compensated for their time. And anyone receiving a placebo can expect to receive the actual product in due course.

“As an example, the Moderna vaccine trial will be distributing active vaccine to the 15,000 that received placebo in their clinical trial, and that is expected to occur possibly January 2021. Every sponsor is expected to follow a similar path.”

A related note: To see the current COVID hospital capacities, check out https://data.tallahassee.com/covid-19-hospital-capacity/.

Hilary Shapiro-Wright, D.O., has joined Christine E. Lynn Women’s Health & Wellness Institute and Eugene M. & Christine E. Lynn Cancer Institute at Boca Regional. She specializes in breast cancer surgery, high-risk breast pathology, benign breast disease, oncoplastic surgery and hidden scar surgery.

Previously, Shapiro-Wright was with the Kettering Health Network and Kettering Cancer Care. She was named the Cincinnati Top Doctor in Breast Surgery/Breast Cancer in Cincinnati magazine from 2013 to 2020.

She earned her medical degree from the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine and completed her general surgery residency at Botsford Hospital at Michigan State University and her surgical breast oncology and diseases of the breast fellowship at Allegheny General Hospital.

She sees patients at Lynn Women’s Health & Wellness Institute, 690 Meadows Road, Boca Raton.

In December, palliative care physician Patricia Jacobs, M.D., joined the Eugene M. & Christine E. Lynn Cancer Institute. Jacobs provides care that addresses a cancer patient’s physical symptoms as well as the emotional, psychological and social stress of undergoing cancer treatment.

Previously, Jacobs was at UCLA Medical Center, where she completed a hospice and palliative medicine fellowship. She is board-certified in internal medicine and worked in internal medicine before pursuing a subspecialty in palliative care.

Jacobs serves as an affiliate faculty member at the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine at Florida Atlantic University. She earned her medical degree from the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. She completed an internal medicine residency and a hospice and palliative care fellowship at UCLA Medical Center. 

She sees patients at the Lynn Cancer Institute, Harvey & Phyllis Sandler Pavilion, 701 NW 13th St., Boca Raton.

Joseph J. Ricotta MD, MS, DFSVS, FACS, was recognized as a 2020 TCAR clinical operator of experience for improving carotid artery disease treatment using the transcarotid artery revascularization procedure.

Ricotta is the national medical director of vascular surgery and endovascular therapy for Tenet Healthcare, chairman of the vascular surgery department at Delray Medical Center, and professor of surgery and program director of the vascular surgery fellowship at the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine at FAU.

TCAR is a proven, minimally invasive approach to reduce incidence of stroke in patients who face high risk in surgery. For more information, visit www.delraymedicalctr.com.

Dr. Eric Rudnick, MD FAAD, recently received his board certification in dermatopathology. As both a board-certified dermatologist and dermatopathologist, he has the training to analyze skin samples both clinically as well as under a microscope. Rudnick’s Dazzling Dermatology office is at 22029 State Road 7, Boca Raton, Florida. He is offering at-home general dermatology and cosmetic services. For information or to book a house call, visit https://dazzlingderm.com or call 561-923-0905.

Delray Medical Center’s trauma research department earned awards at the 2020 Florida Atlantic University College of Medicine Research Day event. Sarah Rabinowitz was awarded both first and second places in the Research Poster competition for her work related to the transfer of patients with abdominal injuries. 

With the goal of promoting lifelong learning opportunities for its registered nurses, the Health Care District of Palm Beach County signed a memorandum of understanding with Palm Beach State College to support Health Care District RNs in obtaining Palm Beach State’s bachelor of science in nursing degrees.

This “RN to BSN” bridge program, sanctioned by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, is offered online and open exclusively to licensed registered nurses who have earned an associate’s degree or diploma. The Health Care District nurses will add to the more than 400 RNs from the state who have earned the college’s BSN degree to date. 

By Janis Fontaine

On Jan. 2, 1921, radio station KDKA became the first to broadcast a Christian church service, from Calvary Episcopal Church in Pittsburgh. Today, thousands of churches make their services available to people who can’t attend in person, but few church leaders expected virtual church to become such a vital part of serving their congregations.

So some churches were more prepared than others.

At First United Methodist Church of Boca Raton, Danny Davis has been helping improve the quality of the live-streamed services since the coronavirus pandemic forced a shutdown last March. The church was already broadcasting its services on Facebook and YouTube, but that wasn’t anything on which it spent a lot of time.

“Our congregation was aware of our online presence, but we didn’t market it,” said Davis, a lay leader for the church, which now has resumed a Sunday in-person service outdoors, with reservations required. “Mostly it was watched by people who were home sick and couldn’t get to church, about 10 views per week.”

But when COVID-19 hit, “we realized early on things weren’t going to change,” Davis said.

Job one was to improve the quality of programming. He said it felt “like someone outside looking in” and the church wanted viewers to feel like they were right there, a part of the service.

“We planned it out and filmed the parts and music separately,” Davis said. “We found a person in the congregation who produced videos and he volunteered to help. We used the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas, as a model.”

The largest Methodist church in the U.S. has 20,000 members and a professional TV production crew.

“My wife and I watch and I love that you can watch it on the big screen at home or on your phone from anywhere and it looks and feels like you’re a part of it. It feels good,” Davis said.

Penny Johnson has been attending some virtual and some in-person church at First Presbyterian in Delray Beach. Because she lives alone, interacting with others at church is important.

COVID-19 also curtailed two other church ministries in which Johnson was heavily involved — the choir and Holly House, a crafting group. That left a huge void in Johnson’s life.

“There are four or five of us who have no family here, and those relationships have become stronger,” Johnson said. People’s reticence to travel has kept families apart, adding to the isolation, Johnson said. Her pod alleviates some of her loneliness until her family can resume visiting.

She laughed as she said that “for the first time ever,” Pastor Doug Hood “emphasized that it was perfectly fine if you wanted to stay home.”

For Stephanie Hernandez, “as soon as I could get back to in-person church, I was there. Just walking through the doors into the house of God gave me a sense of relief, of inner peace.”

The Hernandez family attends St. Vincent Ferrer Catholic Church in Delray Beach and their two daughters, 9 and 6, attend school there.

Hernandez said her younger daughter found it hard to focus on virtual church.

“There were a lot of distractions,” Hernandez said with a laugh. “The dishwasher buzzer would go off; my daughter would wander away.”

Hernandez tried taking her computer on the patio to watch Mass alone, but said people at the door would interrupt too often. The biggest void, though, wasn’t spiritual, it was emotional.

“I’m a very social person and mentally it wasn’t good for me,” she said. “I want to stay home when I want to, not when I am told I have to.”

Hernandez calls herself “faith-driven. I was born and raised in the church and Catholic school, and the church feels like family.”

At First United Methodist, Davis has found a new calling in working on the Facebook and YouTube live-streams.

“The joy of it for us as we perfected this was getting notices from as far away as the Philippines from people watching,” Davis said.

The church has even attracted a handful of virtual-only members, that is, folks who don’t plan to set foot in church. “But most of our membership longs for in-person church,” Davis said.

Davis said virtual church has expanded to Bible studies, book clubs, women’s group meetings and other ministries.

“These are just as important to the church as worship,” Davis said. “These are the folks actually doing the work of the church. And through Zoom or GoToMeeting, they can actually see each other.”

And in-person church isn’t what it was. Seating is restricted, so “you can smile and wave,” Johnson said, “but don’t really interact.” There are no Bibles or hymnals, just the printed bulletin. “A lot of people still don’t want to come back because they’re afraid. Being with people is important to me. I want to live my life.”

Davis agrees. “I like it, but it’s not as good as being together.”

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