An artist’s rendering looking to the east shows the facade of the proposed seven-story structure. Renderings provided

By Mary Hladky

Five years after a luxury condominium was first proposed for prime property at 1 S. Ocean Blvd., its developer has returned to the city seeking approval to build the 70-unit project.
Miami real estate developer Ramon Llorens plans a seven-story building with two- to five- bedroom units ranging from 2,200 to 4,500 square feet.
The One South Ocean project would sit on 3.5 acres at the intersection of South Ocean Boulevard and Palmetto Park Road that has been occupied by an office building and 20-unit condo for years.
When architect Jorge Garcia of GarciaStromberg GS4 Studios in West Palm Beach presented his plans to the Community Appearance Board for a preliminary review on Sept. 7, he said the design is similar to the original one but has been enhanced with many water features, lush landscaping and large trees.
CAB members liked what they saw. “It will be the prettiest building on Boca Raton beach,” said Tiery Boykin.

Vehicle access to the building exists on South Ocean Boulevard and two other sides, but not from Palmetto Park Road.

Although it is actually one building, it appears to be divided by entryways on South Ocean Boulevard and Wavecrest Way that run through the project. An underground parking garage will provide 180 spaces.
One South Ocean has the support of the Riviera Civic Association. President Katie Barr MacDougall said 14 association members were in frequent communication with Garcia to discuss project plans and to negotiate small changes. Garcia was very willing to accommodate their requests, she said.
“We support them,” she said of the project. “We are looking forward to it.”
The condo is at the beginning of a long city approval process that includes further review by the CAB, Planning and Zoning Board and City Council.
Llorens, who could not be reached for comment on the project and anticipated unit prices, started that process in 2016 and received all necessary city approvals, Garcia said, but then halted the project to make changes that greatly enhanced it.

Related Stories: With condo owners on edge, insurers take a new look at risks, rates | Highland Beach tentatively approves ordinance for condo inspections

By Mary Hladky

Boca Raton is the first city in Palm Beach County to enact an ordinance requiring buildings to be inspected to determine if they are safe.
Moving rapidly after the horrific June 24 collapse of the Champlain Towers South condo in Surfside, City Council members unanimously approved the new law on Aug. 24 that took effect immediately.
“I think this is an important step to enhance safety and enhance confidence in Boca Raton,” said Mayor Scott Singer.
The ordinance establishes recertification standards like those that exist in Miami-Dade and Broward counties. But Boca Raton’s is more stringent, requiring inspections of buildings 30 years old rather than 40, with additional inspections taking place every 10 years thereafter.
The City Council action comes as other Palm Beach County cities, the County Commission and the Palm Beach County League of Cities also are working to establish rules.
Singer did not want to wait until a consensus was reached before acting, but is willing to revise Boca Raton’s ordinance in the future so that it does not conflict with what may be required elsewhere in the county or state.
Though the final ordinance largely mirrors a draft released in July, it provides more detailed requirements for building inspections and engineering reports and requires building owners to promptly tell city officials how they plan to make any needed repairs.
It also explicitly states that single-family homes and duplexes are exempt from recertification rules.
The ordinance applies to buildings that are taller than three stories, or 50 feet, or have an “assembly occupancy” that is more than 5,000 square feet and more than 500 people.
Development Services Director Brandon Schaad said that 242 buildings in the city meet these criteria, creating a recertification backlog that will take four years to work through.
The ordinance divides the city into four zones, with buildings on the barrier island receiving the highest priority for review. Next up for review will be buildings between the Intracoastal Waterway and Dixie Highway, followed by Dixie Highway to Interstate 95, and west of I-95.
Age of buildings, construction materials and other issues also will factor into the priorities.
Michael DiNorscio, the city’s chief building official, will send a “notice of required inspection” to the owners of buildings requiring recertification at least one year before the recertification deadline.
The mandatory inspections must be conducted by both structural and electrical engineers, who will identify any deficiencies.
If repairs are needed, the building owner must submit a repair plan to the city within 30 days. The plan will include when repairs will be completed, subject to approval by the city.
Building owners are responsible for hiring the engineers to inspect and prepare reports.
Owners will have three chances to satisfy city officials that they are taking appropriate action. If issues are unresolved, the matter will be referred to the Permitting and Construction Review Board, which can turn the matter over to a special magistrate to enforce the requirements.
The city is expected to hire an engineer, code enforcement officer and an administrative staffer to implement the ordinance at an annual cost of about $253,000.
The city also plans to create a database available to the public that will list every building 30 years old or older, when it is due for recertification, recertification status and whether it is in compliance, among other things.
Boca Raton attorney Steven Wallach urged the City Council to hold off on recertification until it is determined what caused the Surfside condo collapse. He noted media reports that found serious deficiencies in how that condo was built and said those problems could prove to be very rare.
He also urged the city to coordinate with other governments before acting.
But Boca Raton attorney Peter Sachs, whose law firm represents condo and homeowners associations as well as developers, disagreed.
“We support the ordinance,” he said. “It is overdue. There is no greater responsibility elected officials have than protecting the safety of the residents. This ordinance is a big step forward to doing that.”

Related Stories: With condo owners on edge, insurers take a new look at risks, rates | Boca Raton first in county to set standards for building safety reviews

By Rich Pollack

With the June collapse of Surfside’s 12-story Champlain Towers South condo still on their minds, Highland Beach town commissioners gave tentative approval in September to an ordinance requiring regularly scheduled structural and electrical inspections for most of the town’s more than 80 condos.
“For us, we have enough condos over 40 years old to warrant attention,” Commissioner John Shoemaker said. “It’s not a threat today, but it’s enough of a concern for us to implement a recertification process to ensure the safety of our people and property.”
Under the proposed ordinance, buildings in the town that are more than three stories or 50 feet in height will be required to have a recertification inspection when the building reaches 25 years old. For buildings under 40 years old those inspections will be required every 10 years. For the 45 buildings over 40 years old, inspections will be required every seven years.
The Highland Beach ordinance will require inspections to be performed by “a professional structural engineer … qualified by training and experience as a certified special inspector of threshold building certifying and attesting that each such building is structurally safe, or setting forth structural deficiencies identified and any repairs or alterations necessary to make the building structurally safe.”
The ordinance would also require that buildings be inspected by an electrical engineer who looks for any issues affecting the safety of residents.
During discussions following the Champlain Towers collapse, Highland Beach leaders made it clear that the town’s role will be limited mostly to administering the ordinance and ensuring that its provisions will be followed.
Highland Beach personnel will not conduct inspections, nor will they arrange for inspections of individual buildings. That responsibility will fall on the shoulders of each building’s leadership.
The town’s building department, however, will be responsible for reviewing all of the inspections and will be charged with making sure corrections to any deficiencies are made within a required amount of time.
Condo associations will have a year to fix any deficiencies, beginning at the time they are notified of need for an inspection, but will also be required to make any serious corrections under a time frame identified by an inspector.
One of the challenges Highland Beach faced is determining the extent of the town’s role in ensuring the structural integrity of buildings while not overstepping individual homeowner rights.
“The town has responsibility to ensure the collective safety and health of the community but doing so can’t strip everyone of private property rights and responsibilities,” Town Manager Marshall Labadie said.
While Highland Beach commissioners recognize that state restrictions could be coming down the road, they have said all along that the town needs its own ordinance, tailored to its geography.
“Especially on a barrier island, with our buildings taking punishment from the weather, we need this kind of oversight,” Shoemaker said.
During a September meeting, the Building Code Advisory Board of Palm Beach County agreed to send proposed building code amendments brought by the Palm Beach County League of Cities to the County Commission for consideration.
The amendment would require inspections for larger buildings east of Interstate 95 every 25 years and inspections of buildings west of the interstate every 35 years. The recommendation, however, includes flexibility for municipalities, which can incorporate the restrictions into their codes either fully or partially. While elected officials are working out details, some Highland Beach condo associations are moving forward in anticipation of regulations.
At Highlands Place, a 12-story, 45-unit condominium built in 1989, condo board President David Stern says he has already made contact with a structural engineer and asked to be placed on a list for inspection once local regulations are approved.
Stern, whose oceanfront building underwent a million-dollar-plus concrete restoration and painting project about three years ago, says he believes a town ordinance requiring inspections is beneficial.
“I feel very comfortable that we’re in very good shape,” he said. “We had engineers go through the whole building and we did exactly what they asked for.”
Still, he says, having an additional inspection isn’t a negative because it can identify small problems before they become big problems and it can help eliminate surprises.
Stern also believes that unit owners benefit by having inspections.
“It helps the property values, it helps everything, when you can say we’ve been inspected and confirmed we’re in good shape,” he said.
A short distance down the road, at the 51-year-old Penthouse Highlands condominium, association President P.T. Henry is also confident that an inspection won’t turn up any major issues. At the same time, he too is in favor of town-mandated recertification.
Henry said his association, like Stern’s, did a concrete restoration project just a few years ago and put a priority on maintaining the property.
“I don’t think we have a problem,” he said, “but it makes sense to assure ourselves that we don’t have issues. Why would we not want to bring experts in to confirm that?”

BELOW: The Pondhawk Natural Area’s StoryWalk path featured ‘Little Skink’s Tail,’ by Janet Halfmann, in late August. The library changes the book every two months. ABOVE: The Mayes family from Boca Raton follows the story and the trail next to the Spanish River Library. The walk combines a reading activity with exercise for young children and families. Photos by Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Mary Hladky

As they walked along a trail in Pondhawk Natural Area, Kyle Mayes and his four children declared themselves fans of the Boca Raton Public Library’s StoryWalk program.
“I like StoryWalk,” said one of his sons.
“It is out in nature,” said a daughter. “I recommend it for something more nature-y.”
The program places enlarged pages of children’s books in weatherproof enclosures mounted on posts along walking trails, allowing children and their parents to read the books as they walk by.
The Florida League of Cities recently awarded Boca Raton its top City Spirit municipal achievement award for the effort, launched last year as the coronavirus pandemic kept kids cooped up indoors. The program gave them a reading activity that could be done safely outside.
Ellen Randolph, manager of library services, said she and her staff decided in 2019 that they wanted to launch StoryWalk. But they soon accelerated their plans.
“The pandemic made it obvious we needed to get this done,” she said.
The public reaction has been very positive, Randolph said.
“Everyone who has seen it is blown away with how nice it is. It helps families get kids outside and walking around,” she said. “It’s really been a hit all the way around.”
Mayes agrees. “It is an amazing idea,” he said.
Pondhawk, a county nature area, was selected for the first StoryWalk because it is located next to the city’s Spanish River Library at 1501 Spanish River Blvd. and has walking paths. Books displayed there are aimed at children about 4 to 6 years old.
Library staff collaborated with the Palm Beach County Department of Environmental Resources Management, the city’s Department of Recreation Services and Friends of the Boca Raton Public Library, which helped fund the initiative.
They later opened a StoryWalk at the city’s Serenoa Glade Preserve, a nature area at 1101 NW 15th St. in George Snow Park, next to a popular playground. It focuses on books for toddlers and children in strollers.
Librarians select the books. For older children, they pick those with a good story to hold interest, illustrated with bright colors and likely not already familiar. Books are changed every two months.
When the Mayes family visited in late August, the featured book was Little Skink’s Tail, by Janet Halfmann.
Little Skink, a small lizard with a bright blue tail, was happily eating a breakfast of ants when she was attacked by a crow. Fearing for her life, she snapped off her blue tail to distract the crow and hid under a log.
When the danger passed, she began looking at other animals’ tails, pondering if she would prefer one of them. But the rabbit’s tail was “too puffy-fluffy,” the squirrel’s “much too bushy,” and the skunk’s “stinky.”
All ends well when one day she sees that her tail, the best one for her, has regenerated.
Besides telling a story, the displays provided information on what skinks are, their habits and food preferences, which parents can share with their children who do not yet read.
They also suggested questions to keep children engaged as they walk to the next page, such as “what should Little Skink do now?” Parents also could share with their kids information on how some lizards can regrow their tails and why animals have tails.
For now, Randolph does not expect to add more StoryWalks, although she might offer pop-ups at city-sponsored events.
StoryWalk is not unique to Boca Raton. It was developed in 2007 by Anne Ferguson of Montpelier, Vermont, in collaboration with the Kellogg-Hubbard Library.
The idea really took off when the pandemic hit, as a way to help kids keep up their reading skills and engage in physical activity. StoryWalks exist now in 50 states and 13 countries.
The League of Cities loved the program and hopes other communities will adopt it.
“The city of Boca Raton’s nomination was excellent and your effort in engaging citizens was extraordinary,” Shwanda Barnette, the league’s membership relations ambassador, said in a July 26 award ceremony at a city meeting.
The league recognized that, though not unique, Boca’s was the right program at the right time and can be done at low cost, Randolph said.
“And it shows there can be a good outcome of seeing a need and reacting to it and being the right solution for the time.”

Boca Raton Mayor Scott Singer was elected president of the Florida League of Mayors on Aug. 12 and will serve a one-year term.
The nonpartisan league provides a forum for the mayors to speak on issues of interest to their city residents.
“The Florida League of Mayors is the finest organization for us to connect and share new ideas and best practices, and I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to lead us as we continue our great work,” Singer said.
Singer, an attorney and small business owner, was elected to the City Council in 2014 and has served as mayor since 2018.

— Mary Hladky

Highland Beach residents gather Sept. 9 at the Town Hall parking lot to enjoy free bites and hear about the ballot initiative to create a town-run fire department. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Rich Pollack

Highland Beach leaders are asking voters for a green light to spend up to $10 million to start a town fire department. Although the leaders are optimistic voters will approve, they are also concerned many will stay home when the initiative is on the ballot Nov. 2.
“I don’t think there’s a big buzz because residents think we can do it,” said Mayor Doug Hillman. “They just have general confidence that we know what we’re doing and a fire department is something we can handle.”
That confidence, he believes, is rooted in the town’s success running what he calls a “first-rate police department, a functioning full-service library, a water-treatment plant and our own post office.”
Still, to encourage voter turnout, the town has teamed up with a local advertising and public relations firm and has launched an “educational campaign.” It includes everything from email blasts and direct mail pieces to videos and evenings with food trucks offering up free bites and beverages.
The town — which is ending its long-standing fire service contract with Delray Beach — has also come up with a slogan: Our Town, Our Station, Our Heroes.
“The challenge for us is to make sure people understand the benefits of having our own fire department,” Hillman said.
Resident John Ross, who authors a blog often critical of town leadership, says he believes the ballot initiative will pass resoundingly and says there is not a lot of talk about it because it isn’t a controversial subject.
“I’ve met just one person who is voting against it because they believe Delray is doing a good job.” Ross said. “That’s understandable but not at the current cost.”
For almost 30 years, Highland Beach has been receiving fire service from Delray Beach, which staffs the town’s fire station. In April, however, town leaders voted unanimously to end the contract agreement with Delray Beach and create a town-run fire department over a three-year period.
Hillman and other commissioners have repeatedly said they believe the town can provide better service to residents at a lower cost than what Delray Beach charges.
In its 2021-22 budget, Highland Beach expects to spend about $5 million on fire service from Delray Beach. That does not include the cost of adding three people to the current staffing to ensure three paramedics are on the rescue vehicle at all times.
While Highland Beach is refusing to pay the cost for the additional staffing, saying its contract calls for the town to pay for only 22.5 personnel, Delray Beach continues to say a clause in the agreement allows it to increase staffing and charge the town for enhancements.
Delray Beach Fire Chief Keith Tomey, through a spokesperson, said the department expects to have a third person on each rescue beginning this month.
As Highland Beach officials continue to meet with residents, they consistently point out that the new fire department will have two fire trucks and two rescue vehicles operating out of the station next to Town Hall — as opposed to the one fire truck and one rescue vehicle currently at the station and staffed by Delray.
Staffing, according to a proposed organization chart, would increase to about 25 people, including seven personnel on each shift and a chief, two administrative captains and an administrative assistant.
“The No. 1 objective for us is to have the best possible service for our community,” Hillman said. “It just happens we can do it for less money.”
Some residents have also expressed concern over a significant number of calls in southeastern Delray Beach being handled by crews staffing the station in Highland Beach.
“I see vehicles from here going out of town all the time,” said resident Arvid Johanson, a former Scarsdale, New York, firefighter. “Everyone feels our taxpayer money should stay in Highland Beach.”
While a lot of variables remain to be figured out, town leaders believe they can run the fire department at about $1.5 million to $2 million less than the $5 million annual cost from Delray Beach and can recover the costs of starting a town-operated fire department in about five years.
Should voters approve the plans, town leaders will need to decide where the needed funds will come from. Hillman and other commissioners have said they favor using some of the town’s $6 million in reserves and are in favor of either a bank loan or a bond issue, both at favorable rates.
A large chunk of the $10 million, about half, will go toward expanding the current fire station from about 5,100 square feet to about 12,000 square feet. The expansion will include two more bays and bunking facilities for additional personnel.

By Rich Pollack

Highland Beach property owners will see a slight reduction in the town’s overall tax rate when they receive tax bills this month, even as the community expects close to $450,000 in additional costs associated with the creation of a new fire department.
Thanks in part to a housekeeping move that shifted a portion of debt service that had been paid by tax revenue to a fund generated by water and sewer revenues, Highland Beach commissioners were able to reduce the overall tax rate for the 2021-22 budget year by about 4%.
As a result, the town’s overall tax rate dropped from $3.78 per $1,000 of taxable value to $3.62. The operating tax rate of $3.22 per $1,000 of taxable value remained unchanged while the debt service rate dropped from 55 cents to 39 cents per $1,000 of taxable value.
“I think it’s great that we don’t have to raise the tax rate,” Vice Mayor Natasha Moore said.
With the reduction in the overall tax rate, the owner of a home in Highland Beach with an assessed value of $750,000 will see a drop of about $124 a year, assuming no increase in assessed value. But home values on average rose 3.3% this year in Highland Beach, the property appraiser says.
The town’s general fund budget, which excludes revenues from water and sewer payments as well as money received from building permits and sales surtax revenue, increased by $741,500 or about 6% to a little more than $13 million.
As is usually the case, the bulk of the town’s revenues, 73% or about $9.5 million, will come from property taxes.
To help balance the budget, town commissioners pledged to take about $455,000 from the general fund’s unrestricted reserves. That still leaves about $6 million in reserves, an amount that percentage-wise is considered larger than those of comparable municipalities.
Moore pointed out that for several years the town has planned to use reserves but didn’t need to.
“By the end of the year, we’ve actually added to reserves,” she said.
Once again, the town’s largest expense is expected to be public safety with the cost of operating the police department to be about $2.86 million, up about 6% over the 2020-21 budget.
The cost of fire service for the town is budgeted to be about $5.5 million, with about $5 million going to Delray Beach as part of its contract to staff the town’s fire station.
An additional $15,000 is budgeted to provide improvements to the fire station and about $440,000 to cover the cost of consultants helping to create a new fire department and hire a fire chief, which the town hopes to do in the next fiscal year.
The town also expects to spend about $160,000 for administrative services that will be necessary with the expansion of the overall town staff once a town-run fire department is operational.
Helping to offset that expense are a reduction in the cost of insurance as a result of a change in companies and a reduced cost of health insurance for employees.
While the town recently increased its water and sewer rates, an unanticipated $980,000 from the American Rescue Plan Act received in September combined with a similar amount expected in 12 to 18 months could help to temper future water and sewer rate increases.
Those federal dollars, town officials say, will most likely be used to cover the cost of water and sewer capital improvements, including about $1 million in enhancing sewer lines.

By Mary Hladky

In maintaining the city’s long-standing emphasis on keeping taxes low, the City Council on Sept. 22 approved a tax rate of $3.68 per $1,000 of taxable property value that is unchanged from last year’s rate.
While the rate is staying the same, it amounts to a modest tax increase because the city’s property values rose 3.8% this year.
Council members also unanimously approved a $559.4 million operating budget, up from last year’s $503.2 million.
The increased amount is due in part to the cost of reopening city facilities temporarily closed because of the pandemic and restoring expenditures for items such as travel and equipment replacement that fell by the wayside as the city hunkered down.
Police department salaries and benefits increased by $1.8 million, fire department salaries and benefits by $2.2 million, and police and fire pension costs by $2.4 million. General and executive employees salaries and benefits increased by $3.5 million, but their pension costs decreased by $171,700.
City Manager Leif Ahnell alerted City Council members to the rising police and fire pension costs in April, saying the pension plan’s investment returns are underperforming the market considerably. The city does not control how the pension board invests its money.
The city is adding 23 new employees, including a second assistant city manager. The city now has two deputy city managers, but George Brown will retire at the end of next year.
Six of the new hires will help operate and maintain the Boca Raton Golf and Racquet Club, a 167-acre country club donated to the city last year by The Boca Raton. Their salaries will total $369,500.
The club will replace the city’s municipal golf course, which will be sold by Nov. 1 to GL Homes. The $65 million the city will realize from that sale is included in the budget, with $7.8 million of it to be used for improvements and renovations at the country club.
The city is slated to receive $12.2 million from the massive $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act, although officials say the revenues the city lost because of the pandemic totaled far more than that.
The city will put $7.2 million of its allocation in the general fund to replenish lost revenue, and $5 million in the capital improvements program.
The city will hire three employees at a cost of $253,000 to implement its new building recertification program, enacted after the Surfside condo collapse, that will require buildings taller than three stories to be inspected when they are 30 years old.
The City Council’s decision in 2019 to continue providing garbage collection and recycling services, rather than outsourcing them to a private company, continues to strain the budget as Boca Raton makes needed replacements of equipment and vehicles and adds employees.
The city is raising sanitation rates 71 cents to $24.29 per month for single-family homes and 43 cents to $14.70 per month for multi-family units. The sanitation rates also increased last year.
The annual residential fire assessment fee will remain at $145 this year.
One looming problem is that the revenue the city gets annually from the Community Redevelopment Agency is about to dry up and officials will have to decide soon how to plug that budget hole.
The city will get a $15 million CRA payment this fiscal year and a much smaller amount in the following year.
When that source of funds is gone, the city faces raising the tax rate, cutting expenses or drawing down on its reserve fund — a move Ahnell does not recommend.
Ahnell has warned City Council members about this for several years, and emphasized it again in a budget summary given to council members and made available to the public.
In bold typeface, Ahnell wrote that once the CRA money is gone, “the city will need to consider alternatives to replace this revenue source in order to balance the city’s budget.”

The Addison Mizner room at the History Museum honors the architect whose designs set the tone for early development in Boca Raton. It includes original furniture from the Boca Resort. Photos by Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Mary Hladky

The newly renamed Schmidt Boca Raton History Museum will reopen to the public in Nov. 3 after a complete renovation of the nearly 100-year-old historic Town Hall building.
The $3.5 million project, initially paid for with reserve funds, donations and a $650,000 grant from the city, transforms the entire building and adds new interactive historical exhibits.
The renovation was bolstered in late September when longtime museum supporters Barbara and Dick Schmidt donated $1 million. Mary Csar, executive director of the Boca Raton Historical Society and Museum, described the donation as one of the largest in the museum’s history.
The building’s golden dome has been regilded and the exterior painted a creamy shade of white.
But the big changes are inside, where Csar gave a reporter and photographer a guided tour.
A timeline, dating from the pre-Columbian era to the 21st century, runs along the interior hallway.

With more than 8,000 local employees at its peak, IBM changed the world when it unveiled the personal computer in 1987 from its Boca campus.

Among the events highlighted are the first settlers, the Yamato Colony, famed architect Addison Mizner’s Cloister Inn, the massive World War II Boca Raton Army-Air Base, Florida Atlantic University’s groundbreaking, IBM’s production of the first personal computer, construction of the Town Center mall and the 2001 anthrax attack on the AMI building.
Visitors may well find that there’s city history they never knew or had forgotten.
Does Boca Raton really mean “mouth of the rat”? The answer is yes, but there’s more to know about how that name was affixed to the city.
Rooms off the hallway are devoted to specific subjects.
The Addison Mizner room includes original furniture from the resort that is now rebranded as The Boca Raton and a model of a castle Mizner intended to build on a now-gone island in Lake Boca but never did.
The IBM room underscores the company’s impact locally and across the world. Retired IBM employees donated original PCs to the museum. A recording of a former employee recounts the absolute secrecy under which the company operated.
The World War II room showcases a B-17 in a dogfight and includes the history of radar and U-boats.
The largest room is the former City Council chamber, which now will house changing exhibits and a lecture hall.
The Town Hall building at 71 N. Federal Highway doubles as the city’s visitor center and has a gift shop.
The building renovation became very complicated, delaying the completion many months. The coronavirus pandemic also created difficulties, making it hard to get enough workers and causing supply chain disruptions.
Plumbers found that the building’s cast iron pipes had disintegrated, causing leaks that probably had existed for years and undermined the foundation, which had to be shored up, said architect Derek Vander Ploeg, who volunteered his services to the project.
“We are lucky we caught it,” he said.
FPL discovered the building had an undersized transformer, which explained various electrical glitches plaguing the building. It was replaced.
All this increased the project’s cost, prompting Csar to ask the City Council on July 29 to make an additional $590,000 grant. The city is the Town Hall’s landlord.
Council members were enthusiastic about the building’s transformation.
“We are excited to see this open,” said Mayor Scott Singer.
“These exhibits are amazingly exciting,” said Deputy Mayor Andrea O’Rourke.
But they were noncommittal about providing additional funding. Singer could not recall a time when a nonprofit completed a huge project, paid all the costs and then came to the council for money.
Both Csar and Vander Ploeg said city staff was aware of what work was being done, and why, every step of the way. Both said the project contractor used a competitive bidding process.
The City Council resumed discussion on the request on Sept. 13.
The building’s problems were serious and “could not be ignored,” Csar said. “This was not done without anybody’s knowledge. And it had to be done fast.”
Deputy City Manager Mike Woika said some city staffers were aware of the problems, but no one advised historical society officials on what they should do or how to pay for it.
After briefly considering negotiating a compromise, council members agreed to provide the requested amount.
“We need to give them the money they spent on necessary repairs,” said council member Andy Thomson.

On display in October
What: The Boca Raton Historical Society and Museum’s traveling “HERstory” exhibit runs through Oct. 30.
Where: Boca Raton Community Center, 150 Crawford Boulevard.
Highlights: The exhibit features Boca Raton’s first female pioneers, who came to farm South Florida at the turn of the 20th century. Many were from northern middle-class families, accustomed to electricity, indoor plumbing, markets and department stores.
Hours: 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 to 4 Saturday.
Info: 561-395-6766 or www.BocaHistory.org.

By Steve Plunkett

Gone this budget season were irate taxpayers, angry City Council members and robocalls ginning up opposition to a double-digit tax increase.
Instead, the Greater Boca Raton Beach and Park District on Sept. 27 approved a 22% tax hike for fiscal 2022 with no one speaking against it. The increase means an extra $95 in property taxes on a $500,000 home.
“All righty, the final (Truth in Millage) compliance hearing is now adjourned,” District Chair Susan Vogelgesang said to end the 8½-minute session spent mostly reciting a budget summary and two resolutions.
The adopted rate of $1.05 per $1,000 of taxable value will fund a $53.3 million budget that includes $5 million for whatever commissioners decide to build at the old Boca Teeca/Ocean Breeze golf course, $445,000 to add ADA access and renovate restrooms at the Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, and $300,000 to finish the first phase of Ocean Strand park.
The district will give the city $22 million to operate and maintain Red Reef Park, that park’s golf course, Mizner Bark dog park and DeHoernle Park as well as $5.7 million for other capital improvements. Money for maintenance facilities at city-owned DeHoernle and Spanish River Park was placed in reserves.
The city will also receive $1.6 million as this year’s repayment for the Ocean Breeze land purchase and $1.8 million for its Community Redevelopment Agency.
The lack of opposition was in marked contrast to the scenes two years ago when commissioners proposed a 19.4% tax increase. Opponents outspoke supporters 45-19 in 2019’s two budget hearings, the City Council passed a resolution condemning it, and then-Deputy Mayor Jeremy Rodgers spent $400 of his own money for robocalls urging taxpayers to fight the measure.
District commissioners ultimately adopted the same rate as the year before. Still stinging from the criticism, last year they adopted the rollback rate, keeping tax revenues level.

By Mary Hladky

Now that the City Council has given its long-awaited approval, construction of Brightline’s Boca Raton station is imminent. Council members unanimously authorized construction of the station and adjacent parking garage on Aug. 24.
“This has been the culmination of a lot of work,” Mayor Scott Singer said.
“It has been a very collaborative process to come to where we are today,” said Deputy City Manager George Brown.
At the time, Brightline officials anticipated that the work would begin in September, but had not set a date as of Sept. 21. They also expected the station would open in the second quarter of 2022.
The $46 million project will be located on city-owned land along the FEC railway tracks immediately east of the Downtown Library. In 2019, the city agreed to lease 1.8 acres of its land there to Brightline for 29 years, but with renewals could total 89 years.
Work has been completed on a surface parking lot near the station that will be available to library patrons while construction is underway.
Brightline agreed to spend up to $300,000 to move the Junior League of Boca Raton’s Community Garden, which has been displaced by the station. The new garden at Meadows Park will open on Oct. 16 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
The 1.4-acre garden will have about 100 lots available for lease. Ten percent of all fruits and vegetables harvested will be donated to Boca Helping Hands.
Brightline plans a 9,035-square-foot station and a 4.5-story garage with 455 parking spaces. Surface parking will provide another 109 spaces.
Library patrons will be able to use the surface parking and 64 reserved garage spaces. The remainder will be available to Brightline passengers and the public.
A $16.3 million U.S. Department of Transportation grant will help pay for the station and garage. Brightline will pay $20 million of the station cost and the city will spend $9.9 million on the garage.
Brightline halted rail service between Miami and West Palm Beach in March 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. It will resume service in early November.

The clubhouse at Boca Raton Golf and Racquet Club will remain closed until renovations are completed. Photo provided

By Mary Hladky

The city planned to take over operation of the 167-acre Boca Raton Golf and Racquet Club as of Oct. 1, one year after The Boca Raton thrilled city leaders by donating the country club to the city.
The transition of the formerly named Boca Golf and Tennis Country Club to a public facility is a huge undertaking for the city, and officials are still working through many decisions.
The club, located outside city limits at 17751 Boca Club Blvd., will be closed for one month while the city completes an assessment of the facilities. The 18-hole championship golf course will reopen on Nov. 1, with rates of $75 for city residents and $105 for nonresidents. There will be no annual membership fee to use the clubhouse or other amenities.
The clubhouse will remain closed until renovations are completed.
Although the golf course, tennis courts, clubhouse, pool and other amenities landed in the city’s lap free of charge, that doesn’t mean the transaction has been cost-free.
The city has spent $1.3 million this year on equipment that it needs to operate the club and on renovations and improvements.
It has also budgeted $6.5 million for additional renovations and improvements in the new fiscal year that started on Oct. 1. Six employees will be added to the city’s payroll to manage and maintain the club, at an annual cost of $369,500.
The city will use proceeds from the $65 million sale of its municipal golf course to GL Homes, expected to be completed by Nov. 1, to pay for $7.8 million of these costs. The rest of the proceeds will go into a reserve fund.
Jason Hayes, who has managed public and private golf courses, was hired in June to be club manager.
Hayes and city officials outlined improvements that are underway in an Aug. 25 meeting with residents of the Boca Golf and Tennis Club, whose homes are adjacent to the golf course.
“Our goal is to have this be a first-class golf facility,” Hayes said. “It will take us a couple of years to get it to that level, but we are working hard as a team to make that happen.”
Workers are re-roofing maintenance buildings and the cart barn, eliminating weeds on the golf course, grooming the greens, renovating restrooms, installing impact windows on the clubhouse, replacing clubhouse awnings and painting the building.
The main entrance and clubhouse kitchen will be upgraded.
City officials don’t expect to reopen the fitness center. They are likely to close the pool because the $250,000 annual cost to operate it “is not financially feasible,” City Manager Leif Ahnell said at a Sept. 14 City Council meeting.
Changes also could be coming to the tennis center. A consultant will present options, which could include tennis courts only, switching to pickleball courts or a combination of the two.
The only apparent opposition to the city’s plans is coming from residents of the 960-home Boca Golf and Tennis Club who are still smarting because they say they were never told that the new owners of the former Boca Raton Resort and Club were going to offer the country club to the city.
They are concerned about increased traffic and the potential loss of privacy and safety.
Some of those speaking at the Aug. 25 meeting were very unhappy to learn that the pool could be closed and tennis courts eliminated. Residents who are premier members of The Boca Raton have been able to use both.
One woman said her decision to buy a home in the community was based on access to the pool and tennis courts.
Another said she will sell her home. “We have a lot of really upset people,” she said.
“We are trying to make decisions for a very large number of people, not just this community,” said Assistant City Manager Chrissy Gibson. “We hear your comments.”
In a statement to city officials, resident Marvin Weinstein said, “Residents are expressing shock at what they see as a betrayal not just of (premier) club members, but the hundreds of other households without memberships for whom the prospect of one day joining the club was always available.”
He also wants the city to commit to keeping the golf course and not selling the land to a developer.
When Weinstein voiced his concerns again at the Sept. 14 meeting, Ahnell said the city is committed to maintaining a golf course, but could not put that in writing until it takes over ownership.
MSD Partners, formed by billionaire Michael S. Dell’s private investment firm, and Northview Hotel Group, acquired the club as part of their purchase of The Boca Raton for $875 million in 2019. The resort is now in the midst of a $175 million renovation.
In announcing the donation, the owners said they wanted to concentrate on completing that project. They also said the club has been underutilized for more than a decade.

Members of Impact 100 (l-r, front): Rebecca Scott, Kathryn Gillespie, Allison Davis, Kathy Adkins, Holly Schuttler, Sue Diener, Kirstin Jovanovski, Kelly Fleming, (back) Renee Feder, Lisa Warren, JoAnne Greiser, Emily McMullin, Tandy Robinson, Hilary Sullivan, Cynthia Krebsbach, Carrie Rubin, Lisa Mulhall, Nicole Mugavero, Laura Bull, Marilyn Swillinger, Molly Reiss, Karen Sweetapple, Jeannine Morris and Helen Ballerano. Photo provided by Warner-Prokos Photography

By Amy Woods

Impact 100 Palm Beach County is asking local nonprofits to apply for this season’s share of $100,000 grants.
The submission forms are due Oct. 29.
“During the 2020-2021 grant cycle, 84 grant applications were received, meaning that more than $8.4 million in grant requests came through our doors,” President Holly Schuttler said. “This shows the huge need in our community.”
The organization issues the grants in five focus areas: arts, culture and historic preservation; education; environment and animal welfare; family; and health and wellness.
For more information and to access the forms, call 561-336-4623 or visit www.impact100pbc.org/for-nonprofits.

Boca Regional campaign exceeds $210 million
Boca Raton resident Jay Grunin has made a gift of $3 million toward the $250 million redevelopment project at Boca Raton Regional Hospital, the largest in the hospital’s history.
The new conference and education center will be named after Grunin and his wife, Azize.
“The Grunin Foundation is well-known for its generosity, and Jay Grunin is the ultimate philanthropist, one who gives with his heart,” campaign Co-Chairman Stan Barry said of the New Jersey-based nonprofit.
“The Grunins will be a wonderful asset to the Boca Raton area and to Boca Regional.”
Added Lincoln Mendez, the hospital’s CEO, “We welcome Jay and his wife, Azize, to Boca Raton and are delighted by the foundation’s generous commitment to this project, our vision and Boca Raton Regional Hospital.”
In addition, Ena Kane’s $1 million gift will result in the naming of the retail pharmacy on-site in her honor.
“Mrs. Kane is special to all of us here at the hospital,” Mendez said. “She is a longtime donor who understands the nature of our campus initiative and wants others to benefit from her giving.”
The campaign now has raised more than $210 million.
Its plans include the new Gloria Drummond Patient Tower, the new Louis B. and Anne W. Green Lobby and the comprehensive renovation of all existing patient units.
For more information, call 561-955-4142 or visit https://donate.brrh.com.

ACCF gets financial boost from Delray credit union
Commemorating its 70th anniversary, Delray Beach-based Power Financial Credit Union made a $50,000 donation that was split among seven South Florida charities.
Locally, Achievement Centers for Children & Families received a $7,070 grant. The nonprofit provides opportunities for children in need so they can reach their potential in a positive environment.
“It has been our unwavering commitment to our members and our community, through good times and bad, that has allowed us to thrive for the last 70 years,” said Allan Prindle, the credit union’s president and CEO. “We have been fortunate to earn the trust and support of our members and the entire South Florida community. We wanted to show our appreciation as we celebrate this significant milestone by donating to some very worthy charitable causes.”
For more information, call 561-266-0003 or visit achievementcentersfl.org.

Partnership benefits children’s education
Roots and Wings, a charity that works to improve the quality of education in South Florida, has been selected as a new supported partner of the Boca West Children’s Foundation.
The announcement came with a $10,000 check for the nonprofit’s Project UpLift program.
“We are honored to have been chosen as one of Boca West Children’s Foundation’s new supported partners,” Roots and Wings founder and CEO Ted Hoskinson said. “These funds go a long way in ensuring that we are able to add three new Project UpLift participating schools this fall. These kids may otherwise have fallen through the cracks.”
Project UpLift has launched at Rolling Green Elementary School in Boynton Beach, Village Academy Center in Delray Beach, and Coral Sunset Elementary School in Boca Raton, impacting 180 second- and third-graders.
For more information, call 561-404-0455 or visit https://rootsandwingsinc.org.

The Lord’s Place names COO and board members
A nonprofit that works to break the cycle of homelessness in Palm Beach County has appointed Kerry Rodriguez Diaz as chief operating officer.
Diaz joined The Lord’s Place this year as interim COO and since has accepted the permanent position.
“Her methodical, strategic and analytic approach to operations and strategy, coupled with compassion, make Kerry a perfect fit for our culture,” CEO Diana Stanley said, “She is a thought leader who fully embraces our mission.”
The West Palm Beach-based organization is in the midst of a construction project for new headquarters and housing facilities.
“I do not go a day without being in awe of the work that happens at the street level to nurture people in need and meet them where they are with kindness and compassion,” Diaz said. “I cry at least once a week — sometimes with sorrow at the difficult lives people live and sometimes with joy at the steps people make to become stably housed.”
In other news, three fresh faces have joined The Lord’s Place board — Wesley Lang, Bill Proctor and Mary Quick. Lang brings a wealth of financial-management and business-development experience to the board. Proctor received the Unsung Hero Award at the 2018 Ending Homelessness Breakfast.
“Everyone deserves a hand up, not to be confused with a handout,” said Quick, a lifelong philanthropist. “The Lord’s Place is doing just that every day.”
For more information, call 561-494-0125 or visit https://thelordsplace.org.

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

The Witches of Delray have been riding since 2012 and raise money for the Achievement Centers for Children & Families while having a lot of fun along the way. Photo provided

By Amy Woods

Imagine a peloton of 300 riders making their way down Delray Beach’s main drag, cackling as they are pedaling because they are decked out as witches.
Hippie-chick witches. Lilly Pulitzer witches. Sea witches. Tiki witches. Witch doctors.
The wacky scene at first confuses onlookers and then leaves them wide-eyed in broomstick, errr bicycle, dust.
“They looked at me like I was a crazy lady,” said Andie DeVoe, who helped found The Witches of Delray in 2012 and was one of the Halloween-themed fundraiser’s 11 original riders. “They just stand and watch — they can’t help but watch — and then they cheer. It’s like a two-part reaction — surprise and joy.”
The event typically attracts 300 participants who put on curiously clever costumes, decorate their two-wheelers and join the festive parade of sorts on Atlantic Avenue.
“It’s so cool,” DeVoe said. “It’s so fun. It’s so creative. My favorite part of it is the day of the ride, when they’re showing up and looking at each other’s bikes.”
The 3-mile route continues on A1A south to Casuarina Road then north to Gleason Street. A pit stop takes place in the Sandoway Discovery Center parking lot. The ride ends at Old School Square, but the party does not. Awards are given for best costume, best decorated bike and best group theme.
Riders each pay a $30 entry fee, and more money is raised through donations and sponsorships. The proceeds benefit the Achievement Centers for Children & Families, which serves under-resourced people through early-learning, after-school and teen-mentoring programs.
“It’s a beautiful partnership,” DeVoe said. “I saw the money raised go directly back into the community.”
The ride is Oct. 30, but the fun begins Oct. 22 with the Witches Brew at Tim Finnegans Irish Pub. The happy-hour party features a silent auction, tarot-card readers and games.
“We pack that place,” DeVoe said, noting that attendees don their more-elegant witch attire for the evening affair. “We just love dressing up.”
She said the Witches of Delray anticipates topping the $16,000 grossed in 2019.
“It’s been amazing to watch it grow,” DeVoe said. “It’s been amazing to see how much it is loved by the community.”

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

If You Go
What: Witches Brew fund-raiser
When: 6 to 9 p.m. Oct. 22
Where: Tim Finnegans Irish Pub, 2885 S. Federal Highway, Delray Beach

What: Charity bicycle ride
When: 7:30 to 11:30 a.m. Oct. 30
Where: Ride starts at City Hall, 100 NW First Ave.
Information and registration: 561-266-0003; www.achievementcentersfl.org/witches-of-delray-2021

(Front, l-r)) Dr. Melyssa Hancock, Elmar Benavente, Sayra Vazquez Brann, Ryan Reiter, Dr. Jeffrey Stein (men’s fundraising champion), Denise Lazo, Kelly Fleming (women’s champion), (back) Mindy Shikiar, Scott Lappin, Robert Snyder, Dre Garcia and James Brann. Photo provided by Viviimage Photography

More than 22,000 supporters viewed the 14th annual fundraiser for the George Snow Scholarship Fund, cheering on their favorite dancers while watching the elaborate television production. Co-Chairs Steve Bernstein, Robin Bresky, Bill Donnell and Kirsten Stanley said the disco-themed event was the most incredible to date. In excess of $500,000 was generated from people sponsoring dancers, who were paired with professional partners.

Periwinkle owner Carrie Delafield, building owner Robert Brewer and Periwinkle President Megan Mignano. Photo provided

The women’s contemporary resort-wear boutique partnered with the Delray Beach Historical Society to celebrate its location at 339 E. Atlantic Ave. turning one century old. The building originally was constructed as a bank and has housed an insurance company and an import store through the years. Its history was remembered during a cocktail party featuring a photo exhibit. Guests shopped in support of the society, with a portion of all sales going to the organization.

Anthony Calicchio and Frankie the parrot are ready for a break. 2018 file photo

By Jan Norris

Café Frankie’s has new owners — a pair of Irish-Italian brothers from Staten Island.
Former owner Anthony Calicchio is happy about the deal he made for his Boynton Beach eatery, and says he’s ready for an extended break.
He explains: “I’m tired. Nobody wants to work anymore. I’m working too hard — clearing tables, filling water glasses, taking orders, running the kitchen. If I keep doing it all, I’ll be dead by the end of the summer.”
He is sticking around to be with his parents, who are 87 and 88. Otherwise, he said, “I’d be sitting on an island somewhere in the Caribbean. Any island.”
On Sept. 20, the Brooklyn native inventoried the wines and signed the sale papers, walking away from the restaurant where he spent the past 15 years. He began as a chef for its former owner, the Boys Market group, then bought it two years later.
“We disagreed about the way things were run, and couldn’t come to an agreement, so I had to buy the restaurant to do it my way,” Calicchio said, grinning.
In the immediate future, Calicchio plans to ride off on his motorcycle from his home in Boynton Beach, keep an eye on his parents in west Boca Raton — “I go see them and eat with them every Sunday” — and hang out with Frankie, the yellow-winged Amazon parrot and former ambassador for the restaurant.
The bird was named for the cafe and spent about the same amount of time there as the owner. He perched on the patio, greeting all who passed by with “fugetaboutit.” Frankie was the subject of local news after being lost for a week and finally returned with the help of the police. “He’s my roommate,” Calicchio said.
His long-range plans are for a breakfast or lunch spot, maybe a food truck — something to do with serving food — “in a couple of months, maybe.” Calicchio says food is what he loves, ultimately, along with his work as an artist. He’s sold more than 300 of his paintings that adorned the walls of the eatery.
His mother’s recipes were part of the menu and will still be available from the new owners, Tom and Steve Smith, as will Calicchio’s limoncello and Grand Marnier concoctions.
He says he feels good about the Smith brothers and is satisfied they’re keeping a lot of his menu intact, as well as keeping the staff on board.
Calicchio and the staff have been through a lot together, he said, including the pandemic shutdown, when he lost 70% of his business, and the serving of 1,000 free meals since the coronavirus outbreak.
“We never turned away anyone who couldn’t pay. We gave away meals right after it started,” he said.
Tom and Steve Smith agree that a lot of what makes the restaurant a neighborhood favorite is the “good staff, and traditional menu.” Perfect for the area, they said.
“We love it. It’s a tight-knit community,” Tom said.
Steve, 52, will be the co-chef with the current chef, Winston Telesford. Tom, 55, says, “I’m the eater.”
The men had restaurants before on Staten Island — the American Grill and Sea Breeze Cafe. They’re moving to Florida to “get out of New York,” Tom said. They’ll follow a brother, a retired NYPD officer, who moved down earlier, and join their mother, moving soon.
After a brief cleanup and restock, they planned to fire up the stoves and be back in action, keeping the Café Frankie’s name.
New daily specials will be added to the menu, and the cafe will be open for lunch once again, Tom said. The restaurant shut down midday service after the pandemic hit.
Specials may go beyond strictly Italian, with some Asian and other cuisines, Steve said. “We’ll try a few things to see — test the waters.”
But if anything, they’ll add to the Italian menu. They’ll serve Mama Ventriglio’s Sunday Gravy, named for their mom, on the Sunday traditional Italian dinner. “We’ll have all the Italian Sunday favorites — ravioli, spaghetti and meatballs, manicotti,” Tom said.
“We’ll save risotto and osso buco — the real one — for Sundays,” Steve said.
Tom is his brother’s biggest fan. “We’ll put great soups on the menu, too — his soups are amazing. He makes a pumpkin in the hay,” Tom said. That’s a pumpkin cream in a hollow, roasted, mini-pumpkin, with prosciutto-wrapped shrimp hanging from its edges.
Steve plans to change the menu seasonally and incorporate more of Florida’s seafood into it.
“Oh, yeah: We’ll still have pizza,” Tom said. “We love Frankie’s pizza. We’re keeping the pizza chef — Peter Cortes — he does a great job. I’m from Staten Island and I’ll put his pizza up against any there.”
Also remaining on the job is restaurant manager Dena Balka, a fixture at the Café Frankie’s well known to customers.
The new owners are happy to be among the crowds relocating from the Northeast, primarily for the weather, they said.
Tom, who will marry soon and set up house in Palm Beach County, says he has a dog named Snow. “It’s the only snow I want to see ever again.”
Café Frankie’s, 640 E. Ocean Ave., Boynton Beach. Phone 561-732-3834; www.cafefrankies.com

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DINING AT THE RAY: Ember Grill is billed as a modern take on traditional neighborhood grill fare with sustainability and seasonal foods. Central to the restaurant’s design is a special wood-burning grill from Spain. Photos provided

Pineapple Grove in Delray Beach is growing up and going luxe with the addition of the Ray Hotel, part of Hilton’s Curio Collection. It’s from the Menin developers — the same group behind the recently opened Delray Beach Market food hall off Atlantic Avenue.
With the Ray, a 114-room luxury hotel, comes high-end dining, starting with the signature Ember Grill, and a rooftop bar, the Rosewater Rooftop, a space that will accommodate 442 people and is designed for small plate sharing and seafood specialties.
Both will be overseen by executive chef Joe Zanelli, new to South Florida, and the Clique Hospitality Group, which is also behind Lionfish on Atlantic Avenue.
The Ember Grill is billed as a modern take on traditional neighborhood grill fare — with sustainability and seasonal foods front and center.
Crabcakes, duck pancakes and charred octopus will make use of the special wood-burning Josper grill from Spain, central to the open-kitchen design. Ember includes a private dining room as well.
At Rosewater Rooftop, five stories up with a 360-degree view of downtown Delray, there’s an “over-the-top” cocktail program to match the shareable plates on the global street food menu. Sushi rolls, mezze, quesadillas and skewers are among the dishes listed.
Canopies and lounge furnishings are set up for gatherings, with the pool nearby.
A special-events facility, a 22,000-square-foot floating glass cube, is another signature of the hotel, designed by Gonzalez Architects.

Stingers is a coffee and tea shop offering takeaway foods and drinks.

The hotel also has Stingers, a small coffee and tea shop offering takeaway foods and drinks.
Coming this fall will be a dining experience led by Akira Back, a Michelin-starred Korean chef who will bring modern Asian-inspired dishes. He is noted for his Yellowtail restaurant in Las Vegas.
For now it’s reservations-only through Open Table at both Ember Grill and Rosewater Rooftop, because of limited staffing and social distancing, said Jordana Jarjura, president and general counsel at Menin Corp.
“Like the rest of the world, we have been impacted by COVID-19 and have not yet met our desired staffing levels,” she said.
Ember Grill is open Tuesday through Saturday for dinner, and Sunday Brunch. Rosewater Rooftop is open for lunch daily, and dinner Wednesday through Sunday. Golden Hour is 4-6 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday.
Ember Grill and Rosewater Rooftop at the Ray, 233 NE Second Ave., Delray Beach. www.therayhotel.com. By reservation only, through Open Table.

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Amar Mediterranean restaurant on Atlantic Avenue in Delray Beach has expanded to a bakery, Amar Bakery and Market in Boynton Beach. It offers baked goods and market specialties from cuisines around the Mediterranean. It’s at 1600 N. Federal Highway and open 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. Visit www.amar-bakery.com.

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

Deputy William Feaman’s dogs Willow and Daya perform traditional therapy roles, but also respond to deaths and other emergencies. Willow is a young black poodle mix. Daya is a Catahoula leopard/hound mix. Photo provided by PBSO

By Arden Moore

There’s a new type of K-9 police officer reporting for duty at the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office. These canine cops don’t chase bad guys. They don’t sniff out bombs or illegal drugs or crime scene evidence.
And they certainly don’t look like traditional police dogs. None of them are German shepherds or Belgian Malinois. These badge-wearing dogs love being greeted, petted and even hugged.
They are specially trained therapy dogs on a mission: To transform tears to smiles and fear to trust among people of all generations and circumstances.
And PBSO is fast becoming a showcase for the talents of these dogs, with four joining the ranks this summer and a few more expected this fall.
Some of the new therapy dogs attend community events, visit schools and perform other traditional therapy dog roles. Think of them as four-legged community cops.
Then there are Daya and Willow, who are partnered with Deputy William Feaman. Daya is a Catahoula leopard/hound mix with a name that fittingly means compassion in Sanskrit. Willow is a young black poodle mix. Their duties go behind showing up at community events.
“We all work the fluff stuff like reading to kids at libraries or ‘coffee with a cop’ events,” says Feaman. “But Daya, Willow and I are the only ones who respond to homicide calls, death notifications or when bad things happen.”
Their effort to reach out to people in trying situations is expanding the role police play in the community.
“Deputy Feaman is on the road every day listening to calls and showing up with his dogs at traffic crashes, fires, burglaries, sexual assaults involving children, and elderly community events,” says Teri Barbera, PBSO media relations director. Daya and Willow “add a new dimension to the force that is very much welcomed.”
For years, Feaman worked as an undercover narcotics cop. Then he learned about an emerging program that trains dogs to be therapy officers. He now reports for duty with his well-trained, well-mannered and highly intuitive doggy duo.
Both dogs came from animal rescue groups and were trained through a fast-growing police therapy program called Paws and Stripes from the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office. These dogs are sworn in after completing more than 400 hours of training.
Bringing two therapy cop dogs to a scene is proving doubly beneficial. Daya is the higher ranking therapy cop with more experience and weighs about 53 pounds. Younger Willow weighs about 33 pounds. One sheds — Daya. One is soft and fuzzy — Willow.
Feaman is able to size up the needs of people at crime scenes to determine which one of his four-legged partners will be better-suited to assist. And, during long work at a crime scene, he is able to give each dog time to rest and recharge.
“We read body language and when the tail stops wagging, I know it’s time to move them out to their safe space,” he says. “I thought it would be difficult to have two therapy dogs, but they work in sync together. They have never growled at each other. Daya acts like a big sister to Willow.”
They work emotionally trying cases. A sampling:
• A boy with autism ran into the woods after his electronic device malfunctioned. Feaman brought Daya to the scene. “The boy was very upset,” says Feaman. “I asked him, ‘Do you like dogs?’ He nodded yes. We stayed with him for about two hours and it was hot out there and the boy finally sat on the edge of the kennel with Daya, loving on her.”
• A 7-year-old girl threatened to commit suicide at a school and Feaman responded with Daya and Willow. “These dogs naturally help bring calm to people,” he says. “I view them as necessary distractions in trying situations. Science tells you that dogs lower blood pressure and release feel-good hormones when you pet them.”
• The trio arrived to a scene in which an 11-year-old boy was present when his father was killed. While the homicide officers worked the case, Daya and Willow provided canine love to the boy. “For two hours, these dogs became that boy’s dogs,” says Feaman. “He hugged them and talked to them.”
• When kids witnessed a neighbor kill another neighbor, Feaman was glad he had two dogs of different coats to comfort the kids. “The smaller kids felt more comfortable playing with Willow, while the older kids played with Daya. Willow looks like a fluffy teddy bear, so little kids naturally gravitate to her.
“Community policing is where my heart is,” says Feaman. “The bond we have is very strong.”
This new generation of police dogs arrives at a time when everyone of every age can use some canine kindness, says Lisa Radosta, DVM, a board-certified veterinary behaviorist who runs the Florida Veterinary Behavior Service in West Palm Beach.
“Neighborhood policing isn’t about being scary — it is about being a part of the group,” says Radosta. “Dogs make people happy. They soften them up. They start conversations. Dogs connect us and that is a good thing. We need to feel more comfortable with the police and be able to approach them. Having a dog there can only help with that.”

Arden Moore, founder of FourLeggedLife.com, is an animal behavior consultant, author, speaker and master certified pet first-aid instructor. She hosts Oh Behave! weekly on PetLifeRadio.com. Learn more at www.ardenmoore.com.

Learn more

Here is a link to a short video that features the swearing-in ceremony of the K-9 therapy dogs at the Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bAFTkkBkB0

Medical staff members at Boca Raton Regional Hospital enjoy their sweet treats. Photo provided

By Christine Davis

On Sept. 9, through its “Giving Back Program,” Tire Kingdom Service Centers thanked medical staffers at Boca Raton Regional Hospital for their dedication and extra effort to combat COVID-19 by treating them to a little sweet relief from Kona Ice. Tire Kingdom also shared its “Essential Business Appreciation Offer” with the team to provide special discounts for front-line workers at all Tire Kingdom locations. 
“We had a lot of smiling faces under their masks waiting in line for Kona Ice and more smiles as they were enjoying every bite of it,” said Bina Wagjiani, director of the hospital’s office of patient experience.

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Marcus Neuroscience Institute, part of Baptist Health South Florida and based at Boca Raton Regional Hospital, has expanded its services, to Boynton Beach. The new location, at 2800 S. Seacrest Blvd., Suite 160, offers neurology and neurosurgery services.
At the Marcus Neuroscience Institute, which was established in 2015, experts address conditions from brain tumors to back pain, including movement disorders, seizures, strokes and aneurysms, memory disorders, migraines, spine conditions and diseases such as multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s. For information, call 561-955-4600 or visit BRRH.com/MNI.

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The Eugene M. & Christine E. Lynn Cancer Institute at Boca Raton Regional Hospital has expanded its cancer diagnosis and treatment services in Palm Beach County to a new location at Bethesda Health City, part of Bethesda Hospital East. The facility is located at 10301 Hagen Ranch Road, Boynton Beach. “We look forward to this partnership that will help us bring state-of-the-art comprehensive oncology care closer to our patients and community,” said Nelson Lazo, CEO of Bethesda Hospital East and Bethesda Hospital West.
For more information, call 561-955-6627 or visit www.brrh.com/Services/Lynn-Cancer-Institute.

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Baptist Health Medical Group North has named Marcella Gravalese, MBA-HSA, as vice president. She will lead the physician group’s development and operations and recruit new members to join the primary care and specialty physician practices.
With more than 20 years of experience in the health care industry, she most recently served as assistant vice president of operations at HCA Physician Services Group, east Florida division. In 2017, she was one of six scholars selected for the Thomas C. Dolan Executive Diversity Program by the American College of Healthcare Executives, and more recently, she was recognized as a “Dynamic Influencer” by the International Association of Women.

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In August, Delray Medical Center began to use the CORI surgical system for knee replacement surgery. The CORI is a handheld robotics-assisted technology that helps the surgeon plan and perform the procedure. Patients regain function faster and return home sooner with this technology. They also can keep more of their natural bone and ligaments. The 3D digital model allows for a surgical plan to be customized to a patient's anatomy, and the surgeon is able to choose from the widest selection of implants available for precision matching.
For more information, visit www.delraymedicalctr.com/services/orthopedics, or call 561-498-4440.

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Delray Medical Center also announced that it now uses the RED 62 Reperfusion Catheter & Benchmark BMX96 for stroke patients.
“The RED 62 is engineered with some of the latest innovations in tracking and aspiration technology to address large vessel blockages from a stroke located in more challenging areas, while maximizing powerful aspiration to remove blood clots,” said neurointerventionalist Dr. Dennys Reyes.
“With the help of the Benchmark BMX96 access system, hypotube technology provides a higher stability for more complex cases when it comes to treatment of a stroke. In addition, when performing a procedure, the catheter is designed to increase versatility and visualization designed to help offer patients the best possible outcomes.”
For more information, call 561-498-4440 or go to www.delraymedicalctr.com/services/neurosciences.

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The Palm Beach Research Center is recruiting participants for a plant-based COVID-19 vaccine study, which might appeal to some still hesitant to get vaccinated. According to researchers, the tobacco plant is used to carry a protein that mimics COVID-19. Once introduced through the body, it would create an immune response.
“No chemicals, all natural, and it is an injection— you do not smoke it,” said lead researcher David Scott of the Palm Beach Research Center. “The nicotine is not part of this. Tobacco is an intelligent plant, with many uses.”
Kentucky BioProcessing, based in Owensboro, is growing tobacco plants for the COVID-19 vaccine. According to KentuckyBio Processing, other phases of the clinical trial show the plant-based vaccine is safe, and the company is further investigating its benefits with a yearlong study. Participants will be paid more than $3,000. For more information, call 561-689-0606.

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JFK Medical Center received three American Heart Association Achievement Awards through its participation in the “Get With the Guidelines” programs for implementing improvements that ensure cardiovascular patients receive efficient and coordinated care.
“We are pleased to recognize JFK Medical Center for their commitment to cardiovascular care,” said Lee H. Schwamm, M.D., national chairman of the association’s quality oversight committee. “Research has shown that hospitals adhering to clinical measures through the American Heart Association’s quality improvement programs often see fewer readmissions and lower mortality rates.”

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BioFlorida, representing 6,700 establishments and research organizations in the bio-pharmaceutical, medical technology and bio-agriculture sectors that collectively employ 94,000 Floridians, has added five new board members. They are Thomas Equels of AIM ImmunoTech, Mark Friedman, Ph.D., of Axogen, Geoff Green of Longeveron, Adam Grossman of ADMA Biologics, and Joe Sardano of Sensus Healthcare.
“BioFlorida provides Florida’s life sciences industry with a venue to collaborate to address global health challenges,” said Rob Herzog, chairman of the BioFlorida board and vice president of research and operations at Advent Health. “I look forward to working with our new board members to continue to build Florida as a life sciences destination.” 

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

By Joyce Reingold

On Sept. 9, the Biden administration announced plans to require hospitals and health care facilities receiving Medicare and Medicaid funding to vaccinate their employees against the coronavirus.
“As the Delta variant continues to spread, we know the best defense against it lies with the COVID-19 vaccine,” Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services administrator, said in a press release. “Data show that the higher the level of vaccination rates among providers and staff, the lower the infection rate is among patients who are dependent upon them for care. Now is the time to act.”
Several hospital systems in South Florida had already done just that. In August, Baptist Health South Florida, whose hospitals include Boca Raton Regional and Bethesda East and West, announced an Oct. 31 deadline for employees, medical staff and volunteers to be immunized.
By early September, Dr. Samer Fahmy, vice president and chief medical officer of Boca Raton Regional Hospital, said approximately 70% of Baptist Health South Florida employees had been vaccinated, “regardless of any policies that were put in place.”
“So that was encouraging, and we’ve seen more and more folks step up and get vaccinated over the last couple of weeks now that they know that it will be required to continue working within the Baptist Health system,” said Fahmy, who has helped lead the pandemic response for Boca Raton Regional and Baptist Health South Florida.
Also prior to President Joe Biden’s announcement, some hospital systems said they would recommend but not require vaccinations. Tenet’s Palm Beach Health Network, which includes the Delray and West Boca medical centers, said in a statement, “We are strongly encouraging COVID-19 vaccinations for all of our employees. We have implemented vaccine education, a vaccine referral program and are offering on-site vaccine clinics.”
In May, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said employers may require employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19, but must make reasonable accommodations for employees who don’t get vaccinated because of a disability or a “sincerely held religious belief, practice or observance.”
Baptist Health is allowing religious and medical exemptions and has committees to review employee requests. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a medical exemption would apply to people “at risk for an adverse reaction because of an allergy to one of the vaccine components or a medical condition.”
Still, vaccine mandates have already been the subject of legal challenges and more will surely follow. In June, a federal judge dismissed a lawsuit brought by Jennifer Bridges and 116 other Houston Methodist Hospital employees challenging the organization’s vaccine requirement.
In his ruling, U.S. District Judge Lynn N. Hughes said, “Methodist is trying to do their business of saving lives without giving them the COVID-19 virus. It is a choice made to keep staff, patients, and their families safer. Bridges can freely choose to accept or refuse a COVID-19 vaccine; however, if she refuses, she will simply need to work somewhere else.”
In August, the Houston Chronicle reported that 62 former employees had sued the hospital, claiming wrongful termination. The suit was still pending in mid-September.
Fahmy acknowledges staff losses are a possibility, of course, but he’s cautiously optimistic.
“Is there the potential that the end of October rolls around and there are some unvaccinated employees that may be subject to termination from Baptist Health? Yes. That’s how serious we are about our vaccination efforts. You need to get vaccinated against COVID-19, not just for your own safety, but for the safety of the patients that you care for within our facilities. …
“Our hope is that it doesn’t have to come to that and that we can convince the folks that are eligible to receive vaccines to get them. But if it did come to that, there are plans in place for contingency staffing, if needed,” he said.

ER doctor calls mandates essential
Dr. Bill Benda, an emergency room physician and associate professor of emergency medicine at Florida Atlantic University, said in September he was surprised by the number of hospital workers who hadn’t been vaccinated — “I can’t give you anything exact. I’m going to guess a third or possibly less, including emergency department staff” — and believes the mandates are essential.
“Biden’s doing what has to be done. The military has to have it. Federal workers have to have it. These hospital systems are saying their employees have to have it,” says Benda, who lives in the County Pocket near Briny Breezes. “We tried conversation, we tried reasoning, and either people’s assumptions or their politics are getting in the way. And it’s not acceptable anymore. It’s not a big sacrifice.
“My father was a farmer’s son. And in the ’40s he enlisted in the Army to go to a country halfway across the world to protect people that he had no clue who they were. And fight an evil that wasn’t a direct threat to him. And not only did he do it, but rock stars like Elvis Presley did it. Movie stars — Jimmy Stewart — did it. Athletes — Joe DiMaggio — did it. And they did it because it was the right thing to do.
“People need to get off their collective asses and do the right thing … because the risk they are running is nowhere near what my dad faced. He did it because it was the right thing to do it. I don’t know how we lost that directive.”

Joyce Reingold writes about health and healthy living. Send column ideas to joyce.reingold@yahoo.com.