By Rich Pollack

Should a hurricane threaten this year, residents could have to choose between leaving their homes to avoid water and wind or remaining home to avoid contracting a deadly and highly contagious virus.

The decision, emergency managers say, is an easy one.

“Don’t not evacuate because of the coronavirus,” says Bill Johnson, director of Palm Beach County’s Emergency Management division.

Throughout Palm Beach County, emergency managers and law enforcement officials are brainstorming ideas on how to ensure residents stay safe should a hurricane threaten while the coronavirus remains a health concern.

The topic has been surfacing in daily meetings, where discussions include issues such as how to manage shelters during a pandemic as well as how to keep first responders safe.

“This hurricane season will be unique,” said Highland Beach Police Chief Craig Hartmann. “It’s not just the threat of a storm, it’s also the threat of a virus we can catch from one another.”

One topic of special concern to coastal residents is how to manage evacuations and how to ensure people fleeing a storm have safe places to go.

“Countywide, emergency management teams are working to assure we are capable of handling COVID-19 and evacuations at the same time,” said Ocean Ridge Police Chief Hal Hutchins.

However, the clear message is that the virus threat should not stand in the way of leaving home if you’re told to go.

“The risk to your safety is less if you evacuate than if you stay,” Hutchins said.

With hurricane season’s official beginning on June 1, Johnson and others say now is the time for people who live in evacuation zones to start making plans for where they will go should they be asked to leave their homes.

As always, the recommendation is to find shelter nearby rather than far away. At the same time, people should also search for ways to minimize the risk of contracting COVID-19.

“Is there a way you could shelter with family and friends and still maintain a safe distance?” says Chris Bell, Delray Beach’s new emergency manager.

Johnson says residents should have a Plan B in case the relatives or friends they expect to stay with start feeling ill.

Those who plan to evacuate to a hotel might also want to have a backup plan because hotel rooms could be harder to find — especially if they are used as shelters.

“Potentially there could be fewer hotel rooms available,” says Bell, who served as the director of preparedness for the state of Vermont. “If your plan was a hotel, think of a family you can go to as a backup.”

Statewide and locally, emergency managers are also exploring options to ensure that people who have no other place to go can shelter together safely.

In addition to possibly using hotel rooms, alternatives could include setting up special COVID-19 shelters or requiring those using community shelters to wear masks and stay a specified distance apart.

Hutchins said managers are also looking at ways to ensure that people with transportation needs are able to get to shelters if needed.
Johnson says that no matter where you go if you have to evacuate, the social distancing rules in place now would still apply.

Those same rules would apply to first responders who are often called upon to stay together at a central location during a storm.

Bell says a lot of the practices in place for emergency workers — temperature checks when they enter a building and the wearing of masks even inside — will be employed during a storm emergency.

While evacuations in coastal areas would be likely should a hurricane threaten, Johnson says those evacuations may not be as widespread as they have been in the past.

The county, he said, has been working with the National Hurricane Center on modeling of storm surge to determine degree of threat to certain coastal areas and to help further tailor evacuation zones. That could lead to ordering evacuations on a case-by-case basis.

Pedestrians in Highland Beach demonstrate good personal protection and social distancing. Although the man on the right can see oncoming traffic and gives the couple on the left plenty of room, police say it’s safer for walkers to stay off road shoulders or bike lanes. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Rich Pollack

Drive along State Road A1A in southern Palm Beach County and you’ll likely see quite a few more pedestrians than you normally might were it not for the coronavirus pandemic.

You likely also will see people practicing social distancing by walking along the shoulder of the road, between the white line and the swale.

That, say some in law enforcement, is a bad idea — and in some places it’s also against the law.

“Please don’t walk in the roadway because we don’t want you to get hit by a car,” said Ocean Ridge Police Chief Hal Hutchins. “If a sidewalk is provided, stay on the sidewalk.”

Hutchins said he and his officers saw a huge increase in the number of pedestrians on the sidewalk along A1A during the shutdown, in part because more people worked from home and because gyms, beaches and other exercise areas were closed.

That was also the case in most other coastal communities with walkways, including Highland Beach.

With so many people outside, it can be difficult to keep the recommended 6-foot separation.

But Hutchins says people can do it with common sense and common courtesy — and without having to step on the shoulder of the road.

He says people can step into a driveway or onto the grass if they see pedestrians approaching and want to keep 6 feet away.
“You should step aside if you have the ability to do so,” he said.

He also recommends wearing a mask if you’re walking along a heavily used path.

“We’re asking people to wear a face covering so they don’t have to walk in the roadway,” he said of Ocean Ridge.

In fact, he said, state law requires pedestrians to walk on a sidewalk if one is available.

While the goal is to ensure the safety of pedestrians, keeping walkers off the road also can help with the safety of bicyclists.

Bicyclist John Shoemaker, who is a Highland Beach town commissioner, said that when pedestrians walk on shoulders, which essentially serve as bike lanes, they pose a hazard for people on bikes.

“If pedestrians spill into the bike lane, then bicyclists have to go out into the roadway,” he said.

For his part, Hutchins believes people can be safer if they follow two simple instructions.

“Use common sense, and follow the state statutes,” he said.

By Charles Elmore

Even as Florida moves to reopen many businesses, COVID-19 deaths of residents at 18 long-term care facilities in or near Boynton Beach, Delray Beach and Boca Raton add to a mounting statewide toll that frustrates hopes to relax visitor restrictions at centers that care for older and medically vulnerable people.

By May 18, deaths among residents and staff at long-term care facilities around the state passed 900, state records show. That represented more than 40% of all virus-related fatalities Florida has identified. New cases of infection continue to emerge.
Stopping short of lifting a ban on most visitors, Gov. Ron DeSantis expressed concerns that isolation from loved ones comes with its own psychological and emotional costs.

“We’ve now been two months where visitors have not been allowed at these facilities,” DeSantis said May 13. “My view has been that I want to get to ‘yes’ on that. I just want to be able to know that we have procedures in place that if someone goes to visit their mother, that two weeks later we are not going to have 50 infections roil a nursing home or a long-term care facility.”

State rules effective May 18 allowed gyms, museums, restaurants and retailers to reopen or expand capacity.

Officials have been grappling with what steps to take next with long-term care facilities.

Dr. Deborah Birx, the coordinator of the White House coronavirus task force, recommended to governors on a May 11 call that all residents and staff at long-term care facilities be tested as soon as possible. 

DeSantis said his office’s March 14 executive order banning visitors to the centers helped slow the rate of the virus’ spread compared to that in many other states. He noted that teams of Florida National Guard medics have tested 32,000 residents and staff of long-term care facilities.

Senior advocates said the testing has not gone far enough to protect residents facing the highest risks in the pandemic, in a state with nearly 200,000 beds in nursing homes and assisted-living facilities.

“While there are encouraging signs across the state that mitigation measures have slowed the growth of the virus, residents and staff of elder-care facilities remain at serious risk,” AARP State Director Jeff Johnson said in a statement.

He called it “clear that the virus is getting into these facilities through contractors and staff. Only widespread, repeated testing will work. By testing only a few locations on a few occasions, we’re leaving too much to chance.”

One industry executive urged people to contact Congress to advocate for federal funding to meet critical needs such as protective gear and testing. He called for thousands of letters.

“It is clear we have made significant investments to help protect the safety and well-being of our residents and team members,” Chris Winkle, CEO of Sunrise Senior Living, said in a May 12 letter posted on the website of Stratford Court in Boca Raton. “But when it comes to federal funding to support this critical work, unlike the airlines, hospitality and other industries, assisted living has been left out of the conversation. And, the incredible efforts of our heroes, the team members on the front line serving our seniors, are going unnoticed.”

Records posted by the Florida Department of Health show Stratford Court with seven deaths of residents as of May 15, one more than a week earlier.

Eight resident deaths were reported at Boulevard Rehabilitation Center in Boynton Beach as of May 15, compared to six a week earlier, records show. The center’s website says it serves residents in short-term as well as longer stays.

Boulevard is “doing everything possible to limit COVID-19’s impact at our center,” a spokeswoman said. “Our professional staff are doing heroic work through this crisis, and we are adhering to recommended protocols and guidelines from local, state and federal public health agencies and medical experts.”

Ten residents and 10 staff members tested positive for the virus at Avante at Boca Raton Inc., and four residents transferred, records posted May 15 show. That compares to two positive residents who transferred and three staff who were known to have the virus as of April 27. One resident died, according to state records.

Other facilities with virus-related deaths the state reported by May 15 included Regents Park Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Boca Raton (7 deaths), Hamlin Place of Boynton Beach (6), Manorcare Health Services in Boynton Beach (6), Heartland Health Care and Rehabilitation Center of Boca Raton (5), Sonata Boynton Beach (4), Lake View Care Center at Delray (3), and Willowbrooke Court at St. Andrews Estates in Boca (2).

State records showed one resident’s death each at Brighton Gardens of Boca Raton, Brookdale West Boynton Beach, Five Star Premier Residences of Boca Raton, Harbour’s Edge in Delray Beach, Heartland Health Care Center in Boynton Beach, Parkside Inn in Boynton Beach, The Meridian at Boca Raton, and Ventura Health and Rehabilitation Center in Boynton Beach.

In all, Palm Beach County saw 96 deaths by May 18 among residents and staff at long-term care facilities, ranking third in the state behind Miami-Dade and Broward counties, according to the Florida Department of Health. The state agency reported 901 deaths at such facilities statewide, accounting for about 45% of Florida’s overall COVID-19 death toll of 1,997.

Birthday celebrations, graduations, hair appointments ­— few things in everyday life look as they did before COVID-19 arrived

Thirteen-year-old Kenzi Mendel rides on the back of a golf cart with her mother, Amani. Kenzi celebrated her birthday by motoring around her neighborhood in Ocean Ridge and accepting gifts and posters from dozens of neighbors and friends, like Sharon DeCardenas (right). Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

A member of the National Guard instructs drivers on protocol at the COVID-19 testing site at the South County Civic Center in Delray Beach on April 7. Testing is done only by appointment for residents over age 16 who show symptoms. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

Linda Loch, owner of Briny Beauty Salon, puts curlers in the hair of a longtime client. Loch wears a mask to help protect her
customers. Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

Graduates from Saint John Paul II High School were honored by posters lined up in the front yard of the school in Boca Raton. Photo provided

People in the citizen-driven South Florida Tri-County Car Caravan traveled throughout the area to encourage local and state officials to lift restrictions that eventually stood in place for about six weeks before they began to be phased out. Here the caravan makes its way along Atlantic Avenue in Delray Beach on April 19. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Dan Moffett

The Town Council is moving closer to hiring a communications contractor to improve South Palm Beach’s internet connections and emergency messaging with residents.

During their May 12 meeting, council members approved drafting a contract with The Merchant Strategy Inc., a West Palm Beach public relations firm headed by former state legislator Sharon Merchant.

Another West Palm Beach firm, My PR Guru, also remains a candidate for the contract. The two companies scored highest in council members’ evaluations of services from several applicants.

“We have to decide what we need,” said Mayor Bonnie Fischer. “We’re not that close right now, and I think we’ll need a workshop to make the decision.”

Fischer said she wants the town’s website to do a better job reaching out to residents and enlisting their involvement in government and recreational activities. Vice Mayor Robert Gottlieb believes a town Facebook page might be part of the solution.

“We’re a unique small town,” Fischer said. “We have to figure out how to reach people. A lot of our residents don’t even have cellphones.”

Improving communications took on a new urgency last Thanksgiving weekend when a water main broke outside the Mayfair condos, parts of the town lost service and utilities officials put out a boil-water advisory. Fischer said she had no way to quickly alert residents and had to post flyers in the lobbies of condo buildings.

The council is looking for a way to send out mass emails or text messages to as much of the town’s population as possible.

In other news:

• Town Manager Robert Kellogg and Fischer distributed several thousand surgical face masks throughout the town last month.
Council members endorsed buying the masks to promote public safety in dealing with the coronavirus.

“When no one else thought about getting masks for the citizens of South Palm Beach,” said resident Christine Mang, “Mayor Fischer was the one who stepped up.”

• As of mid-May, the town had one confirmed death from COVID-19. John Thomas “Tom” Craciun died April 1 in West Palm Beach, a couple of weeks after contracting the disease.

Mr. Craciun, who was 77, owned a home in The Tuscany for about 12 years and was a familiar presence around the condo swimming pool. Originally from Warren, Ohio, he was an all-state swimming champion in high school who competed at Ohio State and Youngstown State universities. He set a world record in the 40-yard freestyle just before that distance was discontinued.

Mr. Craciun worked 30 years as a supervisor in a General Motors plant before relocating to Florida. He loved buying and selling vintage high-performance cars. He is survived by his ex-wife, Nanci, longtime ex-girlfriend Wendy, son Jon Paul, grandsons Maxwell and Levi, daughter Nancy Jean and granddaughters Hunter and Addison. 

• Former South Palm Beach resident Lucille Flagello died on April 4, in Mahwah, N.J., after a short illness. She was 79.

Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Mrs. Flagello was active in South Palm community events and a frequent participant in council meetings. Her son Joseph Flagello Jr., a chiropractor, served as the town’s vice mayor until dying suddenly of heart failure at the age of 51 in 2017. Both were members of the Palmsea condo association.

“She was a wonderful person with a wonderful personality,” Fischer said. “Look at the son she produced.”

The council appointed Mrs. Flagello to serve out the remainder of her son’s term after his death.

Customers expecting to pay for meals at Cafe Frankie’s in Boynton Beach watch Dena Balka insist the food is free. She and other employees handed out dozens of meals for a few hours on May 6 after one of the regular patrons gifted them with enough money to ‘feed the needy.’Photos by Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

By Jan Norris

For most restaurants, the start of the state’s reopening is at least some relief from what Luke Therien calls “the most difficult” time he’s faced as a restaurateur.

His family has owned Boynton Beach’s Banana Boat for 41 years, and Prime Catch for 16.

Hurricanes, construction and other setbacks don’t compare to the loss of business that COVID-19 and the state’s subsequent shutdown have caused the hospitality industry, he said.

“Nobody’s seen anything like it,” he said. “But we’ll get through it.”

Now they’re gradually coming back after the governor started lifting closures. With Phase 2 implemented after a week of Phase 1 soft openings, most restaurants are reopened, including favorites such as John G’s and Johnnie Brown’s.

Guidelines effective May 18 called for reducing capacity for indoor seating to 50%, and outdoors, table seating 6 feet apart. Bars remained closed.

Restaurateurs have different approaches to comply with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention sanitation rules and stipulations for occupancy. However, none can predict what the new business model will look like completely.

Most have reconfigured dining room seating, spacing out tables, and dedicating workers to clean and sanitize spaces in between guests’ arrivals. Todd Herbst of the Big Time Restaurant Group, owner of Elisabetta’s, Louie Bossi’s and Rocco’s Tacos in Delray Beach and Boca Raton, says through it all, they’ve taken it one day at a time. The restaurants moved out tables and roped some off. Bar areas are off limits to patrons except to walk up and order a drink to take to a seat elsewhere, or else servers can bring the drinks to diners. The social-distancing rule of 6 feet applies throughout.

“No one is allowed to stand or sit at the bar,” Herbst said.

The outdoor seating can make up for it: There is no limit to outdoor capacity as long as it’s spaced according to guidelines. “We’re lucky in some regards. Louie Bossi’s in Boca has a large exterior, and Lisabetta’s has two floors of outdoor space,” Herbst said. “Rocco’s downtown Delray has some. That’s still not a hell of a lot of seats.”

Vaughan Dugan, co-owner of Kapow! and The Dubliner in Boca Raton’s Mizner Park, is excited about reopening. “The City Council has been great working with us, and they voted to close the street. We’ve got a tent coming with tables so we can set them six feet apart.

“We had to think outside the box. I think the creativity we’re seeing as the restaurants face the challenge is exciting.”
Dugan points to Death or Glory in Delray Beach. It is using blow-up dolls as seat placeholders to maintain the 6-foot separation inside the restaurant.

He saw another restaurant that solved the bar situation by pushing high-top tables for two up against the bar. “Technically, they’re at the bar, but at a table.” The tables prevent patrons from gathering at the bar.

Loyal bar customers at Kapow! are confused, Dugan said. “They come in to drink and we have to tell them they have to take it to a table. They’re a little lost — they don’t know what to do.”

His first week open at Kapow! was down only slightly from business during season, he said. “But it’s too soon to comment. We did all right despite having only three tables in the restaurant. We’re small inside anyway.”

He’s partnering with other chefs and restaurants, helping them out. For a pop-up in The Dubliner, the staff is using Troy’s BBQ from Boynton Beach to put barbecue ribs on the menu.

As for safety compliance, staffers wear masks and sanitizing “holsters” that have spray and hand sanitizer; menus are disposable paper that are tossed after every use.

“We just had a staff meeting to teach them how we’ll be doing things: how to change gloves properly, sanitize tables and wash hands.

“But we explained why we’re doing it more than anything. It’s for the safety of our guests and our staff,” Dugan said.

Jason Sobel, operations manager for Casa D’Angelo in Boca Raton and Angelo Elia Pizza, Bar and Tapas in Delray Beach, said the company is going beyond guidelines, using new technology to keep diners safe.

The company purchased UV wands to sanitize tables, and installed hand-sanitizing stations through the restaurants and at doors. “There will be temperature checks of staff as well,” he said.

They seat at every other table rather than remove tables.

“The extra tables will act as barriers, and it’s nicer to have a lot of tables in the restaurant,” Sobel said.

For now the two restaurants set tables on demand, taking only customers with reservations. Diners will no longer see tableware such as salt and pepper and other dispensers that would be reused. “Everything is going to be brought out, and cleaned in between usage,” Sobel said.

Ren Kuikahi and Pam Edwards enjoy breakfast at Caffe Luna Rosa in Delray Beach on May 12. The restaurant employed social distancing with more space than usual between tables and most patrons sitting outdoors.

At Rose’s Daughter and Brulé in Delray Beach, owner Suzanne Perrotto has bought air-scrubbing machines.

“They are amazing. You can tell the difference in the air immediately,” she said. Several of her staffers have asthma and can’t wear masks, so she’s using the machines, sanitation stations and a revamped dish station that has sanitizer at every stop. Each restaurant also has plenty of outdoor seating.

She’s schooled her staffers in sanitation and told them that reopening is all about creating jobs, not making money. “We’re a business, of course, and we want to make money, but we want people to have jobs, too. To get back to work. That’s the most important thing right now.” Therien is watching it all unfold, too. He opened Banana Boat during Phase 1, but Prime Catch remains closed until the end of May. It has to do with parking lot construction and not the virus.

“There’s no place to park,” he said. “It’s literally impossible.”

Diners would have to park too far away and get through a construction zone to make it to the waterfront restaurant.

“If the parking lot had been done, we’d have opened. Over half of our seating there is outside.

“Our staff is ready, and anxious. Since we reopened Banana Boat, we haven’t lost any staff.”

Benny’s on the Beach management brought back its staff of 90 members. Benny’s partner Max Lipton said they could be needed soon, since the city of Lake Worth Beach has worked with Benny’s to reconfigure more seating space outdoors, both on the east and west ends. Benny’s sits on the entrance to Lake Worth Pier.

It turned the bar area into table seating since no bar patrons can congregate there.

Benny’s is open for breakfast and is one of the few around with outdoor seating waterfront.

“We are hoping and praying we’re one of the first beacons of hope for everybody,” Lipton said. “We’re anticipating we might get a pretty decent surge of business. We want everybody to be safe and comfortable but we want to do as much business as possible.”
Over at Driftwood in Boynton Beach, Jimmy Everett said reopening to diners coming in to eat was another adjustment after he did so much take-out.

“There were longer wait times than we wanted, trying to get the food out for take-out and to the tables,” he said. “But everyone was just so glad to be out, they were respectful and understanding.” Take-out will still be part of the new model, he said. Customers have come to expect it. “We make adjustments daily. We’re able to sustain this for the time being,” Everett said.

Now he’s seating guests in every other booth and has added outdoor tables.

“I’m not going to be putting in partitions between booths or anything like that,” he said.

“You can’t kick someone out of the restaurant if they cough. We definitely plan on having signs and letting people know if anything they do is making others uncomfortable, they’ll be asked to leave.

“But I’m nervous about that, too. It’s a concern. You don’t want to open your doors if we have to be kicking people out if they’re disrespectful.”

All in all, Everett said, beyond the guidelines set forth, it’s all new territory for restaurants. “There’s not a right or wrong way, we’re just adapting and doing the best we can based on new information.”

He says he’s somewhat worried it’s too soon to reopen, despite attempts to keep non-essential traffic out of the restaurant and sanitizing beyond specifications.

He thinks opening too soon, then facing another shutdown could be worse than the initial closures. “It’s very important that it is responsible to reopen, and this doesn’t happen again.”

Herbst is optimistic things will rebound in time. How much time, he doesn’t know.

“We know we will get through it. The country’s been through a lot — wars, depressions — the world has been through it all. It’s just a time frame. How long before we get to the other side, who knows? I like to quote Churchill: ‘When you’re going through hell, keep going.’

“The quicker, the better.”

These listings take into account the next edition of The Coastal Star, scheduled for delivery the weekend of July 4.

5/26 & 6/23 - Manalapan - Manalapan Town Hall, 600 S Ocean Blvd. 10 am. Agenda: manalapan.org

5/27, 6/9 & 23 - Boca Raton - Boca Raton City Hall, 201 W Palmetto Park Rd. 6 pm. Agenda: myboca.us

6/1 - Ocean Ridge - Ocean Ridge Town Hall, 6450 N Ocean Blvd. 6 pm. Agenda: oceanridgeflorida.com

6/2 & 16 - Boynton Beach - Boynton Beach City Hall, 100 E Boynton Beach Blvd. 5:30 pm. Agenda: boynton-beach.org

6/2 & 16 - Delray Beach - Delray Beach City Hall, 100 NW 1st Ave. 4 pm. Agenda: delraybeachfl.gov

6/2 & 16 - Highland Beach - Highland Beach Town Hall, 3614 S Ocean Blvd. 1:30 pm. Agenda: highlandbeach.us

6/8 & 22 - Lantana - Lantana Town Hall, 500 Greynolds Cir. 7 pm. Agenda: lantana.org

6/9 - South Palm Beach - South Palm Beach Town Hall, 3577 S Ocean Blvd. 4 pm. Agenda: southpalmbeach.com

6/12 - Gulf Stream - Gulf Stream Town Hall, 100 Sea Rd. 9 am. Agenda: gulf-stream.org

6/25 - Briny Breezes - Briny Breezes Town Hall, 4802 N Ocean Blvd. 4 pm. Agenda: townofbrinybreezes-fl.com

NOTE: Many meetings are being held via teleconferencing. Please check websites for information on participation.

By Mary Thurwachter

Plans to make better use of space and add a meeting room and outdoor reading garden to the town library won the approval of the Lantana Town Council on May 11.

The proposal, promoted by the Library Foundation and its chairman, Robert Barfknecht, boasts ADA-compliant restrooms, a centralized circulation desk, special spaces for children and teens and a community center for adult activities.

The lead architect for the project, Sam Ferreri of PGAL of Boca Raton, said the 4,000-square-foot library is headquartered in a former bank building with bookshelves breaking up the space. The bank’s old covered drive-thru isn’t being used, he said, but is a perfect location for a meeting room addition and is in close proximity to restrooms. So the meeting room can be used even when the library isn’t open, it will have a separate entrance.

Four parking spaces will be added to the current 14 in the north parking lot, and 25 more spaces are available on the Third Street lot. A few on-street parking spaces are available on Third Street and Ocean Avenue. The library’s main entrance will be from the north parking lot.

“The challenge with libraries is to have flexible space,” said Ferreri, who has designed libraries both large and small. “You’re very lucky to have a building, the bank building, with good bones. It’s very open and very flexible. I think there’s a lot of opportunity here and I’m very excited to be part of this.”

Barfknecht said that among all the architects with whom the foundation worked, six plans were considered. “The one you’re seeing tonight is the one that’s got us all very excited,” he said. “It solves so many problems and it gives us an additional 33% more space for library users. It’s also very children-centric.”

Cost of the project is $748,636, but the town has already put aside $400,000 for the library from Palm Beach County’s 1-cent sales tax distribution. The Library Foundation paid for the design fees and studies and will donate $50,000 for an outdoor reading garden on the south side of the meeting room.

Council members agreed to take the balance needed to complete the project — about $300,000 — from undesignated reserves.
While the renovation plans were well-received and eventually approved, the council delayed a decision until it had a chance to hear from local developer Michael Mauro, who pitched some alternative plans for the library at the same May 11 meeting.

Mauro, who wants to build a 10- to 12-story hotel (the town’s height limit is five stories) on and around the former bowling alley property next to library, is interested in purchasing the current library or exchanging it for another parcel to construct a new building, or building a new library near Town Hall. He said appraisals for the current library ranged from $730,000 to $750,000.

Mayor Dave Stewart wondered if Mauro could totally finance the construction of a new library on Greynolds Circle, near Town Hall. Mauro said he would have to consult with his partners about that.

Vice Mayor Lynn Moorhouse said he favored the Library Foundation’s proposal. He said it could be complete in about a year, while building an entirely new library would take much longer.

The foundation’s plan also drew overwhelming support from residents, many of whom either spoke during the meeting or sent letters.

The library has been at 205 W. Ocean Ave. since the early 1990s after the Carteret Savings & Loan failed. Before that, the library, initially run by the Lantana Women’s Club, was housed in the former bridge-tender’s house on Ocean Avenue since 1947.

Next year Lantana will celebrate its 100th birthday and Barfknecht said it would be a perfect time to mark the occasion with a renovated modern library.

In other business during April and May, the town:
• Agreed to put on a Fourth of July fireworks show on the Intracoastal Waterway off the shores of Bicentennial Park. However, because of the pandemic, no events are planned in the park on that day.
• Set 5:30 p.m. June 8 as the date for the first budget workshop at Town Hall.
• Awarded a $114,762 contract to CH Global Construction to build new public restrooms at Bicentennial Park.
• Approved a $57,350 contract with Baxter Restoration of Boca Raton for the biomediation and rehabilitation of the marine safety building at the beach. Ú

Online tools allow organizations like the Boca Raton Chamber to provide training seminars with no health risk to attendees. Photo provided

By Christine Davis 

In days to come, what will “business as usual” look like? Here’s how our chambers of commerce see it.

Stephanie Immelman, CEO of the Greater Delray Beach Chamber of Commerce, says the chamber and its members are “pivoting” in various ways in reaction to the coronavirus.

“We are going to continue providing online content, such as webinars and forums,” she says, while mentioning other local businesses looking at new ways to operate.

“We have worked closely with the Business Assistance Task Force, made up of the city, CRA, DDA and chamber, and we worked with about 25 local business leaders from all industries to garner their input for best practices for the phased reopenings,” Immelman said.

SEP Communications, a printing company, is selling personal protection equipment online to help employees of essential businesses stay safe; Signarama is providing customers with plexiglass shields to help with distancing and health safety as businesses reopen, and Studio B2, a photography service in Delray, is working with clients to improve their online presence via search engine optimization.

“Our goal was to be the primary source of relevant information for our membership and our community during this time,” Immelman says.

The chamber has continued with its Delray Morning Live Facebook show with Amanda Perna and Ryan Boylston at 8:30 a.m. Wednesdays. It’s been sending out daily email blasts with city news and tips for members. It has redesigned DelrayBeach.com, initiated weekly lunch-and-learn webinars on Tuesdays at 12:30 p.m. and continued online meetings with the Government Affairs First Friday Forum.

“Not only do we have a lot of participation online, many others watch later — so we are reaching a bigger audience,” Immelman says. “We will continue with all these initiatives, even when we are able to meet in person, because it has extended our reach and our audience.”
 
The Delray Beach Downtown Development Authority suggests that people check out downtowndelraybeach.com/emergency411 for up-to-date information. It includes safety measures, ways to support small businesses, and lists of restaurants and other businesses open during the phased process. 

Executive Director Laura Simon notes that “many have adjusted their operating style to navigate the new normal. They have ramped up or launched a social media presence. Restaurants have added curbside takeout and increased delivery options. The fitness studios are doing online classes and have found that they are reaching a wider audience.” Businesses are finding that such practices can drive sales, create interest from outside Delray Beach and enhance their marketing efforts, so they plan to continue along these avenues, Simon said. What this crisis has also provided is time for them to stop, re-evaluate and adjust their business models, which in turn will aid them in the future.

Monthly First Friday art walks, for example, have gone online, and a couple of the hotels are offering specials to first responders.
Gulf Stream resident Carrie Delafield’s three stores, Periwinkle, Morley and Coco & Company, started a “Send A Little Sunshine” promotion in which they put together a surprise package of items for shoppers to send to someone to brighten their day.
 
Although the Boca Chamber is heavily involved with a Moving Business Forward initiative on how to reopen businesses and nonprofits safely, CEO Troy McLellan acknowledges that by a chamber’s very nature, it is about members connecting in person for workshops, meetings and so on.

“However, the current atmosphere has given us the opportunity to think about how to communicate,” he says. “We’ve cranked out so many virtual meetings, which the coronavirus made necessary, because in-person meetings necessitate protocols regarding social distancing” and disinfecting the venues afterward.

“I plan to bring my team back to our office when we can, but we are going to look at our structures as well as our remote-working policies.”

As businesses reopen, “they have the top priorities of keeping their employees and customers safe,” McLellan says.

“I believe that the amount of activity they will see will be driven by consumer confidence and it will be up to the businesses to instill that confidence in their customers. They are doing a great job with complying with guidelines and that’s been good to see.”
 
The Lantana Chamber of Commerce, which usually has in-house group activities and weekly meetings, has instituted a twice-a-month Zoom get-together and business card exchange, says the chamber’s president, David Arm.

He says that he’s seeing brick-and-mortar businesses being hit harder than legal, insurance and accounting firms that are conducting business without meeting face-to-face with their clients.

“The insurance business seems to be doing quite well,” he says. “The restaurants were obviously severely restricted, and most were surviving by offering takeout and delivery services.”

Now restaurants and retail businesses have reopened on a limited basis, “but many are still doing specials and take-outs,” Arm says of restaurants. “And in Lantana, they can apply for outdoor seating permits, for free.”

Other than that, is he seeing businesses pivot? “Not really so much,” he says. “Most people are considering this situation as a temporary phenomenon that could have permanent implications. This will eventually go away.

“But, realistically, I think this whole experience is going to be a work in progress for some time. We don’t know how the customers and clients are going to react. Are they going to be gun-shy? And so, I think it’s a matter of businesses adapting, and once they open up, they will change their game plans and the way they do business on an ongoing basis.”
 

In other local business news:

Delivery Dudes has gone the extra mile with its launch of Dudes Bodega, which rolled out in Boca Raton, Delray Beach and Boynton Beach.

A solution to help residents who need essential supplies but can’t or shouldn’t leave their homes, Dudes Bodega offers pickup and delivery from anywhere for a flat fee of $5.

Delivery Dudes, based in Delray Beach, has also secured health care professionals to train team members on how to conduct health and temperature checks before every shift at all Delivery Dudes hubs.

Customers can visit DeliveryDudes.com, use the app, or call 561-900-7060 to place an order.
 

Members of the Lang Cares team, including Scott Agran in the foreground, made sure that local feeding programs could stay on target. Photo provided

Lang Realty agents spent the last week in April delivering meals to first responders, donating money and food to area food banks and sponsoring 250 meals for people in need.

Lang Realty’s corporate office presented a $1,000 check to The Soup Kitchen of Boynton Beach, and its Boca Raton sales office delivered several boxes of dried and canned goods to Boca Helping Hands.

Lang also sponsored the hot meals service at Trinity Lutheran Church in Delray Beach, the charity partner for the Socially Distanced Supper Club.

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

OCEAN RIDGE — Lanie “Adaline” Hall Gray of Ocean Ridge and formerly of Kinston, North Carolina, died May 7. She was 91.

Born to Frank and Lanie Hall on Sept. 7, 1928, in Lenoir County, North Carolina, the young Ms. Hall attended Contentnea School and Dover High School, graduating valedictorian of her class. She worked at Marston’s Drug Store before starting her career as a telephone operator at the Carolina Telephone Co., where she worked for 33 years.

Family was the joy of Mrs. Gray’s life and she treasured the time spent with her children, their spouses, her seven grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren. She was thrilled as well to spend time with her beloved sisters and their families.

Mrs. Gray was a longtime and devoted member of First Free Will Baptist Church and Westside Free Will Baptist Church until moving to Florida in 1999, where she attended Bibletown Church, Lakeview Baptist and most recently, First Baptist Church of Hypoluxo. Mrs. Gray dedicated her life to the Lord’s work, whether it was teaching Sunday school, directing church plays, visiting her beloved Cragmont Camp or speaking in churches about her love of missions, including her trips to Mexico and the Philippines.
Always a witness through word and deed, Mrs. Gray led many to find the Lord through her lifelong example of Christ’s selfless love. Her home and heart were always open to everyone and she was loved by all who knew her.

Mrs. Gray is preceded in death by her parents, her husband, George Edward “Pete” Gray, her brother Elwood Hall and her sister Jean Phillips.

Mrs. Gray is survived by her sisters, Helen (Leland) Potter, Alice (Bruce) Sloan and Kay (Carl) Hinz. Additional survivors are her son George Edward “Eddie” Gray Jr. and his wife, Debbie Gray, of Kinston, North Carolina; her daughter Marsha Gray Hill and her husband, Gregg Hill, of Ocean Ridge; grandchildren Gregg (Stephanie) Hill of Winter Park; Lauren (Chip) Kelso of Atlanta; Brittany (Neil) Carter of Atlanta; Gray (Courtney) Hill of Maitland: Drew (Jenny) Hill of Winter Park; Dara (John) English of Greenville, North Carolina; and George Edward “Trey”Gray III (Gwen Lapas, fiancée) of Kinston. Her great-grandchildren are Hill Kelso, Sawyer Kelso, Louden Hill, Lanie Kelso, Meta Hill, Britt Kelso, Holden Hill, Charlotte Hill, Penn Carter, Hewitt Hill, Jack English, Betsy Hill, Gray Carter, Anna Gray Hill and Wells Carter. She also leaves behind many dear friends and relatives.
The family is eternally grateful for “Adaline’s angels,” Maria, Regina and Hilda, and the amazing love and care they provided.
Final arrangements are pending, with details to be provided at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Cragmont Assembly in Adaline Gray’s name, Cragmont Assembly, 1233 N. Fork Road, Black Mountain, NC 28711.

Arrangements are by Edwards Funeral Home & Cremations of Kinston. Online condolences may be expressed at www.edwardsfhc.com.

— Submitted by the family

By Dan Moffett

SOUTH PALM BEACH — Donald Clayman guided South Palm Beach through one of the most difficult periods in its history with an upbeat attitude and a common-sense approach, delivered with a Boston accent.

When he was appointed to the job of mayor in 2010, the town’s budget was in crisis because of the national recession and its image tarnished because of a scandal involving his predecessor.

But the retired podiatrist kept his focus and optimism. When he left office in 2015, the Town Council called him in to receive an award for his service. He gave a gracious thank-you to officials and residents, then said he would walk out the door.

“I want to leave when everyone is still applauding,” Mr. Clayman said.

The applause swelled as he left the chambers.

Mr. Clayman died May 7 in Tewksbury, Massachusetts, after a short illness. He was 84. Natalie Shulman Clayman, his wife of 59 years, had died in 2016.

“For Mayor Clayman, community service was his passion,” said Yude Alvarez, the town clerk who served alongside him. “Mayor Clayman had the ability to bring people together to drive positive change. He made the world a better place and will be sorely missed.”

Born in Boston, Mr. Clayman loved youth hockey, which he coached, and Red Sox baseball, which he would discuss with anyone willing to listen. He was a proud member of the Kiwanis Club, Florida League of Cities and the Palm Beach County Medical Society.

Mr. Clayman served two years as president of the Palm Beach Harbour Club and sat on the condo board. He was president of the Ocean Lodge B’nai Brith in Winthrop, Massachusetts.

“He was a very active man with great energy, and he was never on the sidelines,” said Ellen Salth, who served with him on the condo board. “He threw his whole heart into everything he did.”

Salth said Mr. Clayman volunteered his medical services to help poor communities in South Florida. He also drew on his expertise to hold flu clinics and an H1N1 virus prevention program in the town.

“He had a warm smile and a firm handshake,” said Elvadianne Culbertson, a former council member. “That’s the kind of thing you want to remember.”

Mr. Clayman earned his doctor of podiatry degree at Kent State University in Ohio. He raised his family in Winthrop, where he resided for 40 years.

He is survived by his children, Bryan Clayman and his wife, Debbie, of Stoughton, Massachusetts; Cynthia McKeon and her husband, Tony, of Salem, New Hampshire; and Alycia Avery and her longtime partner, Jeff Ouellette, of Hudson, New Hampshire; five grandchildren, Bradly, Jayme, Alexa, Dylan and Zachary; his brother, Burton Clayman of Destin; his sister, Marcia Drieker of Florida; as well as a great-grandchild expected this fall.

Bonnie Fischer handed Mr. Clayman his only election loss in 2015 after a hard-fought campaign for mayor.

“I ran into him after the election and he told me he was going back north to live in New Hampshire and be near family,” Fischer recalls. “He told me he was glad I’d won. ‘Everything worked out for the best,’ he said. That was important to me. We kept our good relationship. He left town on a high note.”

Robert Barfknecht, chairman of the Lantana Library Foundation, is as much a part of the library as is the ponytail palm outside. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

Related Story: Library on track for renovation, modernization

By Brian Biggane

It was no surprise some years back when Hypoluxo Island resident Robert Barfknecht, a voracious reader, became a dues-paying member of the Lantana Library Foundation.

Then, about 10 years ago, he became even more.

“I made the mistake of giving them too much money one year and they immediately invited me to become a member of the foundation’s board of directors,” Barfknecht recalled with a laugh. “I accepted delightfully. I like giving back to the communities where I’ve lived and prospered.”

Sanford “Sandy” Beach was the foundation director at the time “and he was very, very passionate about the library,” Barfknecht said. “Later Sandy left, and I was got elected chairman of the foundation.”

Located for the past 25 years in an old bank building on Ocean Avenue just west of the railroad tracks, the library is not in the county system but is maintained and supported by the town of Lantana.

“Sid Patchett, the director for so many years, worked hard to make it different, through the quality of the literature that was to be found there,” Barfknecht said.

Patchett died last year and Barfknecht oversaw the hiring of his replacement, Kristine Kreidler.

But now he and his board have a much larger assignment.

The 1-cent sales tax increase levied by Palm Beach County a few years ago has allowed Lantana to improve some public utilities and, according to Barfknecht, much of the money for a significant upgrade in the library is in this year’s budget.

The foundation interviewed four architectural firms and hired PGAL of Boca Raton, which has designed more than 30 libraries. Former Greenacres Mayor Sam Ferrari is the lead architect.

“What we have in that plan are some wonderful spaces for children, special places for teens, a teen creation lab, and also a community center for adult activities. That’s something that’s missing here,” Barfknecht said. “It’s going to enrich our community and bring us forward for the next decades.”

The plan was approved by the Town Council at its May 11 meeting. Barfknecht was praised for his dedication to the effort.
As it happens, the meeting coincided with Barfknect’s 82nd birthday, “and I can’t imagine a better birthday present. Our community needs it and will prosper with it.”

Q: Where did you grow up and go to school? How do you think that has influenced you?

A: I grew up in the city of Detroit when it was the industrial center of the world. I went to school and university there, earning a B.S. in mechanical engineering and an M.S. in engineering mechanics at Wayne State University.

It was a great place to work in my chosen profession as there were producers of every kind of product and their support industries. I worked for a consulting engineering firm started by several of my professors at the university and gained incredible experience across many industries as a young project engineer.

Q: What professional accomplishments are you most proud of?

A: I developed an early pneumatically powered robot that was quite successful. I also obtained my license as a registered professional engineer. I maintain that license in Michigan even today.

After the Detroit riots in 1967, with the burning of large parts of the city, my wife and I began planning our departure. My experience in Detroit convinced me that I could find useful employment anywhere in the world. So, Louise and I decided to go to my mother’s beautiful country of Italy to learn the language and perhaps learn to cook like my grandmother did. Louise suggested that we go to Italy via the Orient.

In August 1969, I resigned my position, we sold our stuff, packed two backpacks and flew west to California, Hawaii and Japan to begin our five-month trip to Florence, Italy, where we had reserved spots in a good language school. Louise published a memoir about all this called Leaving Detroit, which is available on Amazon and at the Lantana and Manalapan libraries.
We had saved enough money to last at least a year while I learned enough Italian to find professional employment. It took longer than I thought. But after a year in the wonderful city of Florence we had made enough friends to find small jobs to augment our savings.

I worked as a carpenter and as a house painter for an American countess who owned a grand villa. These were skills that my father had taught me and that I had used to work my way through college. As we got better with the language we both found work as translators. 

Q: Have you had mentors in your life? Individuals who have inspired your life decisions?

A: In Italy, while working to upgrade the former villa stables to a grand apartment, I was introduced to the new renter, an American named Bob Collier, who had arrived to take over an Italian plastics company. We hit it off. After building him some closets and painting the place to his satisfaction, I gave him my bill and enclosed my résumé. I asked him to call me if he ever needed a good engineer.

Two weeks later he called, and that began what became a wonderful 20-year career with Mobil Corp. I was hired first as a consultant to help them purchase three Italian plastic manufacturing plants in northern Italy. Then they hired me to be engineering manager, operations manager and ultimately general manager of various plastics manufacturing businesses in Europe and the United States. This marvelous man became my mentor and helped me launch a great new career.

Q: What advice do you have for a young person seeking a career today?

A: Get the best technical education you can. This will give you independence. With a great technical education, you can go where you wish and find a good occupation and a good life.

Q: How did you choose to make your home in Lantana on Hypoluxo Island?

A: During our early years in Italy we returned on a visit to Detroit to find my old neighborhood very depressed and my widowed mother looking for change. Mom had a close cousin who lived in Lantana and we suggested she visit and check out the town. She loved it and bought a condo at the new Croton Harbor, one block away from her cousin.

We visited in 1974 and were smitten by the tropical wonders. On every visit we would barbecue and picnic at the Lantana beach pavilion, which was open to the public in those days. We snorkeled, spear-fished and played lots of pinochle.

We bought our condo apartment across the street from my mother’s place in 1988. We used it as a getaway whenever I could get some time off. I vowed that someday when I retired, we would find a home on Hypoluxo Island. We moved to the island in 2000.
In 1991, I was offered the opportunity to become president and CEO of a wonderful company in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, called EDI. We left our home in Tuscany to come to Wisconsin for my new career. We had softened the bitterly cold winters of northern Wisconsin with frequent visits to our condo in Lantana but looked forward to retirement in the tropics.

Q: What is your favorite part about living on Hypoluxo?

A: We are as happy today as we were when we bought it 20 years ago, maybe even more so. We have found good friends here, very interesting people who have worked hard at their professions and who appreciate the tranquility and beauty of this place.
Now in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, this is as good a place to shelter as I can imagine. We are walking on the island, swimming in the pool, painting watercolors in the garden (me) and writing a memoir of food and friends in Italy (Louise). We don’t watch television but read tons of books. Louise got us both involved with the Lantana library some 15 years ago.

Q: What book are you reading now?

A: I have just started Hilary Mantel’s third book of the Wolf Hall trilogy, called The Mirror & the Light. On the reading table are started but not yet finished, The Anarchy by William Dalrymple, about the British East India Company, and Disunited Nations by geopolitical strategist Peter Zeihan.

Q: What music do you listen to when you want to relax? When you want to be inspired?

A: We have instituted opera night every Friday during the pandemic. We will prepare a special dinner and follow it with an opera film. This started when our last opera of the Palm Beach Opera season, Eugene Onegin, was canceled due to the virus. I bought a copy of an old (1958) Russian film of the opera and we started with a 7:30 curtain time that Friday evening. This was so much fun that we started doing our own Friday night at the opera.

Q: If your life story were to be made into a movie, who would play you?

A: James Dean.

Q: Is there something people don’t know about you but should?

A: I have a show of my watercolor paintings hanging in the Manalapan Library and I have been honored with commissions for paintings that hang both in the library and in the new Manalapan Council Chambers.

Mike Rodgers from EES Design, fabricator of ‘Reflections’ by renowned kinetic artist Ralfonso, helps install Town Square’s gateway feature. The 21 bird-like wings on three columns of the sculpture will intersect via the wind and be colorfully lit at night. The display represents Boynton Beach’s diversity and unity. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

.

By Jane Smith

Fourth of July celebrations with fireworks, music and vendors will not take place this year in Delray Beach and Boynton Beach, their leaders decided May 19.

“None of us are excited about canceling it,” said Sam Metott, Delray Beach Parks and Recreation director.

The fireworks and barge would have cost an estimated $70,000, he said.

Delray Beach commissioners asked for a smaller scale event that would not draw such a large crowd. City staff will prepare suggestions for discussion at the June 2 commission meeting.

Boca Raton also has decided to cancel its July 4 celebration. The event was scheduled to take place at Countess de Hoernle Park.

"The collective health and safety of our community and staff are the priorities driving this tough decision," the city said on its website.

Boynton Beach commissioners decided to postpone the fireworks display, with staffers to return with ideas on July 15. The fireworks cost $62,000, City Manager Lori LaVerriere told commissioners, with a five-year contract giving flexibility on when they may be used.

Lantana will shoot off fireworks on July 4, but it will close Bicentennial Park to prevent crowds from gathering.

Cities nationwide have been advised by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention not to hold events with large crowds, to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus.

CDC guidelines also call for people to keep a social distance of 6 feet, to wear face masks when they are closer, and to sanitize surfaces.

The current site of Boynton Beach’s fireworks at Intracoastal Park was jammed with 6,000 attendees in 2019, LaVerriere said.

Boynton Beach had planned to celebrate its centennial on July 4. In addition to the fireworks, the city wanted to set up a temporary postal branch on site for residents to write and send postcards to friends and families who live out of town.

By Mary Hladky

Palm Beach County commissioners voted 5-2 on May 15 to reopen county beaches on Monday, May 18.

But in a significant change from a May 8 preliminary commission decision, beach use will not be restricted to county residents.

The county can legally prevent residents of other counties from using its beaches, County Attorney Denise Nieman said. But she recommended against doing so because many of the county’s beaches have received grants for beach restoration and other improvements. The grant agreements include clauses that prohibit restrictions on who can use the beaches, she said.

Martin County was able to restrict access to its beaches based on residency after receiving permission to waive provisions of the grant agreements. But Palm Beach County has many more grant agreements than does Martin County and is not able to get provision waivers for all of them, Nieman said.

Concessions will be open at the beaches, another reversal from the commission’s May 8 decision.

Commissioners heard comments from about 25 residents before their vote, virtually all strongly in favor of beach reopening.

But Palm Beach County is acting ahead of Broward and Miami-Dade counties, which have not set a date yet for reopening their beaches. Broward County Mayor Dale V.C. Holness has said that beaches will remain closed until at least May 26.

That raises the risk that Palm Beach County beaches will be overwhelmed if Broward and Miami-Dade residents rush north to get on a beach, especially over Memorial Day weekend.

County Administrator Verdenia Baker said the county's southern cities had urged that Palm Beach County reopen beaches at the same time as Miami-Dade and Broward to avoid this problem.

The county's northern cities supported the May 18 opening.

Lifeguards also wanted Palm Beach County to act in concert with its southern neighbors. Lifeguards and other county employees will be tasked with making sure that social distancing rules are enforced on the beach. They also must prevent gatherings on the beach of more than 10 people.

Lifeguards have objected to becoming rule enforcers, saying their job is to conduct beach rescues and provide medical attention. They made their position known to a county reopening task force.

All public and private beaches will be open from sunrise to sunset. An exception was made for the county's South Inlet Park in Boca Raton because it is close to the county line.

Commissioners Gregg Weiss and Mack Bernard voted against the opening.

Weiss said he recently visited a beach in Jupiter and saw that many people were not practicing social distancing.

“Unfortunately, we have a portion of our population who wants to put everyone at risk,” he said.

Commissioner Robert Weinroth, who represents southeastern Palm Beach County, strongly supported reopening and said residents should be trusted to do the right thing.

“We need to set policy that is for the greater good and not worry about outliers,” he said.

Shortly after county commissioners voted, Boca Raton announced that its beaches would be open to the public from sunrise to sunset on May 18. However, lifeguards will not be on duty, so beach-goers will swim at their own risk.

While the public can use the beach, beach parks will be closed. That includes parking, restrooms, playgrounds and picnic pavilions.

City Council members had agreed in advance of the County Commission decision that beach parks would remain closed as a way of preventing people from crowding onto the beaches, which they feared would happen if Palm Beach County opened beaches while Broward's remained closed.

Parking is prohibited along State Road A1A in Boca Raton.

A Palm Beach County sheriff's deputy tells beach-goers in South Palm Beach of restricted beach access on March 21. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Mary Hladky

Palm Beach County commissioners, by a 4-3 margin, voted to reopen the county's beaches to county residents on May 18.

The May 8 decision is preliminary, with the commission agreeing to meet again on May 15 to finalize the plan for beach openings.

While it is possible commissioners could change their minds, that seemed unlikely after they negotiated among themselves to craft an order that a majority could accept.

Both public and private beaches would be allowed to reopen from sunrise to sunset. Beach-goers will have to abide by social distancing guidelines and gatherings would be limited to 10 people. Concession facilities will not be open.

But only Palm Beach County residents will be able to use them, as commissioners attempted to ward off an influx of beach-goers from Broward and Miami-Dade counties where beaches remain closed.

County and municipal law enforcement officers will enforce the order. Cities and towns, however, have the authority to decide they do not want to reopen.

The action marks the second step to ease the lockdown that has kept county residents largely confined to their homes because of COVID-19. The county reopened parks, golf courses and marinas on April 30.

Separately, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced in West Palm Beach that restaurants and some nonessential retail businesses can reopen May 11 with those in Broward and Miami-Dade counties to follow on May 18. Restaurants can offer outdoor seating with 6 feet of social distancing and indoor seating at 25% capacity.

Palm Beach County had asked DeSantis to lift the restrictions as he already had for 64 of Florida's 67 counties. But the governor placed greater restrictions on Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties because the three have more than half of the state's coronavirus cases.

County commissioners took the action on reopening beaches even though health director Dr. Alina Alonso had recommended against it. She warned earlier this week that reopening too soon risks a resurgence of the disease.

“Our own health department is telling us not to do it,” said Commissioner Gregg Weiss, who along with Mack Bernard and Mary Lou Berger voted against the reopening.

County Mayor Dave Kerner cast the deciding vote. “My intent is I want people to go to the beach,” he said.

Commissioner Robert Weinroth, who represents the coastal South County, was the strongest proponent of beach reopening.

“It is the right time,” he said. “There is no reason our residents can’t act responsibly.”

The fishing piers at the Boynton Inlet remain empty even as other Palm Beach County parks and recreation areas open on April 29. The fishing areas may be accessible before beaches in the county open. Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

By Rich Pollack

While parks in Palm Beach County were set to open Wednesday, April 29, anglers will have to wait a little to fish at the Boynton Inlet.

Because Ocean Inlet Park next to the inlet is a beach park and because beaches remain closed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the county will keep the park off limits to everyone hoping to get a bite on the line.

County Parks and Recreation Director Eric Call said that while the jetty and fishing areas that line the parking lots are separate from the public beach to the south, it would be hard to keep the areas separate to visitors.

"Logistically it would be difficult to manage," Call said.

But he said discussions are ongoing over whether to open Ocean Inlet Park's fishing areas before the county gives the green light to people who want to walk along the ocean's edge.

"It's closed now but it could be open sooner than the beaches," Call said.

For now, the gates are closed, and county staff and law enforcement officers will stop most visitors from entering the park. People who keep a boat at the marina there will be allowed in after showing verification.

When fishing is again allowed at the inlet, anglers will be required to adhere to social distancing and other restrictions, Call said.

Officers from Boca Raton police and fire departments and the state's Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission gathered at Silver Palm Park on April 26 to monitor boaters who never showed up to party in Lake Boca. Photo by Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Mary Hladky

Boca Bash was a bust.

While the annual Boca Bash usually draws about 1,500 vessels and 10,000 attendees, no one showed up for a wild party at this year’s event on April 26. Very few boats were on Lake Boca and there were no incidents, Boca Raton police spokesman Mark Economou said.

Boaters apparently were dissuaded by a city emergency order that banned them from dropping anchor in Lake Boca over the weekend, as well as the urging of a Boca Bash organizer to stay away from the lake. Stormy afternoon weather was another factor.

The city does not control Lake Boca, which falls under state jurisdiction. But the state’s Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, which enforces boating rules in Florida, gave the city a temporary exemption to prohibit anchoring in the lake. Boca Raton police were authorized to give violators verbal warnings and arrest them if needed.

The FWC enhanced patrols on the lake and already had social distancing rules in place requiring boaters to keep 50 feet from one
another and have no more than 10 people aboard a vessel.

City officials wanted to put the kibosh on Boca Bash this year out of concerns that large groups of boaters massed on the lake and unable or unwilling to practice social distancing would increase the risk Covid-19 transmission.

Only a few vessels were in Lake Boca on April 26, the final day of an emergency ban on anchoring there. Normally the lake is jammed with boats on the weekend, especially for Boca Bash on the last Sunday in April. Photo provided by lakebocacam.com

By Steve Plunkett

Recreational boaters are banned from dropping anchor in Lake Boca this weekend in yet another effort to fight COVID-19.

City Manager Leif Ahnell signed an emergency No Anchor Order at 6:30 p.m. Friday, April 24, effective from 12:01 a.m. Saturday to 12:01 a.m. Monday.

The order specifically targets Boca Bash, an unofficial, alcohol-fueled party on the last Sunday in April in which "vessels come from all over to congregate, raft and anchor within Lake Boca," the state's Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said. The FWC, which enforces boating rules in Florida, gave the city a temporary exemption to prohibit anchoring in the lake and 500 feet north and south of it.

Boca Raton's police are authorized to give violators verbal warnings and arrest them if needed. "Our goal is to obtain voluntary compliance with this order," the police department said.

The FWC already had social distancing rules in place requiring boaters to keep 50 feet from one another and have no more than 10 people aboard a vessel.

A screenshot from www.cruisemapper.com shows cruise ships off the South Florida coast on the afternoon of April 23. Map provided

By Mary Thurwachter

Coastal observers who gaze out into the ocean after dark have seen large cruise ships lighting up the horizon in April. The vessels, bound by a no-sail order due to the coronavirus, had nowhere to go but they are still on the move.

On the east coast of South Florida, at least a half dozen ships have been in the same boat, so to speak — Celebrity Edge, Norwegian Bliss, Royal Caribbean Adventure of the Seas and three Carnival cruise liners: Conquest, Horizon and Fascination.

“We have announced a pause in our operations until June 26,” says Carnival spokesman Vance Gulliksen. “All 27 Carnival Cruise Line ships have been docked at our North American or Australian homeports with crew members, no guests, since mid-March. We have ships docked in ports such as Miami, Tampa, Port Canaveral and other homeports.  Ships are either docked in port or anchored at sea near the specific homeport.”

On April 22, Fascination and Horizon were anchored near Miami, Gulliksen says.  “Conquest was docked in Miami.  But this is constantly changing.”

Cruise industry expert Stewart Chiron, aka “Cruise Guy,” says there are many cruise ships based at Port Miami, Port Everglades and Port Canaveral. “They are continuously sailing up and down the east coast of Florida, keeping ships in working order. Crews onboard are performing maintenance and upgrades to ships. There are only minimal crews left aboard the ships, no passengers.”

The largest clusters of cruise ships have been in the Bahamas north of Bimini and west of Great Harbor Cay, Chiron said in April. But in May, there have been fewer ships cruising up and down the Florida coastline.

"Some ships are heading to ports to begin cold storage preparations until operations are normalized," he said. "When cruise lines resume sailings, fewer ships will be used at the beginning," Chiron said. "Carnival Cruise Line provided an example that they intend to begin sailing from three ports, Miami, Pt. Canaveral and Galveston, using eight of their 27 ships."

Chiron, based in Miami, is confident the cruise industry will rebound.

“I hope sailings begin to resume in July,” he says. “There are going to be many schedule changes as fewer ships will be sailing in Alaska and Europe this year. There are many people ready to go now. They're just waiting to be told when and where. People holding reservations should wait and let the cruise lines cancel so they can take advantage of future cruise credits and other enticements. Bookings are up for 2021. For 2020, people wanting to make reservations are just waiting for details.”