The former bank site at the southwest corner of Ocean Avenue and Ocean Boulevard in Plaza del Mar is the prime contender for a new facility that would replace the current Manalapan Town Hall and possibly house the Police Department and fire station. Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

By John Pacenti

Manalapan elected officials got their first taste of some examples of what a new Town Hall might look like. A few took a spit take.

After an Aug. 12 Zoom presentation, the answer for some commissioners was none of the above.

Town Manager Eric Marmer said elected officials — as well as himself — had concerns about separating the police and fire departments from the proposed Town Hall, as one proposal suggested.

That means there is only one viable solution to keep all services in one building: putting them at the southwest corner of Ocean Avenue and Ocean Boulevard, an outparcel at the Plaza del Mar shopping center.

Town residents know the site well, as the one-time bank-building-turned-office-suite became the subject of foreclosure this year.

After the presentation by Currie, Sowards Aguila Architects, there were a lot of moving pieces. One decision Marmer made was to postpone plans to ask town residents in March for approval to spend money on a new Town Hall.

That will have to wait until 2027, most likely.

“I don’t think it’s prudent to spend the time, the money and put the effort into this without first securing the site that this all is contingent on,” Marmer said. “So I need to play the process out before I can move forward with really anything.”

The architects proposed three possible locations: the Plaza del Mar outparcel; the current Town Hall site on South Ocean Boulevard, which also houses police and fire rescue services; and the town library site on Point Manalapan— though the last was dismissed by the architects as less than desirable.

One proposed plan was to build a one- or two-story Town Hall on the bank site and build a new fire and police station on the current Town Hall site.

“We tried to fit all three programs on that (bank) site, but it was going to create like a four-story building that was not going to function very well,” said CSA architect Jess Sowards.

Commissioners expressed concerns about whether the structure for police and fire would have an impact on neighboring properties, particularly La Coquille Villas.

When it came to the old bank building site, Sowards said, “So this would set up like a public plaza on the corner of Ocean Avenue and really set up a gateway.”

If the old bank building site is to work with police and fire in tow, the town must secure more land — in addition to the building itself. But building across the street means that the current Town Hall can remain operational, saving Manalapan the headache and money of finding temporary space.

“Now we’re looking at the possibility of moving everything over there, and then we’d explore the option of selling the Town Hall, the current property, to help fund the new Town Hall,” Marmer said.

The town has also received a $1 million commitment from a resident toward the new building, he said.

The former bank building has been converted to office space and is owned by Babylon, New York-based Salute Realty, which purchased the building at 131 S. Ocean Blvd. for $1.2 million in 2019.

It was also subject to a foreclosure action by the town in February for $163,000 in unpaid code enforcement fines for unapproved renovations.

The current Town Hall is located at 600 S. Ocean Blvd., but is considered insufficient for Manalapan’s needs with about 5,300 square feet of office space — including the commission chambers.

The 1981-built building has perpetual drainage and air-conditioning problems as well, Marmer said.

It is hardly reflective of the town, with its dentist-office vibe. There isn’t even enough space for a fourth man on fire department shifts as is now required by Palm Beach County Fire Rescue — even though Manalapan is paying the county for that firefighter.

After speaking to departments and officials with the town, the architects said a new Town Hall of about 10,000 square feet would be needed.

Marmer said the owners of Plaza del Mar — an LLC tied to the Wilf family, which owns the Minnesota Vikings — indicated they would be open to discussing selling part of the plaza’s lots adjacent to the old bank building.

CSA Architects, during the presentation, said a Town Hall at Ocean and Ocean would make a statement at the town’s gateway. It presented modern designs of what a new Town Hall could look like.

“I think contemporary is the way to go,” said Commissioner David Knobel. “I don’t see doing it in a Key West style, or a British West Indies.”

Correction: An earlier version of this story misspelled the name of Commissioner David Knobel.

By Steve Plunkett

A review of pay in neighboring municipalities that Mayor Scott Morgan found “disturbing” is leading to hefty raises for Gulf Stream’s town manager, assistant town attorney and police chief.

“Our town manager salary is not only last among all towns in the area and on the barrier island, but way less,” Morgan said at the commission’s Aug. 8 meeting. “And it’s an issue that’s going to come back and bite us when we need to address the hiring of another manager.”

Morgan proposed raising Town Manager Greg Dunham’s pay to $195,000, up from $160,983.

“It is still right near the bottom, but it’s a substantial increase that at least makes us competitive with Manalapan,” the mayor said.

Morgan also proposed raising Assistant Town Attorney Trey Nazzaro’s salary to $187,500, up from $157,740, and Police Chief Richard Jones’ pay to $175,000, up from $152,100.

On the chief’s salary, “we’re not last. We’re penultimate, we are next to last and the other salaries are considerably higher,” Morgan said, first suggesting a raise to $165,000.

“My suggestion is to move the chief to $175,000. I’m afraid of poaching,” Dunham said.

Morgan and the rest of the commission quickly agreed.

“The reason our town runs so well is that our staff stays here, and they’re consistent and they’re loyal and we have a great relationship with them,” Morgan said.

Christmas decorations
Another budget move earlier in the Aug. 8 meeting will bring Christmas decorations to Place Au Soleil this year.

Dunham told commissioners that his proposed budget includes $30,000 for holiday decorations, with perhaps $9,000 of that going to the neighborhood on the west side of the Intracoastal Waterway.

“Last year (Town Clerk Renee Basel) did a wonderful job of decorating Town Hall over here,” he said. “We haven’t really ever done anything over at Place Au Soleil. I talked to residents over there and so we’re including money to put Christmas lights up in the entry area.”

Commissioner Rob Canfield, who lives in the neighborhood, said the homeowners there presented “some grandiose plans, but we’ve been able to scale it back.”

“So, lovely but not like crazy?” Commissioner Joan Orthwein asked.

“That’s what we’re going for,” Canfield said. 

By John Pacenti

Delray Beach Mayor Tom Carney has certainly been a summer pugilist.

He took on the police union over its contract demands in June, his fellow commissioners over the budget in July, and then the city’s Downtown Development Authority in August.

The latest battle hasn’t been pretty. Carney has weathered criticism from some commissioners, and the DDA has gone on the offensive, promoting its work and pushing back on the mayor. 

The mayor has tangled with DDA Executive Director Laura Simon and sparred with its chair, Dr. Alan Costilo, owner of Big Al’s Steaks on Atlantic Avenue.

“I’m fighting for the taxpayers. Taxpayers, that’s who I work for. I don’t work for the staff. I don’t work for you. I don’t work for the press,” Carney told The Coastal Star. “I work for the taxpayers.”

The DDA consented to an internal audit, with a report that could be coming in September, after a furious back-and-forth with Carney at the commission’s Aug. 19 meeting.

“Bring it on,” Simon said at the meeting.

Director put on the spot

Delray Beach’s downtown — a vital economic engine for the city — is one of the trendiest business districts in Florida, a must-see on many South Florida tourists’ and foodies’ lists. The DDA is the body that helps make it all happen.

The DDA has an operating budget a bit north of $2 million that comes from taxes paid by downtown property owners. It puts on events, such as Savor the Avenue, Fashion Week, Art & Jazz on the Avenue, and Restaurant Month. It also funds the downtown safety ambassadors program and the beachside Visitor Information Center, among other things.

It is asking for an additional $800,000 to run Old School Square for the upcoming fiscal year, a burden that it agreed to take on in 2022 after the city kicked out the the nonprofit that was the square’s longtime operator. It runs the Cornell Art Museum, the amphitheater and the vintage gym.

Carney started criticizing the DDA during Simon’s presentation on Old School Square for the 2025-26 budget at the Aug. 19 commission meeting. “I’d like to know why the administrative costs are at 66% of your operating budget,” he said.

Carney asked why the DDA budget went up 100% in five years and said Simon was “disingenuous” by producing budget numbers for the Creative Arts School — run by the city in the Crest Theatre on the Old School Square campus — that were knowingly inaccurate. 

Simon has criticized the art school’s plans to take storage space for the amphitheater from the authority for a new pottery studio. 

When Simon said she was there just for the Old School Square presentation, not to answer questions about the DDA’s general budget, Carney retorted, “I’m talking about Old School Square, too, because I happen to think that before we give you another $700,000, $800,000, $900,000 — whatever you are asking for — that we should have our auditor make sure how you’re spending the taxpayers’ dollars.”

When Carney said there was a lack of receipts for expenditures by the DDA, Commissioner Juli Casale chimed in, saying, “Can she [Simon] explain that? You’re making serious accusations at their meetings, and here.”

Stress with mayor on board 

Simon at one point said, “We don’t have to be here. We could give the keys back, if that’s what you guys want,” drawing murmurs from the crowd.

Carney isn’t concerned about Simon’s threat to walk away from Old School Square. “I think the city can run it. I think there needs to be a transition period, but the city can run it. The city ran it before,” he told The Coastal Star.

Also, the Creative Arts School shows the city can successfully program for that space, Carney said.

Commissioner Tom Markert, who was effusive in his praise of the DDA, appeared furious with the mayor when Carney said his inquiry wasn’t personal. “This is the most personal thing I’ve seen,” Markert said.

The clash had been brewing for over a month, ever since Carney found a measure in the DDA’s charter that allowed him to sit as a non-voting member on its board, whose members are appointed by the City Commission. He then peppered the DDA with questions about its books from holiday dinners and whether taxpayer money was going to private events.

Carney also made a public records request to see all of the DDA’s financials and repeatedly said he was not happy that Simon wanted to meet with him one-on-one, rather than provide the documentation.

Then Costilo — the DDA’s chair — reached out to Simon by e-mail, concerned that now that the mayor was sitting as a member of the DDA’s board, that he was violating state law by talking to other board members outside of meetings.

Carney then sent Costilo a cease-and-desist letter on Aug. 13, saying he was defamed. He demanded that Costilo issue a formal apology. 

Costilo refused and then asked the board to consider changing its charter at its Aug. 18 meeting so the mayor can no longer sit as an ex officio member. 

“It’s a little uncomfortable to be forced to have somebody sit on your board,” Costilo said. “I think it would be best to allow him to speak anytime he wants, which we’ve always entertained.”

As for the mayor’s cease-and-desist letter, Costilo said, “I don’t think he likes me much.”

By John Pacenti

Delray Beach city commissioners voted to deny a controversial renovation proposal for a historic home in the Marina Historic District, dealing a significant blow to a property owner who had spent years and millions of dollars attempting to preserve and upgrade the property.

The proposed project at 46 Marine Way would have dramatically transformed an 800-square-foot historic structure, elevating it to 14 feet and adding substantial new construction to it. Despite the property owner’s passionate plea to save the deteriorating home, city staff and several preservation advocates argued the plan would irreparably damage the district’s historic integrity.

Dan Edwards, who owns the  property under 46 Marine LLC, testified that he had invested approximately $4 million in the project and was committed to preserving the structure. The debate concluded a 6½-hour commission meeting on Aug. 19.

“I could have demoed the property, but that wasn’t my choice,” Edwards said. He emphasized the home was in significant disrepair and needed substantial intervention to prevent further deterioration.

City staff presented a comprehensive 36-page report detailing multiple concerns, including the proposal’s failure to meet Secretary of the Interior standards for historic preservation. The report highlighted issues with building height, setbacks and the proposed addition’s massive scale relative to the original structure.

Preservation advocates who spoke during public comment were unanimous in opposing the project. 

Sandy Zeller, a former president of the Marina Historic District Homeowners Association, urged commissioners to trust professional planners and deny the application.

“The applicant knew what they bought when they bought it. They knew what the requirements are,” he said.

Price Patton of the Delray Beach Preservation Trust said, “They’re not really saving an historic house, they’re destroying it with all the additions.” Patton is a part owner of The Coastal Star.

The proposed renovation would have elevated the home to 14 feet, put in a three-story addition, and included significant variances from existing zoning regulations. City staff argued these changes would create a “false sense of historical development” and fundamentally alter the district’s character.

The district is to the south of Atlantic Avenue along the west side of the Intracoastal Waterway.

Commissioner Juli Casale said the project to renovate the Mediterranean revival home “risks the integrity of our historic district” and fails to comply with multiple preservation standards.

Mayor Tom Carney initially suggested sending the project back for further revisions, hoping to provide the owner an opportunity to modify the plan. However, City Attorney Lynn Gelin advised against this approach, emphasizing the need to evaluate the current application strictly on its merits.

Commissioners Angela Burns, Tom Markert and Casale voted to deny the certificate of appropriateness. Carney and Vice Mayor Rob Long voted to approve it.

The decision means Edwards cannot proceed with the current renovation plan and would need to submit a substantially revised proposal that more closely adheres to historic preservation guidelines.

The case highlights the ongoing tension in Delray Beach between property owners’ development desires and the community’s commitment to preserving its historic districts. 

With only five historic districts in the city, commissioners repeatedly emphasized the importance of maintaining architectural integrity. 

By Jane Musgrave

Two years after William Lowe was accused of shooting his wife, chopping her up with a chainsaw and stuffing her body into suitcases that bobbed up in the Intracoastal Waterway, the Delray Beach man remains jailed with no trial date set.

Since he was arrested in August 2023 and charged with first-degree murder in the death of 80-year-old Aydil Barbosa Fontes, Lowe has rarely appeared in court. His next court date was to be Sept. 3, but nothing was expected to happen.

“I’m in no rush to try this case,” said attorney Franklin Prince, who represents Lowe, now 80. “Sooner or later, we’ll have an agreement.”

While no plea deal is in the works, Prince said it is unlikely state prosecutors want to take the case to trial. Prosecutors don’t comment on pending cases.

Despite the grisly nature of Fontes’ death and evidence that Lowe carefully planned to murder and then dismember his wife of 21 years, prosecutors aren’t seeking the death penalty.

Lowe faces the possibility of life in prison if convicted of charges of murder and abuse of a dead body.

His former attorney suggested that trauma Lowe suffered while serving in the Vietnam War, coupled with recent falls, could have spurred the twisted attack. But, Prince said, Lowe is competent to stand trial.

He was arrested on Aug. 2, 2023, two weeks after suitcases that contained the remains of his wife were discovered in the Intracoastal. Once investigators identified her through dental records and DNA, they approached Lowe’s condo on Venetian Drive just blocks from the Intracoastal.

There they found a trail of blood. In a storage unit, they discovered the chainsaw. They also found blood in an upstairs unit that was owned by Lowe’s sister, which neighbors said he used for storage. 

A burrowing owl perches on a sign at Florida Atlantic University. Students say the school’s expansion is taking habitat away from the threatened birds, which happen to be its official mascot. Photo provided by Jose Camacho

By Janis Fontaine 

Resilience. Persistence. Tenacity. Intelligence. 

These attributes of the Florida burrowing owl make it an excellent school mascot for Florida Atlantic University. 

So why are some of these threatened owls being evicted from their underground homes on campus? 

The tiny raptor, the only owl that lives and breeds underground, comes under fire every time FAU expands on its Boca Raton campus. The construction of the ironically named Talon Hall, a new seven-story, 244-unit dormitory, has already displaced at least two owls living in one burrow. They moved, but no one knows where.  

The school paid $1,900 for a Florida Burrowing Owl Incidental Take Permit from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission that allowed it to harass the owls legally, targeting three inactive nest burrows on one lot. The permit secured last September says that burrow cluster “may be destroyed in association with construction of student housing. …” 

The permit allows the permittee to “frighten without touching” — using loud noises — and it is allowed to fill in any burrow that doesn’t have eggs or young birds in it. The permit holder isn’t required to provide a new home for the displaced birds.

Jose Camacho, an environmental engineering student who founded FAU’s Sustainability Club last year, has been a voice for the raptor on campus. The club has about 200 active members who address issues like responsible building and the health and welfare of protected species like owls and gopher tortoises. 

“Since we started, the movement has been to raise awareness, to work collaboratively with the school to incorporate sustainability into the master plan, to have respect for the natural environment. We understand growth; the issue is when conservation is neglected,” he said.

Camacho started a petition on change.org in February opposing the harassment of owls near Talon Hall, which had 4,191 signatures as of Aug. 23.

“We understand the reality of development. We’re just asking that they find better ways. There are a lot of organizations that do growth sustainably. It’s a shame to see it being neglected here,” Camacho said.

FAU: Population is growing, healthy

Joshua Glanzer, FAU’s associate vice president for media relations and public affairs, said the burrowing owl population “has shown consistent growth, resulting in a healthy and sustainable presence across the campus today.”

“FAU takes a proactive approach through its conservation committee to manage natural habitats and species on the Boca Raton campus,” Glanzer said. “Efforts have included creating new open-grass owl habitats and working with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to install artificial burrows, many of which are now occupied, as confirmed in recent species assessments.”

The owl has been FAU’s mascot since the mid-’80s, but it’s been a protected species on campus since 1971. Walk along Indian River Street on the campus and you might just see one checking you out. But. advocates wonder, for how long? 

FAU calls itself an owl sanctuary, but in reality the owls are not a priority, Camacho said. He and other club members attended a meeting with FAU’s Facilities Management, which oversees all the construction on campus, and Miller Legg, a Sunrise-based environmental consulting company that has been working with the university to track owls since 2011. 

“They made it really clear what their position was: The owls can stay until we need the land. They showed us all these maps with green conservation areas but it’s a screen to cover what’s really happening” and they have no intention of protecting the native wildlife, Camacho said.

It’s not the first time the owl has been at the center of a controversy between progress and environmental protection at FAU. In 2005, it was the construction of the medical school. Ten years after that, the new stadium needed more parking and tailgating space for students on game days. The university has received at least six Migratory Bird Nest Removal permits since 2009. 

Joshua Scholl, a biology professor, thinks burrowing owls relocated to the sandy scruff left behind when the land was cleared for the Boca Raton Army Airfield in 1942 and have been living there for about 80 years, displaced by development in Central Florida. 

FAU officially opened on that old airfield in 1964. In 1971, the National Audubon Society took notice of the owls and designated four conservation areas to preserve them, including the strip of land alongside Glades Road. The campus originally had 120 acres of preserves available for native wildlife. Now it has 95.

Avian biologist Kelly Heffernan, founding director of the nonprofit Project Perch, said burrowing owls are incredibly resilient and will find and make homes in new suitable places if they’re available, but to displace them with nowhere to go isn’t right. 

Project Perch has successfully relocated owls before using artificial burrows, and its program at Broward College has owl numbers soaring. 

FAU’s Glanzer said the university’s owl numbers are healthy too.

“A protected species assessment conducted in January 2025 documented 64 potentially occupied burrows. Our environmental consultants estimated the current population at 30 to 40 individuals — approximately double the estimate from 10 years ago — and 31 owls were visually observed during the recent campus-wide protected species survey,” he said.

The university points to the Tortuga Preserve, an area located near the stadium, as a potential home for the displaced owls, but it’s too overgrown with invasive plants like Brazilian pepper to support owls or gopher tortoises, Heffernan said. Without clearing the land mechanically or with a prescribed burn, the preserve will not support either species. 

Heffernan said the owl is less affected by development than the gopher tortoise, which can’t fly to scout out new digs.  

Some call for better planning

For many local residents, alumni and students, the owl is a symbol of Florida’s soul. 

Paul Kragh, a volunteer with Project Perch, says burrowing owls symbolize the tenacity and intelligence of the settlers who developed South Florida. They’re clever birds, he says. The burrowing owl can imitate the sound of a rattlesnake’s rattle to scare off predators. It also practices a kind of farming, depositing bits of dog waste near its burrow knowing the odor will lure insects in for an easy snack. 

“How can you not love the little guy?” asked Kragh, a retiree. He knows the owl can be saved and he’s ready to lend a hand. “We’ve placed more than 500 artificial burrows around South Florida with great success. Our only goal is to protect the owl.”

Working with Heffernan and Project Perch, Kragh has proved that artificial burrows correctly placed, along with appropriate maintenance of the landscape, is a successful way of supporting the burrowing owl community. The burrows are fairly cheap — about $250.  

Heffernan says that with proper planning, the owls can thrive. 

Building up instead of out, with parking garages instead of lots, would conserve space for owls and gopher tortoises, Heffernan said. 

Dr. Colin Hughes, who has been at FAU since the ’70s, has watched this story play out time and again. A long-term plan is needed, he said. Keeping campus vegetation short but not manicured and avoiding irrigation near owl nesting grounds would help. 

Bill Comiskey, a Boca Raton businessman, has lived within a mile of FAU since 1970, and he’s been watching this story unfold, too. He has offered to pay for artificial burrows for the displaced owls. 

“There needs to be a permanent plan in place,” Comiskey said. He tried speaking to the university without success. He and other local residents are “frustrated” by FAU’s inability to resolve the owl issue. “I see a lot of interest but no action. There are a lot of residents who care about the owls. I’m happy to join and do what needs to be done.” 

Critics say the university finds the community and Camacho’s club easy to ignore. “They see a cycle of students who will go away if they wait us out. But we are proving we’re a generation of students who can keep the movement going,” he said. Camacho graduates in December and has passed the baton to new leaders who promise to keep the pressure on. 

There’s a lot of momentum around the owls, with Camacho saying he’s heard from news organizations, environmental groups like Project Perch, community members and students who want to help.  

“The only organization that’s not reaching out to us is our own school. Everyone seems to care about this, but they’re looking the other way.” 

By Steve Plunkett

Briny Breezes’ quest to leave the Palm Beach County Library District and save town taxpayers a collective $57,000 in library taxes is over.

Town Attorney Keith Davis announced Aug. 28 that it legally cannot be done.

“There are a number of municipalities in Palm Beach County that are not taxed by the library district because those municipalities have a comparable level of taxation for their residents. At the municipal level they have their own municipal libraries which are taxed at comparable levels,” Davis said.

“The county is of the opinion that yes, Briny Breezes has a library; no, it is not funded to the level that will allow or would make the county interested in entering into … an agreement with Briny Breezes. If they’re not going to enter into that agreement, then there’s nowhere else to go, because you can’t opt out if the county is not willing.”

Town Manager Bill Thrasher first suggested seceding from the county’s library system on June 26. The Town Council directed Thrasher and Davis to confer with the library about how to withdraw. Davis had said it may be possible to challenge rules the district has about leaving its system.

The county library sends its Bookmobile to Briny every two weeks. Residents can get free library cards, and they have access to the system’s electronic resources and to cooperating libraries, which include Boynton Beach’s and Delray Beach’s. The town also has its own library with a volunteer librarian, Donna Clarke.

Only 56 Briny residents have county library cards, according to County Library Director Douglas Crane. He also said 119 residents have Boynton Beach privileges, and 36 have Delray Beach cards.

Seven residents emailed the town opposing any move to leave the county system.

“The fact that the PBC Library offers the mobile unit is a blessing, it is an extremely important service for those who do not drive and would not be able to avail themselves to these services,” wrote Kathleen Strank.

“The Boynton Beach Library is a wonderful facility with so many opportunities for classes, seminars & research,” Marla Guzzardo’s email said.

Mayor Ted Gross also opposed the idea, saying early on that paying county library taxes is similar to town residents paying Briny Breezes Inc. for the shuffleboard courts whether they used them or not.

He had also dismissed the town’s library as being “jigsaw puzzles, books and some movies. It’s nothing compared to what we’re talking about, the resources, the Bookmobile.”

Seceding from the county library would not have benefited the town’s budget directly, but Thrasher was looking for ways to reduce residents’ overall tax burden as he increases the town’s property tax rate to gather matching funds for grants won or envisioned to improve Briny’s stormwater system and sea walls.

The town’s proposed tax rate is $6.75 for every $1,000 of taxable value, up from the current $3.75 per $1,000 rate.

He spent part of the Aug. 28 meeting showing how his proposed tax rate of $6.75 per $1,000 of taxable value would affect librarian Clarke’s total tax bill.

Alderman David White said the corporation decided to reduce what it collects from co-op owners by $6 a share. A single mobile home has multiple shares depending on size and location.

“It’s not, for me at least, a wash,” White said, but it does change the total payout.

The council has scheduled public hearings in Town Hall for the tentative $6.75 tax rate at or after 5:01 p.m. Sept. 11 and for the final tax rate at the same time Sept. 25. The council can lower but not raise the tentative rate.

ABOVE: The founders of Paradise Bank were (l-r) Bill Burke, founding president, vice chairman and chief operating officer; David Englert, founding chief business development officer and executive vice president;  Ward Kellogg, founding chairman and CEO; and Dennis Gavin, founding chief credit officer and executive vice president. Here they are together for the bank’s 20th birthday party.  Photo provided BELOW: The new home office of Paradise Bank opened Aug. 25 at 3800 N. Federal Highway in Boca Raton. Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

By Jeffrey Cassady

The founders of Paradise Bank started the Boca Raton company two decades ago with the intention of keeping it locally owned and community focused. Though much has changed in the industry since, they say their goals for the bank remain the same: stay local, small and flexible.

“We started with the idea that we would stay independent long term,” said Ward Kellogg, the bank’s CEO and co-founder. “Fast, flexible, personal service is probably what puts us ahead of the large banks.”

That seems to be the case when it comes to helping local businesses. Paradise approves more than $30 million in U.S. Small Business Administration loans per year, said Kevin Rafferty, who runs the bank’s SBA lending division. The bank, which has approved more than half a billion dollars in SBA loans since 2010, is one of the largest SBA lenders in Florida by number of loans and dollar value, he added.  

Paradise is the last community bank based in Boca Raton and one of the few remaining in Palm Beach County. It celebrated its 20th anniversary earlier this summer, and, recently, it moved its headquarters to a new 24,000-square-foot building at 3800 N. Federal Highway. It also maintains branches in Delray Beach and Fort Lauderdale.

Spacious new digs notwithstanding, bank leadership views staying small as key to its profitability.

“We’re not looking to buy another bank,” Kellogg said. “We’re not looking to expand to another market. We’re not looking to grow to a billion dollars, ever.

“We’ve proven you can be very profitable and very efficient without needing to be so big.”

A bank of their own

Business partners Kellogg, Bill Burke, David Englert and Dennis Gavin founded Paradise Bank with its board of directors in 2005. In the 1990s, the founders worked together at 1st United Bank and Admiralty Bank, local banks that were eventually sold to larger financial institutions. Kellogg and Burke have known each other longer than that, having met when they were students at Florida International University. 

The founders struck out on their own with Paradise Bank because they wanted a bank they could keep — and keep local — for the long term.

“Florida has always been, for banking, ‘build it up and sell it,’” Kellogg said. “We didn’t want to do that. We wanted a long-term opportunity for our careers and beyond — to be able to keep the bank.”

Kellogg said the bank’s local ownership and workforce help differentiate it from larger institutions. When customers have an issue, local bank employees are available to assist.

“Business owners prefer community banks because they get their loan decisions faster and easier — more flexibility,” Kellogg said. “On the deposit side, it’s personal service and fraud detection.”

Paradise Bank started with about 30 employees working out of a double-wide trailer while the bank’s original head office was being built, Kellogg said.

Today, the bank has about 50 employees, Englert said.

The bank raised about $25 million to start operating — selling stock for $10 per share, with earnings being paid out in dividends, Burke said.

“Our original investors have gotten their money back twice, and they still own the asset,” he said.

Kellogg said the bank has fewer than a hundred shareholders. Almost all own homes in Florida, with most of them in Palm Beach County, he said.

“Nobody owns more than 6%,” Kellogg said. “So, we don’t have one large shareholder.”

Weathering a storm

Paradise survived the Great Recession of 2008 that drove many small banks out of business or led to their being acquired by larger institutions.

Kellogg said the recession presented challenges to the founders’ relatively young bank, prompting them to engage in an additional round of fundraising — about $19 million worth — over the next few years.

“Those were bad times,” Kellogg said. “They cast doubt as to whether we would achieve our goals for the bank, but we ultimately did.”

The bank then began devoting additional resources to small businesses, especially through the SBA loan programs. Paradise Bank participates in the SBA’s Preferred Lender Program, which grants the bank discretion in loan approval and streamlines the application process for businesses seeking federally backed SBA loans.

Running a small community bank keeps the owners close to their business customers, Burke said. “Our early customers’ kids have taken over, and sometimes their grandkids have gotten involved,” he said. “It’s generational now.

“But what’s really interesting about banking is that we have to learn about those businesses we’re lending to in all those different industries,” he added. “That’s interesting stuff.” 

By Mary Thurwachter

A plan to improve Lantana’s Public Beach has been talked about for years, but in August council members and residents got a chance to hear about a conceptual site plan.

“During the visioning session in April everybody had beach improvements on the top of their lists,” Town Manager Brian Raducci said.

“Just to be very clear, this is going to be an expensive project because of the time that’s involved and because of the funding,” he said. “We want to keep it as a functional beach through the entire process.”

Even before the visioning session, when the town worked on its Master Plan in 2023, people were talking about what they would like to see happen at the beach, Mayor Karen

Lythgoe added. “It’s time now to let this percolate up and see what we can come up with.”

Joe Barry, president at CPZ Architects, Inc., presented the plan. The town paid CPZ $299,450 to produce it.

The aim, Barry said, is to create a vibrant and engaging public space that encompasses a restaurant, boardwalk, pavilions and various other park amenities. The project “seeks to maximize the use of this public asset, ensuring it serves both community and visitor needs.”

During the first phase (there will be two or three phases), Barry said, the tentative plan calls for new restaurant space for the Dune Deck, demolishing an existing pavilion that is no longer usable, replacing the north end of the boardwalk and beach entrance, relocating the surfboard racks and adding new restrooms. Event space may be built on the second floor of the restaurant, and the marine safety office, with a view of the beach, will remain on the second level of the building on the south end.

The second phase, in place of the existing restaurant building, may include ice cream or pizza shops with outdoor tables and umbrellas at ground level. The boardwalk will be fortified or rebuilt and may be widened.

Other ideas being considered include observation towers with coin-operated binoculars or telescopes, landscaping and parking improvements, upgrading the kids playground with shade structures and perhaps a splash pad, and dune improvements.

Also on the maybe list in the second phase are an amphitheater and parking structure, EV charging stations and a fishing pier and/or an artificial reef.

“If the fishing pier turns out to be a realistic option, we’d consider a structure at the end of Dorothy Rissler (Lane) to provide an option to collect a small fee to access the pier,” Barry said.

Three women shared their views during public comments.

Patricia Towle, who lives on Hypoluxo Island, said the beach was the town’s crown jewel and that the town had one chance to get it right. She isn’t a fan of the expansive plans.

“I think maybe we need to think about maybe less is more,” Towle said. “Because when I go to the beach, I want two things: I want beautiful white sand, and I want a great ocean. I don’t really care about restaurants; I can go to restaurants anywhere. I don’t care about a media hall or all of the other stuff. I really think we should focus on just emphasizing the beach, doing great landscaping.

“That’s why I love Delray and Ocean Ridge. They’re just beaches with native trees and greenery and you feel like you’re really relaxed. You don’t have to worry about bumping shoulders with people eating. I think the architects presented great ideas. But Mother Nature is a great architect, and she does trees and sand and ocean, and I just don’t want to see us overbuild. I’d like to see it kept really pristine and nice.”

Daisy Panais, a co-owner of the Dune Deck, had other thoughts, “I’m completely opposite of what you just said,” she said to Towle. “I do love a beautiful beach, nature and relaxing, but I also know that we have a lot of families — they want to bring their children, they want to play, they want something to eat. We have people coming in from up north from Boston, from New York and they just love coming to Lantana Beach. We’ve seen generations of children grow up, get married and come to the Dune Deck. I do think that a restaurant is necessary and well appreciated. But I think we could work with both, we could have a beautiful beach with nature. It’s not too crowded.”

The parking lot is an issue, Panais said. “When it’s a beautiful day, a perfect beach day, there’s no parking. People come up and they’re frustrated. They’re driving around and around and they can’t find a spot. They may go across the street and take a chance at a spot in the plaza.”

Another Hypoluxo Island resident, Ellen Schweber, said she liked the plans.

“The Dune Deck is great, and a night restaurant would also be something terrific to have if it were sitting on the water like the Dune Deck with kind of a Malibu-type vibe. But I think putting in a second-floor event space is a complete waste.”

Barry said the idea is to come up with a plan that can be used in the next steps to actually design, engineer and permit the project. “That’s what we’re outlining here to work toward that,” he said.

Now it’s up to the Town Council to prioritize and decide what the town can afford. 

Best Buy and Ikea are combining in the fall to open kitchen and storage-planning services at 10 Best Buy stores, including the one in Boynton Beach at 550 N. Congress Ave. Photo provided  

By Christine Davis

Best Buy and Ikea U.S. have partnered to open kitchen and storage planning services in 10 Best Buy stores this fall, including one in Boynton Beach at 550 N. Congress Ave. 

This is the first cross-brand retail experience for Ikea U.S., and for Best Buy it’s a step to expand its home-goods market. For shoppers, this shop-in-shop makes it easier to integrate Best Buy appliances into Ikea kitchens and laundry areas.

“This partnership between Ikea and Best Buy is about making great design and functionality more accessible for the many,” said Rob Olson, Ikea U.S.’s chief operating officer. “By bringing together our home furnishing expertise, products and services with Best Buy’s leadership in appliances and technology, we’re creating a one-stop destination where customers can design their dream kitchen, storage solutions or laundry space with ease.”

***

New stores and restaurants in downtown Delray Beach include Free People women’s clothing store at 310 E. Atlantic Ave., Suite B; Sapotille clothing store at 321 E. Atlantic Ave., Suite 2; Roka Hula restaurant at 270 E. Atlantic Ave.; Segreto Italia restaurant at 301 NE Third Ave.; Latte and Licks, offering espresso and frozen treats at 1214 E. Atlantic Ave.; Icy Bean cafe at 1200 E. Atlantic Ave.; Gabriella’s Modern Italian restaurant at 40 NE Seventh Ave., Suite 160, and Glimmer Cafe at 325 NE Third Ave.

***                    

Last year, The Coastal Star reported that Premier Estate Properties agent Margit Brandt had listed the compound at 1140 S. Ocean Blvd., Manalapan, for $95 million. At the time, an ocean-to-lake residence owned by a company affiliated with Joe Farrell was under construction. 

In May, that property sold for $55.5 million  to Whiskey Tango 1120 LLC, which is connected to WeatherTech CEO David MacNeil. Brandt handled both sides of this sale. In April 2024, MacNeil bought the adjacent vacant property at 1120 S. Ocean Blvd. for $38.5 million. 

News sources report that MacNeil plans to demolish the under-construction mansion at 1140 S. Ocean Blvd. and expand his 1120 S. Ocean Blvd. property. The lots combined cover 3.6 acres, with 340 feet on the ocean.

***

The estate at 2325 S. Ocean Blvd. at the south end of Delray Beach sold for $51.12 million, a citywide record for a home. Photo provided

Massimo Musa sold his 12-bedroom, 19,055-square-foot residence at 2325 S. Ocean Blvd., Delray Beach, for $51.12 million to Eugene and Olga Nonko as co-trustees of Mar Pietra Land Trust.

The sale price is the highest ever recorded for a home in Delray Beach.

Coldwell Banker agent Jonathan Postma handled both sides of the deal. 

Musa is the co-founder of several companies in the eye-care industry, and Eugene Nonko co-founded the software company MediaAlpha.

***                             

Institutional Property Advisors, a division of Marcus & Millichap, announced the sale of 1200 Corporate Place Park, a renovated 137,021-square-foot, Class A office property on 5 acres at 1200 N. Federal Highway, Boca Raton. 

The asset was purchased by a company led by real estate investor Allen Chelminsky for $31.4 million. “The building was 84% leased at the time of sale, and with approximately 40% of the rentable square footage set to roll over in the next four years,” said Douglas Mandel, IPA’s executive managing director of investments. Mandel, along with Zach Levine and Cody Hershey of Marcus & Millichap, represented the seller, Keystone Property Group.

***                             

Real estate developer Sonny Kahn, with his wife, Suzanne, bought an estate at 1200 S. Ocean Blvd., Manalapan, for $28 million. 

The property was sold by an LLC managed by former asset manager Nobel Gulati, with his wife, Ruchi. 

The estate is sited on 1.5 acres with 150 feet on the ocean and the Intracoastal Waterway. Marketed as ready for renovation or to build new, the property was listed by agents Nicholas Younker and Seth Benkaddour of William Raveis Real Estate. Christian Redondo of NUNU Realty LLC represented the buyers.

***                             

A firm affiliated with biotech investor Wayne Rothbaum sold an oceanfront lot at 941 S. Ocean Blvd. in Delray Beach for $22 million. The 1.37-acre property, with 110 feet on the ocean, was sold by 941 South Ocean Blvd LLC, managed by Boca Raton-based attorney Daniel A. Kaskel.

Rothbaum had transferred the site to this LLC for $10 in March. It last traded for $8.25 million in 2013. The buyer was 941 Delray Ocean LLC, managed by Coral Springs-based attorney Larry A. Rothenberg. Douglas Elliman agent Nick Malinosky brokered the deal.

***                             

A groundbreaking ceremony was celebrated at Fifth Avenue Townhomes, 152 SE Fifth Ave., Delray Beach. The enclave consists of five three-story residences, designed by Randall Stofft Architects with interiors by Decorators Unlimited. The homes range from 2,966 to 3,017 square feet of living space. Prices start at $2.8 million. The residences feature private elevators, rooftop terraces, plunge pools and flexible living spaces. Completion is slated for spring 2027. Sales and marketing for the property are led by Anne Marie Dietz of Dietz Elber Real Estate, based in Delray Beach. For more information, visit fifthavenuedelray.com or call Dietz at 561-405-8661.

 ***                            

Lifespace Communities has broken ground on a $49 million expansion project at Harbour’s Edge senior living community at 401 E. Linton Blvd., Delray Beach. When complete, it will add 24 assisted living apartments and 16 memory care apartments to the property. Planned amenities include a garden with a walking path, a third-floor terrace for assisted living residents, a spa, bar, wellness gym, dining rooms, kitchens and activity spaces.

***                             

Guident Corp., an autonomous vehicle company based in Boca Raton, has partnered with the city of Boca Raton to launch an autonomous shuttle service that will run a 2.6-mile loop from Mizner Park to Royal Palm Place. The service is scheduled to start this fall and will operate in collaboration with Circuit, the current operator of shuttle services in Boca Raton. The first phase will cover a 0.6-mile loop within Mizner Park. 

The service is scheduled to operate for one year with options to continue beyond that time.

Boca Raton Mayor Scott Singer said, “The city of Boca Raton is pleased to deploy this revolutionary urban transportation service that will showcase the city’s vision for smarter and more sustainable mobility.” 

Additionally, Guident and Florida Atlantic University’s I-Sense are collaborating on urban mapping for self-driving cars. I-Sense is a research institute that focuses on developing smart technology and sensors to make roads and other city infrastructure safer and more efficient.

***                             

The Delray Beach Housing Authority and AffordableHousing.com once again conducted their annual backpack giveaway inside the Island Cove Apartments at 900 SW 12th Ave., Delray Beach. This year, 600 children received backpacks with supplies.

***                             

The Greater Lantana Chamber of Commerce and Boynton Beach Chamber of Industry & Commerce are offering a seven-month-long leadership program for small business leaders, which will include tours, projects and networking opportunities. The program starts Oct. 24. Price to attend is $400. To participate, visit lantanachamber.com/2025-2026-leadership-program-enrollment.

***                             

The 10th annual Boca Raton Mayors Ball, hosted by the Rotary Club Downtown Boca Raton and the Terra and Frisbie Group, will be held Nov. 1 at The Boca Raton. 

This year’s award winners will be celebrated. They include the Town Center at Boca Raton, which won the George Long Award in the large business category; the George Snow Scholarship Fund, the recipient of the Susan Whelchel Award as the best nonprofit; The Addison, which won the J.C. Mitchell Award in the small business category; and Gary Peters, who won the Addison Mizner Award in the individual category. 

George Brown and Jon Kaye will also be honored. Proceeds from the Mayors Ball support local nonprofits committed to health and wellness initiatives. Cost to attend is $495. For more information, call Bob Tucker at 561-289-0436.

***

ABOVE (l-r): Max Zengage, Marc Grimes, Sebastian Pacheco, Dante Ferraiolo, Chuck Halberg, Emma Cambell, Luke Saraceni, Darrell Hunter, Aaron Hallyburton and Randy Jackson. Photo provided by Delray Citizens for Delray Police 

The Delray Citizens for Delray Police has awarded scholarships to children of officers for 38 years. This year, 15 college scholarships were awarded to children of police officers and professional staff, thanks to support from the Harvey and Virginia Kimmel Foundation and Max Zengage along with the Delray Concours Foundation. The scholarships were given out on July 15 at the Delray Beach police’s quarterly awards ceremony held at the Delray Beach Library. 

Christine Davis writes about business and can be reached at cdavis9797@gmail.com.

The Lantana Town Council and the office of U.S. Rep. Lois Frankel honored World War II Navy veteran Edward Sandy of Atlantis for his 100th birthday at the Aug. 11 council meeting. ABOVE: Mayor Karen Lythgoe leads the applause for Sandy. Photo provided

Budget hearings — Public hearings for the town’s budget have been scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Sept. 8 and 17 in the Town Hall council chambers at 500 Greynolds Circle. The town is not planning to increase the tax rate, currently set at $3.75 per $1,000 of taxable value.

Haunted Nature Preserve — Plans are firming up for Lantana’s annual Haunted Nature Preserve. It’s free, with haunted trail tours, a costume contest, a DJ dance party, face painting and free candy. The event will be held 6:30-9 p.m. on Oct. 24 at the preserve at 400 E. Ocean Ave.

For more information, contact Nadine Shawah at 561-540-5754 or nshawah@lantana.org.

— Mary Thurwachter

Delray Beach’s interim police chief, Darrell Hunter, was appointed on Aug. 20 by City Manager Terrence Moore to the permanent position leading the department he has been a part of for nearly two decades.

Hunter began his career with the Police Department in 2007. He became a sergeant in 2014, a lieutenant in 2017, a captain in 2020, and an assistant chief in 2025. He worked in community patrol, community response and the investigative division, where he served as a detective specializing in property and white-collar crimes.

“I am deeply honored to lead the men and women of the Delray Beach Police Department and to serve this incredible community,” Hunter said. “Guided by our core values of P.A.C.E.—Professional, Accountable, Consistent, and Engaged — and our unwavering standard of excellence, I am committed to fostering a department and community built on trust, integrity, and safety.”

By Mary Hladky

Mark Sohaney, who has strong U.S. Navy management credentials but no experience running a city, will be Boca Raton’s next city manager.

The City Council unanimously chose Sohaney immediately after completing interviews on Aug. 12 with the five remaining finalists for the job. Mayor Scott Singer first proposed his appointment and was quickly joined by Deputy Mayor Fran Nachlas and Council members Yvette Drucker and Marc Wigder.

Only Council member Andy Thomson disagreed, saying his choice was James Zervis, Boca Raton’s deputy city manager and chief financial officer. But he joined the others when the vote was cast.

“I am definitely very humbled and honored to be selected as city manager because the city is phenomenal from its history,” Sohaney said in a later interview. “The fabric of the city is important to me.”

Sohaney, 56, who retired from the Navy as a captain in 2024, is the former chief executive officer of Joint Air Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii and previously served as chief executive officer of Naval Air Station Key West and executive assistant to the director of maritime operations for the U.S. Pacific Fleet.

He graduated summa cum laude from San Diego State University and earned his master’s degree at the Naval War College.

In picking Sohaney, council members jettisoned the city’s longstanding practice of promoting from within its ranks. Besides Zervis, they also passed over Deputy City Manager

Jorge Camejo, who served as the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency executive director before taking the same position in Hollywood and then rejoining the city earlier this year.

“I think it is time for us to have a different perspective from the outside … and really bring Boca to the next level,” Drucker said.

Sohaney’s other council supporters echoed that he would bring fresh eyes, as well as his experience handling complex infrastructure projects at a time when the city is planning redevelopment of the 30-acre downtown campus, which includes government buildings and park space.

Council members expect to finalize Sohaney’s employment contract in September.

He will take the reins from George Brown, a city employee for more than 40 years who served as deputy city manager for 21 years until he was promoted on Jan. 1, 2024, to replace longtime City Manager Leif Ahnell.

Brown is retiring in January, but indicated that he will step back from an active role sooner than that. “I doubt the new manager will want the old manager hanging around,” Brown said.

Sohaney has been actively seeking a city manager job in Florida since last year and was selected as a finalist in five cities, including Boca Raton.

He lost out in Palm Bay, Venice and Key West. He was a finalist in Islamorada but withdrew from consideration, according to media reports.

He was among 51 applicants in Sarasota, but that city halted and then restarted its search process. He also was one of more than 200 applicants to become Palm Beach County’s top administrator, a job that went to Palm Beach County Clerk of Circuit Court and Comptroller Joseph Abruzzo in June.

During the interviews, Zervis and Sohaney quickly demonstrated they were the top contenders.

Zervis was hired as the city’s chief financial officer in 2024 and retained that title when he was soon promoted to deputy city manager.

He joined the city after serving as chief administrative officer for Kern County, California, which at the time had a $3.5 billion annual operating budget and a population of more than 900,000. He previously served as that county’s chief operations officer and as city manager, assistant city manager and finance director for Wasco, California, after working in the private sector.

Zervis led governments through crises that included the 2008 financial crash and the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as floods and wildfires, he said. Of particular relevance to Boca Raton, he has negotiated public-private partnerships, which the city is working to create now with Terra and Frisbie Group to redevelop its downtown campus.

“My heart is really here,” he said. “It is to continue to see Boca flourish.”

Showing that he was serious about the job, Sohaney said he had spent the previous two weeks in Boca Raton, toured the city, visited Florida Atlantic and Lynn universities, met with city officials, spoken to residents and attended the Aug. 8 Battle of the Bands in Mizner Park.

But it’s not his first visit; his daughter attended Lynn.

To allay any concerns that his lack of city administrative experience is a disqualifier, he said running naval bases is “basically city management.”

Examples included constructing a $1.2 billion wastewater treatment plant at Pearl Harbor-Hickam, a $750 million water treatment plant and a $4.5 billion dry dock that is under construction now. In Key West, he spent a lot of time on hurricane preparedness, Sohaney said.

“I am confident there is not a lot of transition required,” he said.

Concerning the downtown campus, Sohaney said, “Boca is a little bit behind.” He said the city needed a project with the right size and density that will attract more people to the city.

The two other finalists for the job were Patrick Jordan, administrator of Ionia County, Michigan; and Stan Morris, city manager of Sunny Isles Beach.

A total of seven applicants were finalists, but one accepted another position and the other withdrew from consideration. 

Related: Highland Beach: Rains show A1A flooding has worsened

By Rich Pollack

After years of stops and starts, hurdles and hindrances and delays and disruptions, a long-awaited sewer lining project in Highland Beach could begin in the next few months.

After yet another delay.

Town leaders say crews are poised to begin the massive undertaking of lining 18,000 feet of sewer pipes beginning once the State Road A1A improvement project is completed.

The work will cost about $1.5 million, and the town will tap into reserves in its sewer fund to cover the cost.

Town officials had hoped to be able to start the sewer lining in September, but their timeline had to be pushed back again in August after state transportation officials said they would not be able to finish their road project by the Sept. 16 date they had previously announced.

The good news for residents and motorists who are weary from enduring months of lane closures on the main thoroughfare is that there will be minimal disruption during the pipe-lining project.

Rather than having to tear up the newly repaved road, crews doing the sewer lining will be working essentially from “manhole to manhole” using cameras to inspect the lines underground, then cleaning them before a liner of resin is inserted.

On the side streets, which have mostly single-family homes or smaller multifamily units, residents will be asked to be a bit more conservative in water use while crews are working outside.

The town will notify residents when work is being done in their area to let them know there will be minor disruptions.

When crews are working on sewer pipes along A1A, which has many multistory buildings alongside it, workers will reroute wastewater flows to prevent disruptions.

Town Manager Marshall Labadie said that an inspection of the lines several years ago showed that some of the sewer pipes that were more than 50 years old were in need of repair.

Crews discovered that there were areas where the pipes were leaking and areas where they were subject to water from the outside getting in, meaning the town was paying to treat wastewater it didn’t need to treat.

With the lining project, Labadie said, the town should be able to go another 50 to 75 years without having to rehabilitate the pipes.

“We’re shoring up our infrastructure,” Labadie said.

For the town, getting the project started has been a challenge.

“This was a very difficult project to get off center,” Labadie said.

He said the town started working on the project six years ago and found that the design process for the work took longer than expected.

Once the project went out for bid, the town received bids that came in too high, so the project was then modified and sent out for bid again.

This time there were no bidders.

Last year, the town went to residents and received voter approval to spend up to $3.5 million on the sewer lining project. 

Highland Beach firefighters extinguished a fire started by a downed high-voltage transmission line in front of the condo at 3525 S. Ocean Blvd. on Aug. 20. The call was one of six spanning less than 90 minutes that evening. Larry Barszewski/The Coastal Star

By Rich Pollack

For Highland Beach firefighters and paramedics, Aug. 20 was one of those days that they won’t soon forget.

The shift had been quiet, except for when power went out as generators were tested throughout the Town Hall complex.

Then power went out again around 5:45 p.m. and, a short time later, the crew assigned to the ladder truck was dispatched to an alarm call at a building just a short distance away.

So began a crazy early evening in which firefighters responded to six calls in less than 90 minutes and used a mutual aid agreement with Boca Raton Fire Rescue for the first time since the town’s department started up a little more than a year ago.

When the department was being created, skeptics wondered if a small-town department in a coastal community could handle multiple calls at once.

The actions of the firefighters and paramedics on shift that Wednesday provided the answer.

“That tested the scope of our response,” Town Manager Marshall Labadie said. “It worked the way it was supposed to. It worked the way it was designed.”

All hands on deck
As the ladder truck was pulling out of the station to respond to the first alarm call, the team saw smoke in the opposite direction and was flagged down by a resident who said a live power line was down and landscaping in front of a home was on fire.

While the ladder truck headed to the fire, the rescue truck at the station was sent to the original call, which turned out to be a false alarm.

As the firefighters at the downed power line waited for Florida Power & Light to arrive and cut off its electricity, the first call of people stuck in elevators — due to power failures — came in to dispatch. The rescue truck at the false alarm was able to respond and free the stuck resident, but within minutes three more calls came in.

One was about another downed wire. The ladder truck responded, and it turned out the line was not electrified. Another call was about a person stuck in an elevator — close to where the first person was trapped. The rescue unit responded to that.

At the same time, another call came in for a resident who had just gotten out of the hospital and needed help getting into his home.

That’s when Driver/Engineer Daniel Stearns called for help from Boca Raton Fire Rescue, which sent a rescue unit.

“You don’t want to make someone wait,” he said.

“It was controlled chaos but it’s what we’re trained to do,” said Stearns. “We’re trained to manage situations like this.”

While this was not an ordinary day in Highland Beach, it wasn’t a totally unexpected one, either.

“When the power goes out, everything is possible,” said Capt. Robert Kruse, the shift captain that day.

Although larger departments are used to handling multiple calls at the same time, the simultaneous events of that day were a first for Highland Beach Fire Rescue.

“For a department of this scope and size, this is highly abnormal,” Assistant Chief of Operations Tom McCarthy said.

Boca Raton residents — mostly those who live in Tower 155 adjacent to a proposed 12-story hotel — are voicing their displeasure about this project. This latest uproar comes on the heels of a clamor about the proposed redevelopment of the downtown campus where City Hall and the Community Center now sit. Rendering provided

By Mary Hladky

Another protest over downtown redevelopment has erupted, this time over a proposal to build a 12-story hotel and retail project along Northeast Second Street to the north of the Tower 155 condo.

James and Marta Batmasian, the largest commercial property owners in the downtown, first proposed Mizner Plaza in 2023 but didn’t move forward with it.

They now are seeking city approvals and won the first round on Aug. 21, when the Planning and Zoning Board recommended by a vote of 5-1 that the City Council approve it and a related land sale despite strong objections — mostly from Tower 155 residents.

The nearly 2-acre project would replace retail buildings, the downtown U.S. Post Office and a small city-owned parcel that now is a public parking lot.

Mizner Plaza would have two towers with retail and restaurants on the first two floors and the 242-room hotel above them. A 56-foot-wide and 20-foot-tall staircase would separate the towers and would align with the plaza in Mizner Park. Parking would be on two levels underground.

The staircase is intended to be a “destination and experience for all,” according to the project application, but elevators and a pedestrian ramp also would be available. The project would be nearly identical to the one proposed two years ago, except that plan featured nine-story hotel towers and 266 rooms.

The nearly 0.3-acre city-owned lot that the Batmasians want to buy would become a pocket park. The couple already owns the rest of the land.

A 10-foot alley on the south side of the project site would be expanded to 20 feet to accommodate two-way traffic.

But just like the city’s plans to redevelop its downtown campus where City Hall and the Community Center now sit, the project is decried by nearby residents and some members of Save Boca, the residents’ group opposing the campus redevelopment that would include the addition of residential, retail, office and hotel to the 30-acre property.

Wearing red shirts and carrying signs that said, “Too Big, Too Close, All Wrong,” they and their lawyers voiced a host of objections at the Aug. 21 meeting. They said Mizner Plaza is too large and tall, the same objections lodged against Tower 155 when it was proposed.

Tower 155 residents also said the buildings are too close together, creating a cramped, canyon-like effect.

Ele Zachariades, the Batmasians’ attorney, said they were aware of the close proximity and pushed back the plaza so the two buildings will be 54 feet apart, far more than the city requires.

Other residents lamented the loss of small businesses that now sit on one parcel and said the downtown is in no need of additional restaurants. And while the alley width has been doubled, they said it will be too small a street to accommodate traffic, and delivery and sanitation vehicles.

None, however, voiced objections to the loss of the post office. Residents, including the Batmasians, strongly objected to its potential loss in 2018.

At the time, postal officials planned to relocate it because their lease was about to expire and they could not get another one from the Batmasians. James Batmasian said he had no idea the postal service wanted a new, long-term lease and offered to provide one. That lease now expires in 2028.

But a post office might remain, even though that was not mentioned at the meeting. At the City Council’s Aug. 26 meeting, City Manager George Brown said, without elaborating, that he believes “there is an intention” by the Batmasians to have a post office substation. Since the property is privately owned, the city cannot mandate that, he said.

Tower 155 attorney Richard DeWitt said there were legal problems with how the city has handled the matter. But he focused on the sale of the city-owned parcel to the Batmasians.

City staff recommended that the planning board authorize that sale. A staff memo states that the property was appraised at $2.4 million in April. But the Batmasians wanted to pay nothing, saying they should get credit for replacing 17 public parking spaces now on the lot and for park construction and maintenance costs.

Staff disagreed that they should get the land for free. After giving credits for construction and maintenance, they recommended a purchase price of $883,558.

But DeWitt said there was an earlier appraisal in 2024 that pegged the market value of the property at $3.3 million. The developer, apparently James Batmasian, balked at that amount and asked for a new appraisal. Even so, he indicated the city was only asking for $10 — essentially a giveaway. That’s when the city requested the second appraisal.

DeWitt asked the planning board to either deny approval of the property sale or table the matter so the board could fully evaluate the sale. That would include whether only the Batmasians would be entitled to buy the parcel.

Several residents questioned how the sale was being handled, with one saying it “seems like a very shady backroom deal.”

The Batmasians’ son, Armen, who is involved with acquisition and development for their company Investments Limited, pushed back against the criticisms.

“It is kind of disheartening hearing all this negative feedback from one building regarding the most important development in our city,” he said. “You try to do the right thing … and try to build a very amenable development and here we are getting bashed for it and it is just shocking.

“Our downtown depends on some retail. … There’s 100,000 other citizens that need a downtown and we don’t have one.”

Board members did not respond to DeWitt. They praised the project, with four describing it as “beautiful.”

As for the complaints, Board member Timothy Dornblaser said, “These are the same complaints I hear from residents about new projects.”

Lot clearing has begun on a vacant State Road A1A parcel east of Boca Raton’s Coastal Construction Control Line. It is the site of a future oceanfront home and one of only two vacant beachfront parcels remaining in the city. Delray Beach-based Azure Development LLC, which owns the property, applied for a building permit in April and the clearing is so that engineering crews can complete required tests. Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

By Steve Plunkett

A vacant parcel scheduled to become an oceanfront home on the east side of State Road A1A in Boca Raton has been partially cleared so that engineering crews can complete required tests.

Delray Beach-based Azure Development LLC, which owns the .42-acre property at 2600 N. Ocean Blvd., applied for a building permit on April 30 after the City Council in October granted a variance to build a single-family home on the sand east of the city’s Coastal Construction Control Line.

The application values the four-story, 6,931-square-foot structure, across A1A from the Blue Water Townhouses, at almost $3.2 million.

As of Sept. 1, the owner still faced questions from the city’s Development Services Department on the property’s engineering, environmental, structural, utilities and zoning plans. The parcel now features a rocky circular driveway sloping down toward the sea.

Development Services had recommended that the variance be approved last October after attaching 17 conditions for Azure to meet, including that the building’s windows transmit no more than 31% of any interior lighting onto the beach, which is nesting habitat for protected sea turtles.

Azure first sought permission to build on the dune in February 2019, was rejected by the council and sued. The developer and the City Council agreed to settle two pending lawsuits over the property in September 2024 as a prelude to the variance vote. The Palm Beach County Property Appraiser’s Office says the vacant land is worth almost $3.4 million.

The property is one of two remaining undeveloped parcels on the beach. A federal judge in March 2024 ruled that the owner of 2500 N. Ocean Blvd. two lots south of 2600 has a “vested right” to build on its property.

Boca Raton Fire Rescue responded to this boat fire in the Hillsboro Canal west of Dixie Highway near Southwest 22nd Street shortly after 11 p.m. on Aug. 3. No one was aboard any of the three boats. Photo provided by Boca Raton Fire Rescue

By Rich Pollack

An unattended barbecue grill may have been responsible for a boat fire on the Hillsboro Canal at the south end of Boca Raton that resulted in two vessels being destroyed and a third suffering significant damage, city fire-rescue officials said.

The fire, which occurred shortly after 11 p.m. on Aug. 3, came at the end of a busy day on the water for Boca Raton Fire Rescue. Earlier in the day, firefighters and paramedics pulled three people from the Intracoastal Waterway after the boat they were in overturned.

While Boca Raton Fire Rescue has a fully equipped fire boat, that vessel was unable to respond to the Hillsboro Canal fire due to access issues and as a result, firefighters battled the blaze from the shore, west of Dixie Highway near Southwest 22nd Street.

Six units were dispatched to attack the fire and firefighters utilized a master stream device — a high-volume system used to deliver a significant amount of water over a long distance — to suppress the boat fires.

No one was on board any of the boats and the fire was contained in less than 30 minutes. Further investigation of the fire was turned over to the Broward County Sheriff’s Office Fire Department, which also responded.

Earlier in the day, Boca Raton Fire Rescue used the fire boat to pull three people out of the water in the 1200 block of the Intracoastal Waterway. Fire Rescue Lt. Karl Richards said five people were on the boat when it capsized in rough water but only three were in the water when firefighters arrived. One person suffered minor injuries and was taken to Boca Raton Regional Hospital.

Boca Raton Fire Rescue recommends these boating safety tips:

Wear a life jacket: 80% of drowning victims weren’t wearing one.
Boat sober: Alcohol is the leading contributor to fatal boating accidents.
Make a checklist: Inspect fuel systems and electrical wiring regularly.
Have a fire plan: Know where to find extinguishers and exits (for larger vessels).
Take a boating safety course: Certified knowledge can make all the difference.
Communicate a float plan: Let people know where you’re going, how many people are onboard, what you will do in case of an incident, and when you’ll return.

From Delray Beach kitchen, feeding multitudes in need

Parker Forman of Delray Beach helps fight food insecurity one lasagna at a time by cooking the Italian staple and donating the 9-pound trays to local churches that give them to needy people. Photos by Tim Stepien

By Faran Fagen

On Sunday mornings at 9:30, while many of his friends are sleeping in, 17-year-old Parker Forman begins a four-hour culinary regimen in his Delray Beach kitchen. He bakes lasagna — sometimes more than 140 pounds — for hungry families.

After cooking the lasagna for about 1.5 hours at 350 degrees — topped off by 20 minutes outside the oven for it to cool — Forman takes in the zesty aroma of hot meats and cheeses lined up in 9-by-13-inch tin trays.

“Every time I cook the lasagnas, I want to take a bite,” Forman said. “Every time I cook for people, I’m having an impact on my community.”

Once the lasagnas have cooled, Forman piles the thick tins into his parents’ van and drives — slowly — to two Delray Beach churches: St. Matthew’s Episcopal and Restoration House Empowerment Ministries International, known as RHEMI. After his weekly operation is complete, church volunteers then deliver the lasagnas to families in their community.

Forman says he has always loved lasagna and it was a good meal to mass produce. He can make up to 12 trays at a time and sometimes does two batches of eight trays each.

“To me, lasagna means getting together with a lot of people and eating together,” said Forman, a senior at Pine Crest School in Fort Lauderdale. “To me, it’s about helping as many people as I can and feeding as many people as possible.” 

Forman starts by seasoning the ground beef and Italian sausage, above, then adding the pasta and spreading the ricotta cheese in layers, below.

Each 9-pound tray of Forman’s homemade lasagna can feed up to eight people, and with his team of five student volunteers, he has already served more than 1,000 people throughout South Florida.

What started as Forman’s simple gesture — bringing his signature lasagna to St. Matthew’s — has grown into a Florida-registered nonprofit organization called Food4Need Inc. (food4needinc.com)

The student-run nonprofit operates multiple days a week, partners with three churches (First Baptist Church in Pompano Beach is the third) and regularly distributes 300-plus pounds of food.

Forman has loved cooking since he was a child. When he was younger, he enjoyed chopping food in the kitchen with his parents, Jennifer and Brett.

At the end of 2022, as the pandemic waned, the then Pine Crest freshman wanted to give back. The family often participated in Thanksgiving food drives and Christmas toy drives but he wanted to do something himself.

After reaching out to charities, he developed a relationship with St. Matthew’s and started cooking and delivering six or seven lasagnas each Sunday. He realized that he could do more.

In his junior year, the nonprofit was formed, and Forman brought on people and more deliveries.

“I had to bring on more people because so many relied on me and my lasagna,” Forman said. “We rarely miss a week. We try to deliver every week.”

All meals are cooked fresh by Forman and his friends, who all attend Pine Crest School. 

Meals are funded by community donations and supported in part by Sprouts Farmers Market, but Food4Need is trying to get more from grants and foundations. All donations go straight to ingredients; none of the team members is paid.

Besides Forman, who serves as president, the Food4Need team includes co-founder/Vice President Max Hazleton, 17, Pompano Beach; Ryan Kelly del Valle, 17,Boca Raton; Hudson Schwartz, 17, Boca Raton; Zach Moss, 17, Lauderdale-by-the-Sea; and Blake Grossman, 17, Boca Raton.

“When Parker first came to me with his idea and asked for help, I was excited to have the opportunity to give back and help my community,” Kelly del Valle said.

Another key component of the operation is Cynthia Ridley, a 50-year volunteer of St. Matthew’s Church. 

“My focus is to make sure we reach the families who need these lasagnas the most,” Ridley said. "This lasagna relieves stress for a mother of six kids to know how they’re going to feed their family.”

Ridley said the church families love it because the lasagna stretches a long way.

Over the last two years, the program has been so successful that deliveries have expanded to senior citizens.

Parker Forman drops off tins of lasagna in August at St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in Delray Beach. The Rev. Lloyd Newton and Yolanda Spells accept on behalf of the church, which then delivered the food to people in the St. Matthew’s community.

“I think it means a lot and I’m surprised he’s able to keep it up,” Ridley said. “It’s been a blessing to the community. It’s homemade, so it’s very good. People are so grateful that we drop it off at their house.” 

Forman, a straight-A student  and varsity lacrosse player, has a strict formula for success. He prioritized his life in this order: school and studying, Food4Need, lacrosse, and friends.

“I study hard so I have time for my nonprofit,” Forman said. “Every time I cook for people, I’m having a bigger impact on my community. It’s nice to know I’m having a positive impact on people’s lives.”

Ridley said she can tell Forman has been raised by good parents.

“He’s got amazing kindness,” she said. “I’m quite sure he’ll do  something great. His influence won’t end here.”

Forman plans to attend college out of state for business school or hospitality/food management. His top five choices are Penn State, Cornell, Vanderbilt, Michigan and the University of Texas at Austin. 

But for his senior year of high school, Forman says he’s going to continue cooking as much as he can.

His long-term goal is for an underclassman at Pine Crest to take over the nonprofit when he goes away to college. Someone is already shadowing as a possibility.

“I’ll still be involved even if I can’t do the physical cooking,” Forman said.

Over the summer, in addition to cooking lasagna, he worked 30 hours a week at Peter’s Pizzeria in East Boca Raton. Once school started, the job ended.

But his real passion is cooking lasagna for Food4Need. He found a recipe on Pinterest, but substituted a few ingredients to make the recipe his own. 

“It’s the typical ingredients,” he said. “Ground beef and Italian sausage, lots of seasoning, tomato sauce, meat sauce, pasta noodles, ricotta, mozzarella, and eggs. And in the end, I sprinkle mozzarella and parmesan cheese on top.

“I put hard work into each lasagna so it tastes great,” he said. “I think they really love the meat I cook myself — that’s what gets them.” 

Donations can be made at food4needinc.com

By Amy Woods

"Christmas in July” took place at the Milagro Center when seven families were surprised with $7,000 checks courtesy of a $49,000 grant from the Mary Alice Fortin Foundation.

The funds provided meaningful support during a time of year when community needs often go unmet.

“It’s with tremendous gratitude to the Mary Alice Fortin Foundation that we were able to assist these families, all of whom are in dire need of assistance,” said Barbara Stark, president and CEO of the center. “They truly make a difference for the underserved and economically challenged communities throughout Palm Beach County.”

Here are a few examples of how the donations helped local families:

• A mother recovering from surgery and unable to work could afford to get her children back-to-school supplies and uniforms.

• A mother without a car was able to purchase new transportation for her family.

• A mother trying to finish pharmacy school, who did not have enough saved for the final tuition, will be able to complete her coursework.

For more information about the Milagro Center, call 561-279-2970 or visit milagrocenter.org.

Seven nonprofits awarded donations to help families 

The Sovereign Order of St. John of Jerusalem Knights Hospitaller’s Palm Beaches Commandery has given $128,000 to seven nonprofits serving children and families facing hardship.

The gifts reflect the order’s centuries-old humanitarian role.

“Philanthropy is our sacred mission,” Grand Dame Isabelle Paul said. “We are proud to support these incredible organizations that uplift, protect and empower   members of our community in greatest need.”

Beneficiaries include:

• Fuller Center

• Gateway Community Outreach

• Promise Fund

• Samaritan’s Purse

• Spirit of Giving Network

• The Crossroads Club

• The Lord’s Place

For more information about the Sovereign Order of St. John of Jerusalem Knights Hospitaller’s Palm Beaches Commandery, visit osjflorida.org.

Newest class of scholars welcomed to Snow family

The George Snow Scholarship Fund has awarded more than $5.5 million to 374 scholars in South Florida.

When members of the Class of 2025 received the news about their scholarships, they became part of the Snow family, which will walk alongside each student throughout the college journey.

“Awards season is the highlight of our year as we get a chance to celebrate the deserving local students our community has been working so hard to raise funds for and send to school,” said Channon Ellwood, director of communications.

To prepare the class, the nonprofit organized a transition orientation where local professionals volunteered their time to speak on such topics as financial literacy, career development and adjusting to campus life. Participants went home with a Scholar Pack filled with dorm essentials, supplies and either a new laptop or a stipend.

For more information, call 561-347-6799 or visit scholarship.org.

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