By Dan Moffett

The Briny Breezes Town Council has narrowed the field of applicants for town attorney to four law firms and will hear presentations from the finalists during a special meeting on June 14.
Among the contenders is John Skrandel, who has held the position for the last five years, succeeding his father, Jerome F. Skrandel, who served Briny for 38 years after becoming its first town attorney in 1975. He died at 84 in 2013.
Despite the long relationship with the Skrandels, some residents and council members have complained that the town’s legal bills have risen too much in recent years. Last summer, the council decided to advertise the position and seek proposals from other providers.
The town heard from seven firms by December. One dropped out of the running recently. During a special meeting in May, the council eliminated two others, Bradley Biggs of Wellington and Weiss Serota of Coral Gables. Biggs, a solo practitioner like Skrandel, fell out of favor because some council members believe the town would be better off hiring a larger firm. The council rejected Weiss Serota as too pricey after it submitted a flat rate proposal of $4,000 a month.
The finalists are:
• Caldwell, Pacetti, Edwards, Schoech & Viator of West Palm Beach. The firm has represented the Indian Trail Improvement District, Northern Palm Beach County Improvement District and the town of Lake Clarke Shores. It proposed charging Briny $225 an hour.
• Davis & Ashton of West Palm Beach. Keith Davis, the firm’s principal, is town attorney for Manalapan. Other clients include Tequesta, Atlantis, Mangonia Park, Palm Beach Shores and Royal Palm Beach. The proposed fee to Briny Breezes was about $170 an hour or $2,500 a month flat rate.
• Nason, Yeager, Gerson, White & Lioce of Palm Beach Gardens. The firm has represented Riviera Beach, Port St. Lucie and municipal clients in Martin County. The proposed rate for Briny Breezes is $180 an hour or a $2,500 a month flat fee.
• Skrandel proposed continuing to charge Briny $185 an hour. The town is his only municipal client, and he has been philosophical about the council’s opening his position to other applicants: “It’s something lawyers go through from time to time.”
During the June special meeting that begins at 2 p.m., each firm will have a half-hour to make a presentation and answer questions. The council will have some added leverage as it considers its options.
Council President Sue Thaler says that Briny’s legal bills have been steadily falling this year, coming in roughly between $600 and $800 per month, compared with some as high as $3,000 to $4,000 last year. The reason? Hiring Dale Sugerman as the town’s first manager in January. Thaler said Sugerman has been doing the administrative work that would have gone to Skrandel in previous years, and so the new position is saving money.
“The fact that legal fees decreased substantially validates our belief that he would do a lot that we previously used the attorney for,” she said of Sugerman.
In other business:
• Sugerman told the council during its meeting on May 24 that he is making progress negotiating with Boynton Beach utilities officials to get in-city water rates for Briny. The town currently pays Boynton an average of about $16,400 per month, and that could fall to roughly $14,300 with in-city rates. It figures to a savings of about $40 per year for each customer.
• The town is cracking down on scofflaws who refuse to get permits for work on their homes. With a unanimous vote, the council approved a resolution that doubles permit fees to penalize homeowners who ignore the building rules.

By Rich Pollack

Retirement has been a lot harder than Bill Thrasher thought.
The town manager in Gulf Stream for 16 years retired in April 2017 after 21 years of working for the town. But last month he rejoined the workforce to serve as Highland Beach’s interim town manager.
“Retirement is hard work,” Thrasher said. “It’s difficult, but I am getting better at it.”
It may be several months before Thrasher, 70, gets to hone his retirement skills again.
In the meantime, he’s running the day-to-day operations in Highland Beach, filling the spot left open early last month when town commissioners voted 3-2 to fire Valerie Oakes.
Thrasher, who started immediately after being selected on May 21, will be paid the equivalent rate of the $139,000 annual salary Oakes was receiving, based on the amount of time he is on the job.
In being selected on a fourth ballot, Thrasher beat five other candidates, including some who are well known in the area.
Among the candidates were former Delray Beach City Manager David Harden and former South Palm Beach Town Manager Bob Vitas.
Barry Feldman, who spent 21 years as the West Hartford city manager in Connecticut, finished second. Other candidates were Taylor Brown, the former city manager of Mary Esther, Fla., and, Joanna Cunningham, town clerk, public information officer and passport service manager in Greenacres.
Thrasher, who read about the job opening in The Coastal Star, said he is looking forward to leading Highland Beach through a transitional period.
“I figured I could help the town,” he said. “I got into local government for the purpose of serving people.”
For several commissioners, Thrasher’s knowledge of Florida and his connections to many working in government and the private sector were a selling point, as was his experience in a town with similarities to Highland Beach.
“I think he’ll serve us very well,” said Commissioner Peggy Gossett-Seidman. “I think he can let the whole town breathe a collective sigh of relief.”
She said Thrasher’s management style, which emphasizes collaboration, will benefit the town.
“The best organizations are led with teamwork,” Gossett-Seidman said.
Those who worked with Thrasher say he makes decisions and suggestions with the best interests of his town in mind.
“He’s very conscientious about how any of his recommendations are going to affect not just the commission but also the people in town,” says Rita Taylor, the longtime Gulf Stream town clerk. “He will be a good manager anywhere he goes.”
Thrasher’s knowledge of coastal and beach issues and his work with Florida Power & Light officials and Florida Department of Transportation leaders also were a plus for some commissioners, because the town will address issues involving those organizations. Some commissioners also cited his experience in the business world as a benefit.
Thrasher and Highland Beach Town Clerk Lanelda Gaskins may also need to call upon any relationships they have with the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections Office, should a fledgling recall movement gain traction.
Leaders of that movement, taking aim at eligible commissioners who voted to fire Oakes, said they held an organizational meeting with more than a dozen residents attending.
Supervisor of Elections Susan Bucher says recall elections are rare, and progress is often derailed by the stringent requirements set down in Florida law.
During a Town Commission workshop meeting late last month, some residents referenced the recall effort while questioning the decision to fire Oakes.
Others, however, said they supported the decision and think the town needed a change in leadership.
“We elected a new commission to give us the change we needed to bring us into the future,” said resident Jane Perlow, who later praised Thrasher. “We now have an experienced professional strong town manager to carry out the commission’s policies going forward.”
Commissioner Elyse Riesa, who voted to hire Thrasher on the final ballot, said she was pleased with the quality of all the candidates, but what set Thrasher apart was his experience helping Gulf Stream find a new town manager after he announced his retirement.
Thrasher set up a process that helped narrow the candidates to a list of finalists brought to the Town Commission.
Thrasher said he is not interested in taking the Highland Beach position permanently but that he would help the town find a permanent manager if commissioners ask.
That Thrasher came out of retirement to help Highland Beach as interim manager came as no surprise to Taylor, Gulf Stream’s town clerk for 28 years.
“I figured he wouldn’t stay idle for too long,” she said. “He’s the kind of person who needs to be involved and to have something to put his mind to.”

By Steve Plunkett

Gulf Stream’s town manager, staff attorney and executive assistant have settled into new offices in the just-completed Town Hall addition.
“We are all occupying our new spaces. I won’t say we’re completely moved in — we still have boxes to unpack,” Town Manager Greg Dunham said the Friday before Memorial Day.
Dunham, staff attorney Trey Nazzaro and assistant Renee Rowan Basel won spots in the remodeled Town Hall. Town Clerk Rita Taylor moved across the building to the larger office Dunham had; her old space will become the relocated town library.
Dunham said he and Nazzaro had spent the preceding two weeks holed up in the Town Commission chambers while workers finished construction. He expected to have a final walk-through with the contractor shortly after Memorial Day.
“We are really winding down,” he said.
Shelves still have to be installed in Taylor’s former office, but that work is not considered part of the construction project.
May was mostly devoted to interior work on the offices. The green fences shielding the construction from view came down as town commissioners met May 11.
Dunham told commissioners then that Comcast was almost ready to begin putting its lines, which will be upgraded to fiber optic, into underground conduits. Once Comcast does that, its part of the project will take 60 to 90 days.
Workers with Wilco Electric still are burying power lines along County Road and Little Club Road, Dunham said, but Comcast will start on the other side of phase 2. Its first task will be to walk the area to map the precise locations of the conduit, which he said could vary from the plans by up to 15 feet.
After Comcast finishes its portion, AT&T will come to town to put phone lines underground.
Dunham told commissioners the work could be finished sooner if they allow Comcast to work after 5 p.m., something Gulf Stream usually prohibits. Commissioners happily agreed.
“I’d rather see it get done,” Commissioner Joan Orthwein said.

By Mary Thurwachter

An amendment to an ordinance that would allow miniature pigs to live in Lantana squeaked by the Town Council on May 14 — but not without trepidation.
While council members were sympathetic to the call from resident John Park to keep his pet mini pig when the topic first came up in April, further study of mini pigs, or teacup pigs, had the council concerned about how portly the little piggies could become.
Council member Malcolm Balfour shared his remembrance of an issue Key West had with a pig in the past, when Balfour was a journalist covering a story there.
“These pigs grow,” he said. “They grow very, very big. There was a man in Key West who had a pig next door and the pig was enamored with his Harley-Davidson. The pig destroyed the Harley-Davidson.”
There was huge outcry over the issue, he said.
“I’m going to keep my Harley in the garage,” quipped council member Phil Aridas, who supported the new ordinance.
Vice Mayor Edward Shropshire said he had read that little pigs start to get big and by the age of 4 many of them end up going to rescue.
“I just wondered if there’s another way we could go about this,” Shropshire said. “I see the individuals involved aren’t here tonight, but could they have it [pig] as an emotional support animal or something along those lines that would allow them to still keep the pig without us having to go through changing the code?
“I understand this is a lovable pet, but are there alternative ways to handle this? Any well-behaved pet can be an emotional support animal with appropriate documentation from a licensed physician, and that’s from the North American Pet Pig Association.”
But designating a pet as a therapy pig won’t work, said Town Attorney Max Lohman.
“There’s a big difference between an emotional support animal and a service animal,” Lohman said. “Emotional support animals are not recognized by the ADA and you’re not protected by an emotional support animal. People run around doing that all the time like that yahoo who tried to take a peacock on an airplane. There’s a big, big difference and people have abused that to the point where the law doesn’t recognize it anymore.”
Service animals are different, Lohman said. “A service animal assists someone with a legally recognized disability. An emotional support animal is not the same thing under the ADA, so we wouldn’t allow them a reasonable accommodation to get around our code for that.”
Mayor Dave Stewart had also done some research and said some of the little pigs grow to be 180 pounds. At Stewart’s suggestion, the new ordinance will include a weight limit of 35 pounds.
Lohman warned that enforcement could be a problem.
Council member Lynn Moorhouse said he didn’t think pigs make nearly as much racket as a parrot or macaw or other birds. “If this is a small domesticated animal I have no problem with it in the least — unless there are substantial complaints by the Police Department where it’s a nuisance,” he said.
The ordinance will come up for a final vote on June 11. Passage will mean Park won’t have to give up his pet pig or pay a fine — unless the animal tips the scale at more than 35 pounds.

By Mary Thurwachter

A proposal to construct a concrete trail at the Lantana Nature Preserve got mixed reviews from the Town Council on May 14. The discussion prompted the town to look at other ways to rebuild the pathway, including a boardwalk.
Last year’s Hurricane Irma left the preserve and the trail in shambles. Only the front portion is currently accessible.
Town Manager Deborah Manzo proposed a 5-foot-wide concrete trail at a cost of $33,000 for the first phase. The project would be spread over two years, so another $33,000 would be spent next year for a total project cost of $66,000. Most of the money would come from the Carlisle Palm Beach, just east of the 6½-acre preserve at 440 E. Ocean Ave.
As a result of a deal struck when the Carlisle senior living facility was built on land the town owned at the time, the Carlisle pays Lantana $50,000 a year for preserve expenses.
Between $1,000 and $2,000 for the pathway project would come from FEMA, which supports repairs such as this as an improvement or mitigation project. The town’s annual cost to maintain the park is $20,000.
“That [$66,000] seems like rather a lot of money for a path,” said council member Malcolm Balfour, who lives near the preserve. “But something needs to be done. There are so many rocks there. It’s almost impossible to walk through.”
Some council members didn’t like the idea of concrete being used.
“It’s a nature preserve,” council member Lynn Moorhouse stressed. “I have reservations.”
Mayor Dave Stewart asked for other options. “It’s not intended to be manicured like a country club,” he said.
“The shell rock wasn’t working,” Manzo said. “Granite sand was tried and washed away.” Mulch also washes away.
Council member Phil Aridas suggested a boardwalk.
“If it’s boardwalk, it would be recycled lumber, which is very expensive,” Manzo said. Recycled lumber is being used at the beach and holds up better, she said.
Balfour said the town needs to consider where most of the money for Nature Preserve improvements and maintenance come from. “We have to remember that the place is mostly funded by the old-age home and we need to make it comfortable for them,” he said. Since the hurricane, Carlisle residents haven’t been able to get in to enjoy the butterfly garden or other parts of the preserve.
Manzo will bring back all options and prices at a future meeting.
In other news, the council approved spending $51,965 to install new hurricane shutters on the town library. Most of the money will come from a federal grant. The town’s contribution would be $17,321.

The royal wedding brings out plenty of styles and emotions. TOP: Elaine Walls enjoys a toast. ABOVE LEFT: Sara Wohlfarth sits with family and friends. ABOVE RIGHT: Blue Anchor owner Peggy Snyder juggles a bar full of reservations. Photos by Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

By Ron Hayes

You have to wonder.
What could make so many men and women get up, dress up and venture out to The Blue Anchor Pub so early, just to watch a wedding so far away?
The tradition? The romance? The “Royal Brekkie” of bangers and English bacon, baked beans and mushrooms, grilled tomato, black pudding, two eggs and toast? The alcohol?
And those fashions!
Consider that gentleman perched at a high table by the side door. He is friendly but politely declines to give his name — perhaps because at 6 a.m. on a Saturday he has appeared in public wearing a white T-shirt and black suit coat, a cummerbund embroidered with Felix the Cat, black Bermuda shorts and flip-flops.
“My formal black flip-flops,” he notes.
He is not alone. By 7 a.m. on May 19, the pub is nearly full, and all seven big-screen tellies are tuned to Windsor Castle, where it’s already noon and Prince Harry, sixth in the line to the British throne, will soon be wed to Ms. Meghan Markle, a commoner, an actress and American no less.
“I think we’re here because the invitation got lost in the mail,” Elaine Johnson says. “And The Blue Anchor is the next-best thing to being there.”
Indeed it is. Opened in 1864 on London’s fabled Chancery Lane, The Blue Anchor thrived there until 1996, when the building came down, a parking lot went up, and the pub’s exterior — huge oak doors, dark paneling and stained-glass windows — was dismantled and shipped across the pond to Delray Beach.

ABOVE: Those gathering at The Blue Anchor Pub in Delray Beach to enjoy the telecast of the wedding include (l-r) Trevor and Elona Andrews, Emily Logan and Robin Isaac.

LEFT: Dan Meister toasts people in his group, including (l-r) his wife, Mimi, Louise Glover and Mia Anderton. The Meisters met at the pub 20 years ago, and Mimi’s birthday was the same day as the royal wedding. ABOVE: British native Lucie Carney wipes away a tear.

“I’m not really sure why I’m doing this,” muses Lisette Molins, who’s from Venezuela. “I grew up hearing about the royal family. It’s not like I have feelings for them, but any excuse to celebrate life is good … and I’ve had a crush on Harry since I was a kid.”
It’s a joyful mix of the reverent and the ridiculous, with Union Jacks poking from black top hats, tuxedo T-shirts and top-heavy feathers, even a straw cowboy hat, perhaps in honor of the bride’s American roots.
When the bride arrives at St. George’s Chapel, a woman cries, “Oh, look! Oh, my God!”
Elaine Walls and her flowered hat are watching from a corner of the bar.
“My daughter bought me a present of four days in London in July,” she explains, “so I’m getting in the mood.”
Her friend Nelia Oiler is sporting a big black hat.
“I don’t know what you’d call it,” she admits. “Wide-brimmed?”
And she’s not really sure why so many Americans have gathered here to celebrate the latest incarnation of a monarchy they fought a bloody war to be rid of, either.
“Well, I like to see what they’re wearing,” Oiler begins, then falters. “I’m just interested in them,” she says. “I don’t know why, really.”
Suddenly an unmistakably British accent calls from down the bar.
“Jealousy!” Lucie Carney charges. “Jealousy!”
Carney lives in Delray Beach now but still summers back home in London.
“What is more constant than the royal family?” she asks. “Our queen’s been with us through thick and thin, so we feel they’re part of our family. They’re connecting our past and our future. People say the royal family won’t last, but it will. It will. As long as there’s an England, it will!”
And as long as there’s a United States, some of us will want to cheer when the archbishop of Canterbury intones, “I therefore proclaim that they are husband and wife” — if only from an ocean away, and only for a few hours on a Saturday morning.
Dan and Mimi Meister met in this pub 20 years ago, were proclaimed husband and wife 17 years ago, and today is Mimi’s birthday.
To honor both marriages, Dan Meister is wearing a black top hat, tails and bright red shorts.
“This is outstanding,” he says, eyes on the telly. “It’s a little levity, with everything that’s going on in the world, to see a nice couple celebrating in a nice way.
“And a little pomp and circumstance is always nice.”

By Dan Moffett

Dog owners who take their pets to South Palm Beach for a stroll in the surf should be prepared to pay up to $250 for repeat violations of a town ordinance.
The town doesn’t allow dogs on its public beach and last month approved levying some hefty fines on offenders.
For a first violation, police will issue a written warning. The second offense within a calendar year will cost $100. The third and all subsequent violations will draw $250 fines.
“The law has been on the books since 1983,” Mayor Bonnie Fischer said of the prohibition against dogs on the beach. “But there’s been no teeth in it.”
The Town Council hopes that the specter of a $250 fine will deter what has become a growing problem in recent years. Until now, police were empowered only to give verbal warnings and hope violators complied.
During the May 8 town meeting, council members Elvadianne Culbertson and Bill LeRoy argued against keeping penalties too low.
Culbertson dismissed a proposal for $100 fines for serial offenders as “too trivial.” LeRoy said the fines had to sting enough to change behavior.
“We’re not trying to raise money,” he said. “You got to make it severe enough that you stop the action.”
The vote for the $250 fines was 4-1, with the mayor dissenting.
Town Attorney Glen Torcivia said that dog owners who believe they were unfairly fined can appeal to the town’s code enforcement board or to a magistrate. The next line of appeal is the circuit court.
Councilwoman Stella Gaddy Jordan said it’s important that police and town officials do their parts in educating the public about the change.
“I just want to make sure to get the information out there to people,” she said.
In other business:
• Town Manager Mo Thornton said construction on the 3550 South Ocean condominium project was advancing “fairly quickly” and workers were hoping for a topping out party — marking the completion of the building’s structural shell — on June 15.
• The council unanimously approved the hiring of Stormwater J Engineering of West Palm Beach to handle design and analysis duties for sewer repair work. The town’s aging drain system needs a significant overhaul, which could take much of the year to complete, officials say.

By Dan Moffett

 South Palm Beach Police Chief Carl Webb decided to retire from his position in early May, ending a 30-year career with the town.
Webb, 64, went on a medical leave of absence in January, and officials said he chose to take the retirement he was planning instead of returning to the job.
 The town appreciates his service,” said Town Manager Mo Thornton. “We wish him all the best in his retirement.”
 Webb grew up in the Pittsburgh area and earned his police certification at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. He came to Palm Beach County in 1986 and took a job as a patrol officer with the Greenacres Police Department. Three years later, South Palm Beach hired him, and he worked for the town ever since.
 Webb first served under Chief Stanley Morse until his retirement in 1993 and then under Chief Roger Crane until 2013 when Webb took over as interim chief. The Town Council promoted him to chief and public safety director in April 2014. He became only the third chief in the town’s history.
 After taking command of the department, Webb made a priority of upgrading technology and obtaining military-grade weapons for his officers. He oversaw a security renovation of the Town Hall front office that included the installation of bullet-resistant glass and electronic locks.
 As safety director, Webb emphasized hurricane preparedness and the need for residents to heed evacuation notices. He worked to improve communications between the town and residents on crime prevention and emergency medical responses.
 Sgt. Mark Garrison, a 17-year veteran of the Police Department, took over Webb’s duties in February, and Thornton said he would continue as interim chief until the town finds a permanent replacement.
  She said the council would begin advertising for applicants and screening candidates soon, with the hope of naming Webb’s successor by summer.
 Webb’s annual salary was $98,515.

By Rich Pollack

South Palm Beach County’s five small coastal communities continued to have few serious crimes reported in 2017, according to statistics released last month by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
There were 154 total serious crimes, ranging from larceny to rape, in the five communities — Gulf Stream, Highland Beach, Manalapan, Ocean Ridge and South Palm Beach — compared with 150 reported in 2016.
All of the communities, however, experienced slight increases in offenses, with the exception of Ocean Ridge, which saw a 42.5 percent decrease in crimes reported.
Also seeing decreases were south Palm Beach County’s larger cities of Boca Raton, Boynton Beach and Delray Beach. Lantana experienced a slight increase in reported crimes.
Larcenies, often thefts from unlocked vehicles, increased from eight to 24 in Gulf Stream and from 22 to 27 in Highland Beach. They remained flat in Manalapan, which saw 14 larcenies, and increased from five to six in South Palm Beach.
Gulf Stream Police Chief Ed Allen said the larcenies ranged from tools being taken from job sites to valuables being taken from a handful of unlocked vehicles.
“It’s just a variety of things.” he said.
In Ocean Ridge, the number of larcenies dropped from 64 to 31, with a decrease in the number of reported thefts from unlocked vehicles accounting for a large portion of the decline.
Ocean Ridge Police Chief Hal Hutchins said the decline in the number of larcenies could be attributed to several variables, including more awareness among residents of the need to remove valuables and lock cars as well as changes in the department’s patrol tactics.
“Everything together drove that number down,” he said. “Could that change overnight? Certainly.”
Hutchins is cautious about putting too much emphasis on the statistics, especially in small towns where the number of crimes are low and just a few crimes can have an impact on the percentage of increase or decrease in the numbers.
Still, he said, his department is doing its best to see the number of overall crimes in the community decline.
“We’re happy to see some decline in the crimes we typically encounter here,” he said. “We’d like to see these numbers go down every year, and our officers and residents have formed a partnership to do just that.”
Overall crime in Palm Beach County dropped by 5.6 percent, while the number of crimes statewide declined 4.5 percent compared to 2016.

Robert Gottlieb (right), vice mayor of South Palm Beach, receives the William ‘Bill’ Moss Memorial Award from Palm Beach County League of Cities President Keith James on May 23 at the Kravis Center in West Palm Beach. The award is given to public servants who demonstrate ‘exemplary involvement, support and dedication’ to the league. Photo provided

By Jane Smith

The temporary location of the Boynton Beach City Library will stay east of the interstate, city staff decided in late May.
“We thought it would be better to have the temporary library location east of I-95 because that’s where most of the patrons live,” said Colin Groff, assistant city manager in charge of the 16-acre Town Square project, which will include a new library.
Rather than on High Ridge Road, the new temporary location for both adult and children will be at 115 N. Federal Highway in a former bank building that most recently housed the Congregational United Church of Christ. In mid-April, the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency board agreed to pay $3 million for the church and its parking lot.
“The city owns a nearby parking lot, so there will be plenty of parking,” Groff said. As part of the deal, the congregation may still hold Sunday services through December, he said. The library will have only 20,000 square feet, roughly one-third of its current size. The library staff is trying to work out a circulation policy so that all materials can be borrowed, Groff said.
Under the revised schedule, which may change, the library will be closed from July 13 to Aug. 12. The library will reopen Aug. 13 in its temporary location.
Town Square is a public-private partnership that will create a downtown for Boynton Beach. It will have a combination library and city hall building, the renovated historic high school, which will offer recreation programs on the first floor and an auditorium/reception space on the second floor, the historic Schoolhouse Children’s Museum, a new fire station, two parking garages, open spaces and a public amphitheater.
The private development will include a hotel and apartment buildings.
The city also pushed back other dates in the project. The renovated old high school now is scheduled to open Feb. 28, not in January.
The city’s customer service unit — where residents go to buy beach passes, pay utility bills, pay parking tickets and request public records — will move to 209 N. Seacrest Blvd. It will open Oct. 1.
City Hall will move to 3301 Quantum Blvd. and open Sept. 24.
The Police Department headquarters staff will move to 2045 High Ridge Road effective Sept. 24.
The move of Fire Station 1 staff and vehicles was delayed by one month to mid-September.
All dates are subject to further changes, Groff said.

Daniel Hartwell resembles actor Owen Wilson so much that people often stop him to have their photos taken with him. But he’s not Owen Wilson. He’s a concert promoter and author of a book on the Beatles’ John Lennon. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Brian Biggane

What once may have been taken as a quirky resemblance to a celebrity has turned into a full-fledged cottage industry for Ocean Ridge resident Daniel Hartwell.
For going on 20 years, people have mistaken Hartwell for actor Owen Wilson (Wedding Crashers, Zoolander, Marley & Me), and the notice it’s brought has gone viral since the two were shown in side-by-side photos on Page 6 of The New York Post recently.
“My phone rang off the hook after that,” Hartwell said. “I had no idea what Page 6 was until then. Now People magazine wants me to do a photo shoot with Owen Wilson. I’m waiting to hear more on that.”
A concert promoter who has written a book on John Lennon, Hartwell said he was “shocked” at first by how many people would stop and ask about the resemblance.
“Now I have fun with it,” he said. “Why not? If it’s going to make somebody’s day to have a picture with me, I oblige them.
“It’s really picked up the last five years. I’ve traveled the world and have had people running up and asking for pictures in Japan and Russia and Colombia and all over the U.S.”
The two have never met, but Hartwell said they have conversed through a mutual friend.
Hartwell, 57, promoted a concert through his company, United We Rock, last year in the parking lot near the Fish Depot in Boynton Beach and is working toward putting together “a giant Beatles festival” in Delray Beach in 2019. “The idea is to take over a large part of the city for that,” he said.
While working toward that he keeps busy “promoting my book, Saint John Lennon, along with life coaching, health coaching, business coaching. I also consult for other concert producers and promoters.”
Hartwell is on the board of directors for Horses Healing Hearts (www.horseshealingheartsusa.org). “We provide equestrian therapy for children of alcoholics and addicts,” he said. “Kids in today’s world need all the positive reinforcement they can get.”

Q: Where did you grow up and go to school? How do you think that has influenced you?
A: I grew up in central New England in the Worcester/Boston area. It was a place where you had to be on top of your game and work hard — never a dull moment! The can-do vibe was a great influence because I had to make it without help from anyone. No such thing as luck. Prepare for opportunity is what I was taught.

Q: What professions have you worked in? What professional accomplishments are you most proud of?
A: I have been a drummer, a singer, a producer, a concert promoter and a life coach. Now I am an author, and my greatest accomplishment is the release of my new novel, Saint John Lennon. It’s becoming very popular around the world. The story is a time-travel adventure about John Lennon returning to our near-future world. He continues his mission of promoting peace and love and, of course, creating music. He has missed 40 years of culture, technology, family life and politics.  
Fans follow John on his adventures — he appears on Bill Maher’s Real Time, goes into space with Richard Branson, gets around in a driverless car, debates Hannity on Fox News, thwarts terrorism and meets with President Trump. It’s a fun romp fans can’t put down once they start reading. Can you say Beatles reunion? It’s on Amazon and available at saintjohnlennon.com.

Q: What advice do you have for a young person seeking a career today?
A: Life doesn’t happen sitting on the sofa. Get off your butt, get off Netflix and off your iPhone and start meeting people face to face.

Q: How did you choose to make your home in Ocean Ridge? 
A: I stumbled upon this wonderful town while visiting a friend and I fell in love with its magical charm.

Q: What is your favorite part about living in Ocean Ridge? 
A: The ocean. It’s special here.

Q: What book are you reading now?
A: Love in the Time of Cholera, by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. It’s a great love story that transcends time. Lots of surprises. 

Q: What music do you listen to when you need inspiration? When you want to relax? 
A: I listen to rock when I am running at the beach, classical when writing and Liquid Mind when relaxing.

Q:  Do you have a favorite quote that inspires your decisions?
A: “It is literally true that you can succeed best and quickest by helping others to succeed.” — Napoleon Hill. I find this quote represents all that I have experienced. When we help others, it truly helps us in all walks of life. 

Q: Have you had mentors in your life? Individuals who have inspired your life decisions? 
A: Yes, John Lennon, Tony Robbins and my father. John Lennon, and the Beatles of course, were always inspiring with positive, happy songs that filled my life. John’s never-ending crusade for peace was legendary. I have been to some of Tony Robbins’ events and I feel he is a great inspiration to all who experience his mission of growth and positivity. And my father, Douglas Hartwell, who always taught me lessons of goodwill and to always “love each other.”

Q: If your life story were made into a movie, who would play you? 
A: Owen Wilson! I get stopped every day and asked if I am him.

By Jane Smith

Delray Beach Plaza will get a full-line Whole Foods Market, not the 365 brand, the center’s developer told a city advisory board in early May.
“It will be a ‘grocerant’ where people go for lunch,” said Jeff Garrison, partner at S.J. Collins Enterprises, which owns the center formerly called Lavers International Plaza, just east of Interstate 95 on East Linton Boulevard. The developer wanted to add 10,000 square feet to the main building to make it a Whole Foods store.
The Site Plan Appearance and Review Board unanimously approved the change May 9.
Garrison called it a “change on the fly” and was able to persuade Whole Foods to stay because of the lease signed before Amazon bought the grocery store chain last year.
“The opportunity to open a Whole Foods Market store in Delray Beach means that we will be able to provide the community with a more complete shopping and food experience,” said Juan Nunez, president of Whole Foods Market’s Florida region.
The 365 store was supposed to open by the end of 2018. The change in plans will not provide enough time for the Whole Foods Market to open this year, said Heather McCready, Whole Foods spokeswoman.

Eight new lifeguard towers, costing $126,000 each, will replace the aging stationary towers in Delray Beach. The new towers have skids so they can be moved when safety conditions change at the municipal beach. All eight were scheduled to be in place by June 4, weather permitting. The towers were built in sections at a warehouse and brought to the Casuarina Road entrance, where they were assembled into a single unit. Once at their locations, the towers were painted, stairs attached and new roofing added to match that on the main pavilion. The towers have impact glass windows and louvered shutters to protect the windows from flying debris and vandalism. Solar panels on the roofs will power lifeguards’ police radios and operate fans in the hot summer months. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Jane Smith

The blaring horns from FEC freight trains and Brightline passenger trains will soon stop in most South County cities.
In Boca Raton, a quiet zone was scheduled to begin at 11:59 p.m. May 30. The city’s website explained: “Residents may still hear train horns in emergency situations or when the trains comply with other railroad rules. … A more appropriate description of a designated quiet zone would be a ‘reduced train horn area.’”
Boca Raton followed West Palm Beach and Lake Worth in their quiet zone designations along the Florida East Coast railroad tracks.
Quiet zone construction can include quad gates or a raised median between travel lanes to improve safety at the crossings. The county’s Transportation Planning Agency is paying for the construction. Individual cities will have to cover the maintenance costs.
When the county’s work is finished, cities then can petition the Federal Railroad Administration about their intent to install quiet zones. Federal officials need 21 days to review the plans and decide whether the safety upgrades are sufficient to allow train operators to stop blasting their horns at the crossings.
In Delray Beach, City Manager Mark Lauzier brought up the quiet zone application at the May 15 City Commission meeting. With commission consensus, he filed the city’s application the next day.
The application was quickly approved, and the city’s quiet zone should be in place by June 2.
Mayor Shelly Petrolia also wants cameras to be installed at the city’s heavily used crossings. She would like to know where else the city needs to install pedestrian and bicyclist barriers, similar to the aluminum rail fence between Atlantic Avenue and Northeast First Street. The city had it installed after a woman took a well-used shortcut across the tracks in 2016 and was killed by a southbound freight train.
On May 9, Lantana and Hypoluxo received their notices that the supplemental safety items were in place.
Lantana began work on the required traffic counts in late May with the hopes of submitting the quiet zone package by June, Town Manager Deborah Manzo said in an email. She hoped the trains along the FEC tracks would no longer blast their horns by late June.
Hypoluxo is teaming with Lantana to submit its quiet zone package, said Hypoluxo Mayor Michael Brown. Hypoluxo has only two FEC crossings and both are on county roads — Miner and Hypoluxo roads.
Boynton Beach will have to wait until midsummer to apply for its quiet zone after asking for four more crossings to receive the extra protection.
“Safety is most important,” Mayor Steven Grant said at Brightline’s new Miami station on a May 11 media trip from West Palm Beach. In January, two people were killed by Brightline trains in Boynton Beach.
Brightline started its West Palm Beach to Miami run the following weekend with low introductory fares. On May 21, the fares rose to $15 each way for regular seats and $25 for special seats that are wider and offer free beverages and snacks. The fares likely will increase in a few months, according to Brightline.
At Brightline’s inaugural stop in Miami, the emphasis was on jobs created and a cleaner environment with fewer cars on South Florida highways.
The express trains travel at twice the speed of freight trains. Since Brightline passenger service began in January, four Palm Beach County people have been killed by the trains, which travel at 79 mph.
“People need to use caution near the Brightline trains,” U.S. Rep. Frederica Wilson said at the Miami station.
She said she wrote a letter of support for the passenger line’s federal grant request of $2  million to $3 million for safety upgrades in the three South Florida counties.

Delray Beach plans to have the sidewalk work along A1A finished by the Fourth of July. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Jane Smith

Now that tourist season has ended, MBR Construction has returned to fine-tuning its work along the promenade on the west side of Delray Beach’s municipal beach.
“We wanted to wait until the tourists were gone,” said Missie Barletto, deputy director in Delray Beach’s Public Works Department. All of the work is scheduled to be done by the Fourth of July holiday.
Starting at Casuarina Road, about 160 linear feet of sidewalk was ripped out because the color didn’t match, she said. That area is fenced off until the sidewalk’s scheduled completion in early June.
The Fort Lauderdale-based firm will move its construction work zone from the south to the north end of the city’s beach. Walkers and runners will be diverted to the west side of A1A in the construction zones.
Also, the northbound bicycle lane will be narrowed during the construction. Bicyclists are urged to use caution when riding on A1A.
On-street parking in the work zone will not be allowed. Parking is available in nearby city-owned lots.
Concrete sidewalks at the north and south sides of the main pavilion at Atlantic Avenue also are being replaced.
In addition, 21 new backless benches will be placed along the promenade near the beach entrances between Casuarina and the north end where the knee wall starts, according to the city’s website. More benches will be placed in front of the main pavilion.
Memorial bricks, created as a substitute for those who paid for plaques on the old benches, will be installed at the base of the flagpole during this time.
For questions about the project, call city engineer Isaac Kovner at 243-7341.

Reclaimed water project
The final construction leg of the reclaimed water line is underway on the barrier island. Along with the reclaimed water lines, the city is installing new water, sewer and storm water lines from Lewis Cove south to Del Haven Boulevard.
For walkers and bicyclists, that means parts of the sidewalk and bike lanes along southbound A1A will be closed from Casuarina Road south to Linton Boulevard between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. weekdays through Aug. 31.

By Jane Smith

Midtown Delray received its second City Commission approval in mid-May, which the developers needed to proceed with the massive project.
Now, the Delray Beach planning director will ensure the development team, led by Hudson Holdings, follows the four conditions set in March. The mixed-use complex was approved then, subject to the approval of design changes of three buildings.
“We’re very excited,” said Steve Michael, head of Hudson Holdings. “The project meets everyone’s needs, reflected in the unanimous decision.”
The $140 million Midtown sits at the southwest corner of Swinton and Atlantic avenues, the gateway to the Northwest/Southwest neighborhoods. It will add offices, restaurants, shops, renovated historic houses, residential inns and an underground parking garage on 7 acres.
The complex also is part of the new nationally designated Old School Square Historic District.
In 2014, the southern side received a commercial overlay before Hudson Holdings and investor Rick Marshall bought the two Swinton Avenue blocks.
By the end of the year, Midtown will begin preparing the main block for the underground garage, Michael said.
At the May meeting, commissioners were limited to approving only the design style of three new buildings — the main building on Atlantic Avenue and two side buildings on Swinton Avenue.
Mayor Shelly Petrolia, who voted against the project in March, asked former Mayor Cary Glickstein to review the developer’s new sketches and computer drawings prior to the May 15 commission meeting. “He was adamant and emphatic that the drawings be more detailed,” she said.
In March, while still mayor, Glickstein asked for the team’s historic architect Rick Gonzalez to reduce the height of the Atlantic Avenue building to three stories and to make the buildings more aesthetically pleasing. Another Midtown architect, John Szerdi, created computer drawings from the sketches.
Glickstein appreciated that Petrolia reached out to him. Also in attendance were Petrolia, city senior planner Scott Pape, Michael, Midtown’s lead attorney Neil Schiller, Gonzalez and Szerdi.
“When I asked to see Rick’s design sketches, staff and I saw substantive differences between the sketches and the [computer] drawings submitted to staff,” Glickstein said. “Specifically, the [computer] drawings omitted important, authentic design features that made the buildings far more interesting.”
The changes agreed to include adding more balconies, using softer white paint colors to differentiate the three architectural styles on the Atlantic Avenue building and other revisions.
On May 23, Michael and Szerdi said the changes were made and they were trying to schedule a meeting with the city planning staff.
The revised drawings seem to give Midtown Delray slightly more space, but Schiller and city Planning Director Tim Stillings said that’s not necessarily true.
“Midtown’s site plan has not been certified,” Stillings said in a May 22 email. “There are some inconsistencies with the numbers represented, which need to be reconciled before the site plan will be certified.”

Concerns about historic elements
Even with the changes, Petrolia and new Commissioner Bill Bathurst had a hard time approving them.
“I was up on the dais and looking out to historic preservationists in the audience,” Petrolia said after the May 15 meeting. “But we were not approving the project, just the changes in the architecture of the three new buildings.”
Bathurst sat on the city’s Historic Preservation Board when it twice turned down Midtown Delray last year.
“How much do we have to compromise to have our historic structures renovated?” Bathurst asked at the May 15 meeting.
“We’re at odds with ourselves,” he said. “We have rules for the historic district and rules for the commercial overlay. In a historic district with contributing structures, visual compatibility standards should apply. But they don’t in this project.”
The new Swinton Avenue buildings sit to the north of some of the city’s most historic houses: the 1902 Cathcart House and the 1912 Rectory, which leases space to the Yaxche Tearoom. The 1902 home of the city’s first mayor, John Sundy, is in the next block.
New buildings in a historic district can have only one architectural style, according to city rules, John Miller said in December when Midtown Delray made its second appearance at the city’s Historic Preservation Board. Miller chairs that board.
But Midtown’s main new building on Atlantic has three styles: Mediterranean Revival, Anglo-Caribbean and Art Deco, allowed under rules for the commercial overlay.
“We need to take our historic districts seriously,” Bathurst said on May 15, “and decide what we want as a city.”
Plus, he said, “They are taking out 200 trees.”
Deputy Vice Mayor Shirley Johnson, who voted for the project in March, said, “The developer has bent over backwards and is meeting the city’s rules.” She likes that Midtown Delray has promised to hire local people for construction and other jobs.
In March, Midtown Delray agreed to four main conditions:
• Secure site plan approval that includes two alleys abandoned by the city.
• Establish a $100,000 historic preservation grant for Frog Alley, West Settlers and Old School Square Historic District prior to receiving its first building permit.
• Post a $1 million bond to guarantee vertical construction within two years on the main block.
• Create a jobs program prior to receiving its first building permit. The program includes requiring subcontractors to hire Delray Beach workers for bids, provide mentorship opportunities, provide bonding assistance to small local companies and establish job fairs for the Northwest/Southwest areas. The city manager must approve the program before it begins.

Hudson exits two other projects
Hudson Holdings walked away in April from the historic Gulfstream Hotel in Lake Worth and the Linton Towers office complex in Delray Beach. The new owner is a former partner in both projects, CDS International Realty. Vitamin kingpin Carl DeSantis and his chief assistant Bill Milmoe own CDS.
The two parties traded lawsuits in the past six months in state court and then in federal court when CDS filed a racketeering lawsuit against Hudson Holdings. The agreement settles the lawsuits.
Both parties were pleased with the outcome, according to an April 19 release on PRNewswire.
The Gulfstream renovation approvals expire in September 2019, according to Lake Worth staff.
Schiller, who represents Midtown Delray, expects it to be a catalyst project.
“It will inspire thoughtful, walkable development not just in that area,” he said at the May 15 meeting, “but throughout the city.”

A bulldozer breaks ground on the Atlantic Crossing project last month. Jane Smith/The Coastal Star

By Jane Smith

Sophisticated saxophone sounds beckoned attendees under a tent at Northeast Seventh Avenue and First Street — the future home of Atlantic Crossing.
Fruit-infused water, along with bowls full of fresh fruits, individual blueberry and apple muffins, and slices of banana bread helped to create a fresh start for the early May groundbreaking.
The $300 million complex of residences, offices, stores and restaurants was at least a decade in the making — maybe two, said Jeff Edwards, president and CEO of the Edwards Cos., an Ohio-based development firm.
The original owner, real estate investor Carl DeSantis, brought in Edwards as its development partner in 2012 for the complex that sits at the prominent corner of Federal Highway and Atlantic Avenue in Delray Beach.
In 2015, the development team sued Delray Beach, Edwards said. The two sides reached a settlement last spring that resulted in an access road off Federal Highway into the project, traffic calming efforts for the Marina Historic District and Palm Trail neighborhoods, and other conditions.
The Palm Trail entrance at Northeast Seventh Avenue already is closed to vehicular traffic with a series of bollards and large planters. Pedestrians and cyclists can still make it through on the sidewalks.
“We’re ready to get started and be a good neighbor,” Edwards told the gathering. “We won’t let anyone down.”
Mayor Shelly Petrolia was cautious. “It’s exciting, but there still are concerns,” she said. “We fought long and hard to get to this point.”
DeSantis sold the project to Edwards in June 2016 for $38.5 million, but he remains involved in the nearly 9-acre project through a $16.5 million loan on the eastern half that houses Atlantic Plaza. He did not attend the groundbreaking ceremony. His right-hand man, Bill Milmoe, was there.
“We are re-imagining two city blocks,” said Don DeVere, Edwards vice president. “In the next few years, we will transform the area.”
Atlantic Crossing will have 82 luxury condos, 261 high-end apartments, 83,000 square feet of office space and 76,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space.
The first thing passers-by will notice is the excavation of the underground parking garage on the northwest part of the project, DeVere said. The groundbreaking ceremony featured a bulldozer pushing loads of dirt, instead of officials digging into the soil.
DeVere said the water from the excavation will go through a highly regulated process before it is drained into the Intracoastal Waterway.
Edwards will begin the excavation by June, even though it still needs Florida Department of Transportation approval for the access road from Federal Highway and the driveways along Northeast Seventh Avenue, which is now a private road, DeVere said. He called the applications “formalities.”
Delray Beach Vice Mayor Adam Frankel, who is on his second go-round on the commission, told the 50-plus attendees at the groundbreaking what he said in 2009: “If Carl DeSantis wants to spend a quarter of a billion dollars in our downtown, then we should send a limousine for him to pull the building permits.”
According to its settlement with the city, Edwards is obligated to pay $125,000 for traffic calming efforts in the Marina Historic District. The money is not due until two buildings on the southeast corner are finished. That’s estimated to happen in summer 2019 at the earliest.
But district leaders don’t want to wait until then. They met with the city manager in late May to urge the city to find a way to pay for the improvements this year. The traffic calming items include medians, a traffic circle, sidewalk bump-outs and speed bumps.

Chris Evert’s estate on 5 acres in west Boca Raton is on the market for about the same amount she paid for her current home in Boca’s Sanctuary. Photo provided

By Christine Davis

Retired tennis champion Chris Evert’s house is for sale. Her 12,000-square-foot estate on 5 acres at 8563 Horseshoe Lane, in west Boca Raton, has a tennis court, of course. But it also has putting greens, a nine-car garage and two guesthouses. The asking price for the house with a championship pedigree is $4.99 million, and listing agents are Katia Reisler of Douglas Elliman and Rebecca Spooner of Siemens Group Realty.
Evert, 63, who won 18 Grand Slam singles titles, does own another home in Boca Raton. In 2016, she bought a 4-bedroom home in the Sanctuary on the Intracoastal Waterway for $4.9 million.

Michel Jacober, co-founder and co-owner of Allen Flavors Inc., paid $12 million for an estate at 750 Lake Drive, Boca Raton. The sale was recorded on May 3. The property was owned by Interchange Four Properties, a New Jersey limited liability company led by William T. Juliano of the real estate firm Delco Development. It last sold in 2006 for $8,738,915. Joseph Liguori, Carmen N. D’Angelo Jr. and Gerard Liguori of Premier Estate Properties represented the seller. Rosalind Friedland of RE/MAX Properties represented the buyer. It was last on the market for $12.95 million.

Tyco’s ex-chief financial officer, Mark H. Swartz and his wife, Karen, sold unit 101 at One Thousand Ocean, at 1000 S. Ocean Blvd., Boca Raton, for $5.4 million. The sale was recorded on May 7.
Mark Swartz and Tyco’s ex-CEO, Dennis Kozlowski, went to prison after being convicted in 2005 of defrauding the company’s shareholders of more than $400 million and giving themselves a chunk of change in illegal bonuses.
Records show Karen Swartz paid $5.156 million for the condo in March 2013, almost a year before Mark Swartz was released from prison.
Douglas Elliman agent Senada Adzem represented the seller and United Realty Group represented the buyers, Felix and Dianne DeHerrera. Felix DeHerrera is the chairman and majority owner of mortgage banking company Alterra Home Loans.

British millionaire Sir Peter Lampl, chairman of the Sutton Trust and Education Endowment Foundation, sold his estate at 3545 N. Ocean Blvd., Gulf Stream, for $14.25 million to Gulf Stream Ocean Properties FL LLC, which lists a San Francisco address. The sale was recorded on May 3.
Lampl listed the 14,000-square-foot estate on 1.96 acres for nearly $21 million in April 2017. The asking price was reduced to $14.95 million in March. Nicholas Malinosky and Randy Ely, agents with Douglas Elliman, represented the seller, while Candace Friis of the Corcoran Group represented the buyer.
Records show Lampl’s Sutton Co. paid $5.145 million for the waterfront estate in October 1997. A notice of commencement filed in 1999 lists Lampl as the owner.

William Powers’ home at 901 S. Ocean Blvd. in Delray Beach sold for $26.75 million. Photo provided

Miami Worldcenter co-developer William Powers sold his 2.13-acre waterfront lot at 1020 S. Ocean Blvd., Manalapan, for $14.475 million to Paul and Victoria Saunders in April. Powers bought the property in December 2017 for $13.5 million. Paul Saunders is the founder of the Richmond, Va.-based investment firm James River Capital Corp., and Victoria is a faculty member of the Chrysalis Institute cultural learning center in Richmond.
In an earlier transaction, on March 20, Powers sold a property at 901 S. Ocean in Delray Beach for $26.75 million to QCRE VII LCC. In this transaction, Powers was represented by Devin Kay of Douglas Elliman and the buyer was represented by Nicholas Malinosky, an agent with Douglas Elliman. Powers listed the property for nearly $29 million in October.

Following up last month’s announcement on the auction and sale of William “Tom” Gerrard’s house at 1960 S. Ocean Blvd., Manalapan, on April 21, the deal did close on May 21, and the selling price was $13.5 million. Gerrard’s ocean-to-lake home had been most recently listed for $24.5 million by agents Robert Temelkoski of Bowen Realty and William McManus of the Fite Group. On and off the market since 2010, it was initially listed at $34.5 million. According to DeCaro Auctions International, bidding by approximately 10 bidders started at $10 million, and was over in 10 minutes. According to public records, the new owner is Jean Christine Thompson, listed with a Dallas mailing address. She was represented by Douglas Elliman agent Steven Solomon, who works out of the Boca Raton office. Last month, he told us: “She saw the value. Sometimes she keeps the properties she buys and rents them out. Others she picks up and sells. I believe she’s going to resell this house.”

Kaufman Lynn Construction celebrated the opening of its new Delray Beach headquarters at 3185 S. Congress Ave. in April. For almost 30 years, the firm has worked on structures that include the Mizner Park Cultural Center in Boca Raton and various buildings for Broward College, Florida Atlantic University, Palm Beach State College, Florida International University, Miami Dade College and Pine Crest. It recently topped out construction on Aloft Hotel and Condominiums in Delray Beach.

Four Seasons Resort Palm Beach is closed for business to accommodate a $135 million renovation. With architect Leo Daly and interior designer Martin Brudnizki, the renovation includes a remodeled pool deck, a second pool, redesigned guest rooms, first-floor guest rooms with extended balconies, and a new restaurant and renovation of the oceanfront restaurant and bar. New landscaping will be designed by Fernando Wong.
Property records show Acore Capital Mortgage provided the financing through refinancing an $80 million mortgage from Sachs FS Limited Partnership and Palm Beach Hotels LTD as well as an additional $55 million in financing.

John Tolbert, president and general manager of the Boca Raton Resort and Club, was named business leader of the year at the Boca Chamber’s annual business awards luncheon in May at the resort. Others recognized included Ami and Arnie Zak, owners of Unique Gifts and Premiums, small business leaders of the year; and Bluegreen Vacations, business of the year.

The Delray Beach Housing Authority recently honored two staff members. Rose Clay, who has worked with the authority since 1988, was presented with the Longest-Serving Award. She has served as account clerk and property manager and currently is a housing counselor to senior residents of Lake Delray Apartments and Village Square Apartments.
Jakeleen Fernandez received the Employee of the Year Award for her work in overseeing the construction, quality control and compliance reporting for the Lake Delray Apartments. 

Lion Country Safari in Loxahatchee was ranked among the top 10 wildlife parks in the United States by USA Today’s “10Best” Reader’s Choice contest in May.
Lion Country Safari is home to the largest herd of zebras outside of Africa, one of the largest herds of giraffes in the United States and a large herd of rhinos with a long history of breeding success. Lion Country Safari is at 2003 Lion Country Safari Road.

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

The law may affect local beaches in decades to come, if rising sea levels change the line between wet sand, which is public access, and dry sand. The latter is not open to the public along areas of private property. Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

Amid confusion about new law, beachgoers likely to see no sudden changes in enforcement

By Dan Moffett

As if separating public and private beach rights weren’t contentious and confusing enough, a new state law signed by the governor in March adds another layer of complexity to Florida’s long-running quandary.
What’s clear is that House Bill 631 is probably the most controversial and misunderstood measure to come out of the 2018 legislative session.
Champions of public beach access rights have called it a travesty. Some municipal officials have criticized it as an infringement on home rule. Some waterfront property owners have complained that it doesn’t go far enough.
“This law has caused a lot of confusion,” said South Palm Beach Mayor Bonnie Fischer. “People aren’t sure what it means.”
What coastal residents in Palm Beach County should understand is that Gov. Rick Scott signed into law a bill that is narrowly focused, has limited impact and, most important, changes nothing about beach access as it exists today.
“We don’t see any substantive impact on the town of Ocean Ridge,” said Town Manager Jamie Titcomb. “Our beach areas are defined and determined.”
The same goes for coastal communities throughout the county, their officials say.
Some law enforcement authorities, however, believe HB 631 could have the unintended benefit of making it easier for them to enforce the line between public and private beach. The law specifically cites the mean high-water line as a standard, reaffirming an ambiguous and shifting boundary that over the decades has been routinely misunderstood and contested.

People at the Lantana public beach see a new sign in the dry sand at Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa. A new law addressing beach access takes effect July 1. Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

The Florida Constitution says the wet sand area below the mean high-water line is considered public and state-owned. The dry sand above it is private. Roughly 60 percent of Florida’s beaches are adjacent to private ownership.
Manalapan has no public beaches and has struggled for years to keep interlopers from wandering off the wet sand onto private property. Police Chief Carmen Mattox says language in the new law affirms how his officers are patrolling the town’s beachfront.
“I believe the new law delineates what part of the beach is public and what part is private property,” Mattox said. “It confirms Manalapan’s beaches are private.”

Law built on ‘customary use’
The thrust of the new law, which goes into effect July 1, prevents county and municipal governments from enacting “customary use” ordinances that allow public access to private beach property without first getting approval from the courts.
The Florida Supreme Court has recognized the principle of “customary use” rights when the public has a tradition of use that “has been ancient, reasonable, without interruption, and free from dispute.” In other words, historical precedent can matter when it comes to determining access.
There have been only a few customary use beach ordinances passed in the state’s history, according to the Florida League of Cities, and those have been in three northern counties: Volusia, St. Johns and Walton. No South Florida government has made a serious attempt at passing one, league officials say.
Once the new statute goes into effect, it will require a judge’s sign-off on these relatively rare local laws that have sprung up along the Panhandle and the northeast coast.
It was an ordinance in Walton that prompted the legislature to act this year. Some prominent Panhandle property owners, among them former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and Republican political adviser Karl Rove, complained about a local customary use ordinance and filed suit.
Rep. Katie Edwards-Walpole, D-Plantation, who sponsored HB 631, said the new law strikes a balance between public and private rights.
“The legislation does not privatize public beaches nor does it impact the public’s ability to enjoy public beaches,” she told legislators.
While the law abolishes Walton’s ordinance, it leaves intact all others, those passed before 2016.
The law mandates that, from now on, any city or county that wants to enact a customary use beach ordinance must first get a judge’s approval and make the case in court.

Future sea level rise could muddle interpretation
The Florida Wildlife Federation, the Florida Association of Counties and the Surfrider Foundation, a nonprofit group dedicated to beach preservation, vigorously opposed the bill, arguing it was an alarming precedent that was sure to cause confusion — which it surely did.
Here’s how the Surfriders put it: “This bill is bad. It makes it harder for local governments to protect beach access for the public, it’s confusing and damaging for local tourism economies, and it sets a bad precedent. That said, unless you are in Walton County, it should not cause immediate changes in beach access or your ability to utilize the beach.”
That last sentence is critical for towns such as Ocean Ridge, Manalapan and South Palm Beach, where beach access has been questioned. There are no immediate or foreseeable changes to any beach activity: From renourishment projects to sunbathing to morning walks, everything is as it was before HB 631.
The law’s most significant impact in Palm Beach County could come years or decades from now, if rising seas shift the demarcation lines between wet sand and dry sand, and muddle public-private access.
Future government councils and commissions will find it more difficult to invoke the customary use doctrine to sort out changing boundaries on the beaches, parties on all sides agree. The new law will shift some of the decision-making from municipal officials to judges.