By John Pacenti

Ocean Ridge officials gathered Nov. 3 for a pivotal workshop setting the town’s course for capital projects and resiliency efforts, while tackling fiscal strategy in the face of legislative uncertainty.

Town Manager Michelle Heiser laid out the agenda, marking the start of the new fiscal year as the “appropriate time to say, ‘Hey, what’s going on and where are we going?’”

Commissioners in September passed a $14.8 million operating budget, a 9.6% increase over the fiscal year 2025 budget. It includes $4.36 million to address the aging water pipe system in the southern part of town and other capital improvements.

Heiser updated commissioners on the Harbour Drive North drainage initiative, telling them the Army Corps of Engineers has approved the town’s permit. “So that’s a big thumbs up,” Heiser said.

Finalizing easements and responding to feedback from the South Florida Water Management District are the next hurdles, with a resolution planned for December to address water accumulating on the street.

On the town sea wall project along Hudson Avenue, Heiser advised patience while awaiting a critical state grant. “If somebody’s going to give us half a million dollars to go towards it, we want that money, absolutely right,” she said. The project is ranked No. 12 for state funding in the current fiscal year, with a decision anticipated by spring, she said.

Officials outlined progress on other key initiatives as well. The Phase 2 modernization of water pipes in front of Town Hall is over 30% designed, and the permitting has been submitted, with late spring, early summer looking like when shovels will be in the ground.

Phase 4, from Ocean Avenue to Thompson Street, is also at 30% design. The project has been expedited because of long-standing issues with water pressure, which compromised fire protection capabilities there.

Resiliency was a repeated theme.

The workshop covered plans for tidal and retaining walls behind homes on Hudson Avenue — seen as crucial for managing persistent tidal issues. “At this point, we’re relying on a berm, and the berm continues to break, and we have to go back in and ask them to refill it. So it’s something to consider in the future,” Heiser said.

She also said the town should get back to property acquisition as part of its resiliency plan. 

Commissioner Ainar Aijala Jr. said he is working on budget projections to determine whether future property tax collections would be sufficient to fund the capital expenses or if other revenue sources needed to be considered, such as a bond measure. “Should we be worried? Should we be concerned?” he said.

Officials discussed additional revenue sources, from municipal service taxing units for neighborhood stormwater projects to franchise and utility fees. “That’s user-fee-based, meaning the only ones that are paying for that area are the people that live there,” Heiser said.

State legislation’s impact on municipal budgets and tax structures loomed in the background. “Often, we’re just sitting and waiting, just waiting for them, because we can do exercises and math all day long, but it could be going nowhere until they actually pass something,” Heiser remarked.

Heiser also outlined maintenance priorities. “Repaving. We’ve had that in the list on your capital (improvements) in the past, and we just skipped that in the last couple of years. So, I’d like to get back to that,” she said.

The bidding process has also started for Town Hall and Police Department hardening. It includes re-roofing and replacing any windows or doors that need hurricane resistance to mitigate future damage claims, Heiser said.

By Jane Musgrave

For three days in November, Mark Feinstein sat in a Palm Beach County courtroom, hoping a fellow Ocean Ridge resident would be held accountable for falsely accusing him of engaging in a bizarre sexual act.

The former president of the Turtle Beach condominium association got his wish when the jury, after roughly an hour of deliberation, agreed that 38-year-old Sean Currie libeled Feinstein in September 2022 when he posted the accusation on the town’s Facebook page.  

The jury ordered Currie to pay Feinstein $135,000 to compensate the 66-year-old attorney for the damage the inflammatory, obscene and unfounded allegation did to his reputation.

“They gave me back my name,” a jubilant Feinstein said a day after the jury reached its verdict. “It’s not about the money. It’s never been about the money. It’s about giving me back my name.”

Attorney Matthew Haynes, who represented Feinstein, agreed. “He held Mark’s name and legacy hostage and the jury set it free,” he said.

Neither Currie nor his attorney returned emails for comment about whether they would appeal. During the trial, they argued that Currie had a First Amendment right to express his views about Feinstein. Currie signed the post and, in sworn statements, readily admitted he wrote it.

Currie testified that he chose the term carefully, knowing it was both obscure and disgusting, which meant it would get a lot of attention. He laughed at his word choice, but insisted that he wasn’t trying to hurt Feinstein.

“I made my statements to hopefully bring awareness to the issues that were going on in my town,” Currie testified. 

The issue was beach access. At the time, Currie was living with his parents on Tropical Drive, which borders the yellow 26-unit oceanfront condominium a half-mile south of Woolbright Road.

Inflamed after Turtle Beach in 2021 erected “No Trespassing” signs on its stretch of the beach, Currie and his neighbors began their campaign against the condominium association.

Currie ripped down a sign, leading to his arrest on a charge of criminal mischief. While the charge was dropped after he agreed to reimburse the association $300 for the sign, the feud escalated.

Tropical Drive resident Bryan Joffe paid $40,000 for two strips of land — one leading to the beach and another that borders the condominium’s back entrance and has long been used by Turtle Beach for garbage pickup. 

Joffe turned the land over to Sunrise Beach LLC, a company formed by fellow Tropical Drive residents, including Currie and his mother.

In 2023, the corporation sued Turtle Beach, demanding that the condo association get off its land. The association countersued, claiming it had used the property for years for garbage pickup and essentially had “squatters rights.”

The suit was settled last summer for undisclosed terms. The only concrete evidence of the settlement came in May when a wooden gate was erected to give Tropical Drive residents exclusive access to the path that leads to the beach.

Feinstein said he bore the brunt of the battle because he was president of the condominium association’s board.

When the feud was raging, Currie regularly assailed Feinstein, hurling anti-semitic epithets at him, often punctuated with an obscenity, Feinstein said. Currie didn’t deny Feinstein’s claims, insisting his actions were justified.

“Because he is a horrible person and he’s Jewish, so, therefore, it’s an apt derogatory slur,” Currie said during a deposition in the libel case. “I wouldn’t call him the slur for an Italian or a Black person, because he’s not Italian or Black.”

Currie took a similar stance during the trial. “I think most of the time I use the worst possible language when referring to him,” said Currie, who now lives in California.

While he said he regularly uses racial and ethnic slurs if someone’s behavior justifies it, he insisted he’s not a bigot.

“If they’re a woman, I call them (words) appropriate to a woman. If they’re a man who is a particular way, I use that word,” Currie testified. “I use the appropriate words based on the context which they are in. That is not bigotry.”

Feinstein said he took no joy in suing Currie. Had Currie asked the town to hide the obscene post, or written another one explaining that his allegation was untrue, Feinstein said he would have dropped the lawsuit.

But, he said, Currie refused.

“He wouldn’t give me an apology, but the jury did,” Feinstein said. “They gave me the apology.”

Haynes said he hopes the jury verdict teaches a valuable lesson to Currie and others who use social media to launch baseless attacks on political foes.

“The verdict reaffirms that this behavior is not acceptable in Ocean Ridge — a beautiful community — or anywhere in Palm Beach County,” Haynes said. 

Ocean Ridge Commissioners Carolyn Cassidy and David Hutchins retained their seats when they filed for reelection and no one filed to oppose them. The qualifying deadline was Nov. 14.

It will be Cassidy’s second term. She was first elected in March 2023 in a bitter race, becoming the top vote getter among three candidates.

Cassidy has made the most of her first term, spearheading the effort for the town to hire a lobbyist to seek state appropriations for its many projects. She received the Gold Certificate of Excellence from the Florida League of Cities.

The commission chose Hutchins, a retired airline pilot, in November 2023 to join the commission after two commissioners announced they would resign because of changes in the state’s financial disclosure requirements. He took office in January 2024.

Hutchins then finished third out of four candidates for three open seats in the town’s March 2024 election. That showing won him a two-year unexpired term on the commission instead of a full three-year term. 

Hutchins previously sat on the town’s Planning and Zoning Commission.

Mayor Geoff Pugh at the Nov. 3 commission meeting — before the filing deadline — said he hoped that the current makeup of the panel could remain intact. 

“This is one of the best commissions we’ve had in a very, very long time. ... It’s been a pleasure,” Pugh said.

— John Pacenti

By John Pacenti

Manalapan commissioners will take legal action to ensure their concerns about beach erosion and Palm Beach County’s sand transfer plant at the Boynton Inlet are addressed, voting to hire a seasoned environmental attorney to represent it before state regulators.

At the Nov. 4 commission meeting, elected leaders voiced frustration over the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s decision to extend the county’s permit for operating the sand transfer plant — an operation town leaders say has profound impacts on the community’s coastline. 

The sand transfer plant takes sand from Manalapan that accumulates on the north side of the inlet and pumps it southward to Ocean Ridge and points beyond. The town learned of the state’s intent to grant the extension in late October and was given only a brief window to formally oppose the decision.

Efforts to collaborate with the county have largely been unsuccessful, leaving the town without meaningful policies affecting its fragile beaches, which have basically disappeared in front of some homes. 

The commission agreed to retain John Fumero, former general counsel for the South Florida Water Management District, to lead the town’s challenge.

“He is truly the local go-to person in terms of these kinds of administrative permits, water issues, the beach erosion issues that we’re grappling with,” said Town Attorney Keith Davis.

“The goal here is to get our foot in the door, get that seat at the table, get everyone’s attention, finally, and be able to have those conversations,” he said. Past legal challenges by the town have been unsuccessful.

Discussions during the meeting highlighted concerns with the sand transfer plant’s contract, including what officials described as a lack of scientific justification for operational figures from the county and an absence of transparency about the sand transfer plant’s impacts on local beaches.

“How much sand is being taken? There has to be a real calculation, and really, they don’t do enough. It’s really a laissez-faire situation,” said Town Manager Eric Marmer. “When you dig deeper, it’s like, ‘Where do you get these numbers from?’” 

Marmer said it’s befuddling that the FDEP permit declares the plant — built in 1937 — has no impact on the beach.

An engineer and beach erosion expert hired by the town to look at its erosion issue said in July that the transfer plant — which pumps sand south across the inlet because the inlet blocks the natural southward flow of the sand — plays only a small part in erosion and that sea walls in town are the main culprit.

Marmer said he has been skeptical about the sand transfer plant’s greatly affecting Manalapan’s coastline until recently.

“I went down there and I could literally see the avulsion created by the sand transfer plant on our beach,” he said.

He said the plant has been a thorn in the town’s side since nearly the town’s founding in 1931.

“Manalapan residents in the ’30s and the ’40s were concerned about this, and it’s well documented,” he said. 

Kamila Diaz joins Lantana Ocean Rescue chief Marc Fichtner as he receives an award from the Town Council for helping to rescue her after a shark had severed the leash to her surfboard. Photos provided

By Patrick Sherry

A Lantana lifeguard walked away with an award instead of a shark bite after helping rescue a surfer.

The Lantana Town Council, at its Nov. 10 meeting, presented Marc Fichtner with the award for his actions that helped save a surfer while a shark was in the water. 

Kamila Diaz was surfing at the Lantana Municipal Beach on Oct. 8 when a 5- to 6-foot shark severed the leash to her surfboard. Luckily, Fichtner, who is chief of the Lantana Ocean Rescue Division, was out doing rough water training and noticed Diaz in distress. He jumped into action and returned her to land safely. 

Fichtner helped Diaz return to shore at the Lantana Municipal Beach after she met him halfway.

“Not many people go into the water where there are sharks knowingly,” said Eddie Crockett, the town’s director of public services. “This is what he did without even thinking about it.”

Diaz has been surfing in Lantana for almost three years in all conditions. She said that what happened was very unexpected.

“I’m glad that I knew how to handle the situation at first and managed to somewhat swim back, and then Marc helped me and the rest of the lifeguards with everything else,” Diaz said. “I’m just really grateful that the worst was avoided, and I’m still alive.” 

Fichtner thanked the council for the award and praised Diaz for her bravery, which led to her meeting him halfway in the water. He mentioned how his team trains for these situations often, but they are very rare. 

“I’m really honored,” said Fichtner. “We always, as lifeguards, talk about two things: there’s a plane crash in front of the tower or a shark attack. Maybe you see one in your career of 20, 30 years. I’m glad that my training kicked in, my partner’s training kicked in, and we’re able to do what we do.” 

Fichtner also said his team has received the U.S. Lifesaving Association Advanced Agency Certification. The certification recognizes and encourages high training standards for lifeguard agencies. 

By Brian Biggane

The first South Palm Beach mayoral race in recent memory is shaping up after citizen activist and Town Hall project critic Rafael Pineiro filed his papers on the first day of eligibility in early November for the March 10 election.

In addition, two other residents — Fran Attardi and Adrian Burcet — whom Pineiro said he encouraged to run filed to compete against three Town Council incumbents whose seats are also up for election. That raises the possibility of a new majority on the five-member council, one that would likely alter the direction of the Town Hall project, which has dominated local politics for several years.

Incumbent Mayor Bonnie Fischer, who was elected to the Town Council in 2011 and has held the mayoral seat since defeating the former incumbent in 2015, has run unopposed in her last three elections.

“People know me,” Fischer said. “My record stands for what I’ve done. I’m proud of how I’ve handled myself and always looked toward what’s best for the town.”

Vice Mayor Monte Berendes and Council members Elvadianne Culbertson and Sandra Beckett, the latter two having been appointed to their current council seats, also qualified to run in March. 

The top two vote getters of the five council candidates will win regular four-year terms and the third-place finisher a two-year unexpired term.

‘Whole premise is wrong’

Pineiro has been a constant opponent this year of the Town Hall project. He collected signatures for a petition earlier this year aimed at convincing the council to retrofit the current structure rather than move forward with plans to tear it down and build a new, larger $6.5 million one.

“I had given up, sent a letter to Bonnie congratulating her on achieving what she wanted, but then I found that whole premise is wrong,” Pineiro said. 

Even though renovating the building might be more than half the cost of the Town Hall’s current value, Pineiro says the existing structure is good enough and going the renovation route will save the town several million dollars.

But Fischer and Berendes said studies done years ago stipulated the cost of a retrofit is far more than 50% of the value and a new building is a must.

The assessed value of the building this year was $3.3 million, meaning a retrofit is a must if the renovation is to cost more than $1.65 million. That means the whole building would have to be updated to meet current Florida Building Code standards, including the costly task of raising the building’s ground level. Even Pineiro’s most conservative renovation figure for his plan is $1.7 million.

“It’s nice that Rafael is taking an interest,” Berendes said, “but he doesn’t know what he’s talking about.”

Pineiro said his plan would raise the building by three feet, then use a process called dry flood-proofing — by which a structure can be made watertight below the expected flood level — to assure the building could last for many years to come. However, he said the dry flood-proofing would add another $1 million to his estimated cost. 

Sidewalk an issue as well

He said a greater area of concern for residents is fixing the sidewalk that runs along the west side of State Road A1A, which he said has deteriorated to the point where one or more residents are falling every month. The council has discussed the issue multiple times in recent months, but consistently points to the fact the sidewalk is the responsibility of the Florida Department of Transportation.

“I’m sure that if you asked our residents which is more important, the Town Hall or the sidewalk, most would say the sidewalk,” said Pineiro, who claimed other municipalities have used their own money to fix a bad sidewalk and then been compensated by the state.

Council race

Among the council incumbents up for election, Berendes is the longest-serving — it will be four years in March — having won his seat in 2022. He was elevated to vice mayor in June 2024. 

Culbertson, who previously served on the council from 2016 to 2021, was appointed to her seat by the council in April 2024, while Beckett was appointed in December 2024. 

Culbertson replaced the retired Robert Gottlieb, chosen by the council from among three applicants. Beckett later was the only applicant for the seat she received.

First-time candidate Attardi is a native of New Jersey and has been a South Palm Beach resident for three years. She runs a pet concierge business known as Francy Paws. She spent many years in New Jersey as the owner of Jersey Sporting News, a publication covering high school sports across the state.

Burcet is currently employed as a FedEx operations administrator and has been a South Palm Beach resident for eight years. 

Correction: The printed version and a previous online version incorrectly identified Adrian Burcet's employment. He is an operations administrator for FedEx.

Town Hall plans stay the same — After architects gave one last go at coming up with ideas to shrink the size of South Palm Beach’s new Town Hall, council members voted unanimously to keep with the earlier plan.

The Town Council, seemingly alarmed that the planned construction is coming in at about 11,000 square feet compared to 7,000 square feet for the current building, sent CPZ Architects representative Joe Barry back to the drawing board at its October meeting to see if he could come up with a design somewhat smaller.

Barry returned in November with a proposal that would trim approximately 900 square feet off the design and save about $430,000, but would make the entry lobby smaller, eliminate one of the community rooms on the second floor and either make the proposed cafe smaller or eliminate it.

Council members mostly shook their heads while Barry went through the changes and Vice Mayor Monte Berendes was the first to give them a thumbs down. 

“I was one of the proponents of making it smaller and I’m not sure it’s worth it,” Berendes said. 

Town manager spending limit increases — A request from Town Manager Jamie Titcomb to increase his discretionary spending limit upward from $5,000 was approved at the council’s Nov. 10 meeting, with the council giving him a new $25,000 limit.

Titcomb assured the council he would not be going on a “spending spree,” but that the move would simply “limit the expenditures I have to bring to you before they get approved, which often translates into a delay in getting repairs and critical work done.”

Dune restoration underway — Sara Gutekunst, the coastal coordinator for the town of Palm Beach, informed the council that the beach restoration project involving the two municipalities was underway. Sand was being trucked from Phipps Ocean Park in Palm Beach and the project was expected to take about six weeks, or almost until Christmas.

Town clerk on maternity leave — The council on Nov. 10 approved three months of paid maternity leave for Town Clerk Yude Davenport, who gave birth on Nov. 17. The leave for Davenport, who has served in her position for nearly 20 years, is until the end of February.                                                 

— Brian Biggane

Linda Loch didn’t find another space for her salon and plans to retire at the end of April. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Steve Plunkett

Another roadside landmark along State Road A1A is slated to soon disappear.

The Briny Hair Salon, the Briny Breezes Town Hall’s next-door neighbor, has lost its lease and must vacate by April 30. 

Linda Loch, who has operated the beauty salon for 34 years, said she wasn’t told why, “just that they want to put somebody else in here where they can get four times the amount of rent.”

“There is no reason they have to kick me out,” she said.

Briny Breezes Inc., the co-op that manages the mobile home community, originally sent Loch a “Notice of Non-Renewal of Lease” on Oct. 31, demanding that she leave the premises by Dec. 31 with an option to request a 30-day extension.

Loch instead asked to stay until the end of April, and the co-op agreed.

Michael Gallacher, general manager of the co-op, noted that Briny Breezes Inc. is a for-profit corporation, and said Loch’s rent has been “very low” for “many years” and most of her customers live in neighboring Gulf Stream.

In September, Gallacher said, “Ms. Loch advised that she was meeting with a gentleman who wished to operate a separate business out of half the shop. We made clear that this was not acceptable.

“After reviewing the situation, we made a business decision to seek proposals from tenants who can provide meaningful benefits to Briny shareholders while paying market rent that contributes appropriately to sustaining the park’s expenses,” he said.

At first Loch’s customers were “really upset,” she said.

Customer and friend Diana Grainger, who owns the South Ocean Beach Shop in Delray Beach at A1A and Atlantic Avenue, had choice words: “deplorable” and “absolutely, positively unjust.”

Loch, too, was not happy.

“I think it’s terrible to do that to me. I actually think it could be age discrimination,” she said. “I am 78, but I’m capable still of working, And I want to work ’cause I think it’s healthy for me.”

Before the termination notice arrived, Loch spent $8,000 on new carpet and paint to make everything look fresh and new, she said. For the first half of November she scoured vacant commercial space for a place to relocate her business but wasn’t impressed by what she found.

“I wouldn’t take any of my customers there,” she said.

Rising rents have forced shops and restaurants for years to leave Delray Beach’s popular Atlantic Avenue. And the imminent departure of Loch’s salon brings to mind the 2023 closing on A1A of the Seaside Deli and Market at 4635 N. Ocean in a landlord-tenant dispute. It has since reopened under new ownership.

Loch’s rent this year was $1,612.98 a month for the salon at 4800 N. Ocean Blvd. By comparison, the town pays the co-op $1,792 per month for its side of the building, more than twice the space, at 4802 N. Ocean.

The Town Council signed a five-year extension of its lease starting in October 2024, allowing for rent increases each year of $50 per month.

When first grappling with the lease notice, Loch fretted about what her next steps would be.

“This has been my life,” she said. “For 34 years I’ve been here. And I have a wonderful clientele in the season.”

But after winning the April 30 lease extension, she said she has come to accept her circumstances and is ready to retire. “It’s OK,” Loch said. “I’m at peace with it now.” 

Gulf Stream’s Core District construction project will likely continue into April.

Originally scheduled to end before Christmas and later modified to finish up Feb. 28, the work will now extend to April 17, according to a proposal by contractor Roadway Associates LLC.

Town commissioners on Nov. 14 approved paying Baxter and Woodman Consulting Engineers up to $215,272 for the extra time they will be coordinating and supervising the project. The amount included having two inspectors in town full-time in November and December to monitor the construction.

The engineers are also looking into ways to make the curve from Sea Road to Gulfstream Road more drivable. Residents were finding it hard to negotiate the roadway with new raised curbs on both sides of the street.

Commissioners also approved spending up to $80,000 to get a third-party contractor to install a water bypass line mostly along Oleander Way, which has had numerous boil-water orders for weeks as Roadway Associates tried to install a new water line. The commission expects to charge that amount back to Roadway.

“This project has just been horrendous,” Commissioner Joan Orthwein said. “These were the original water lines, so they had to be replaced.”

— Steve Plunkett

Shoppers crowd the Southern Handcraft Society, Delray Beach chapter’s 32nd annual art and craft show. The three-day event ended Nov. 22. BELOW: Alida Bowden organizes a few of the displays. Photos by Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By John Pacenti

The Delray Beach City Commission rejected a proposal to reinstate a supermajority voting rule for removing the city manager, after a heated public hearing that drew dozens of residents passionate about local governance.

The proposed change would have had city voters in March reconsider a 2014 vote that got rid of the four-vote supermajority requirement for the five-member City Commission to fire the city manager. Supporters — such as Vice Mayor Rob Long — argued the higher bar would prevent political caprice and ensure more stable municipal leadership.

Voters got rid of the supermajority after the city couldn’t get rid of City Manager Louie Chapman Jr., who had lied to the commission about a $60,000 trash bin purchase. Three commissioners voted to fire Chapman, but because of the supermajority requirement, he remained in the position, eventually resigning and receiving $73,000 in severance.

Long, who initiated the discussion, said the decision should rest with voters. “We’re not making the final call,” Long said. “We’re simply asking if residents should have a chance to decide.”

Mayor Tom Carney expressed skepticism, noting that City Manager Terrence Moore has been in the position for five years. “So I don’t think that the commission makes a decision to remove a city manager on an arbitrary or willy-nilly basis,” he said. “I think the simple majority has worked.”

Commissioner Juli Casale strongly opposed reimplementing the supermajority, citing potential undemocratic consequences. “What’s so bad about the simple concept of majority rule?” she asked.

Moore said he does not support the change. “I simply rely on my professional background and training to offer responsiveness, attentiveness, leadership, guidance, performance, and outcomes,” Moore said.

“I simply rely on my background and experience to offer meaningful contributions that will hopefully offer a lasting impact,” Moore said.

Supporters argued that the city’s previous move away from the supermajority rule led to instability, with a revolving door in the manager’s office. Delray Beach is on its fourth city manager since 2015, with one resigning for family reasons, one fired on a 5-0 vote and another fired on a 3-2 vote.

“Every time there’s movement in that office, particularly in the director’s offices, it’s reset, reset, reset, reset, and we wonder why things don’t get done,” resident Reggie Cox said.

Angela Hill, another resident, echoed these sentiments: “I would love to see it on the ballot,” she told commissioners. “The supermajority gives sustainability and stability.”

Delray Beach wasn’t the only municipality to wrestle with the supermajority question.

Boynton Beach’s charter review committee had recommended a referendum that would require a supermajority to hire or fire the city manager and the city attorney. The Boynton Beach City Commission voted to table that referendum at its Nov. 4 meeting, which means it won’t be placed on that city’s March 10 election ballot. 

By Steve Plunkett

Gulf Stream voters will choose next March among the five incumbents on the Town Commission and a political but not unknown newcomer.

Michael Glennon, who has taken an active role as a resident in commission discussions the past three years and now sits on the appointed Architectural Review and Planning Board, filed his qualifying papers to campaign, as did office holders Scott Morgan, Tom Stanley, Robert Canfield, Michael Greene and Joan Orthwein.

The top five vote-getters March 10 will take seats on the dais after the election. It is the first contested commission race in Gulf Stream since 2017.

Glennon, as the parent of a Gulf Stream School student and a resident in the Core District, spoke at the Town Commission’s January 2023 meeting supporting the school’s request to raise the limit on the number of children who could attend. In January 2024 he again backed the school in its purchase of a pre-K campus in Delray Beach.

He was appointed to the town’s ad hoc committee exploring ways to avoid massing in new home design in March 2024, became an alternate member of the ARPB in April 2025 and was elevated to full board member the next month.

This will be the first appearance on a ballot for Canfield and Greene. Canfield, who has lived in Place Au Soleil for 10 years, was appointed to the Town Commission in January 2024 after time on the ARPB.

Greene similarly was appointed to the commission in February 2024 and served on the architectural board. He lives on the west side of North Ocean Boulevard.

Morgan, currently the mayor, first took a seat on the dais following the 2014 election after being the ARPB chairman. Stanley, the vice mayor, was appointed to the commission in 2012 after an ARPB stint.

Orthwein celebrated her 30th year as a commissioner this year. She too spent time on the ARPB. 

After the election, the new commission will name the mayor and vice mayor. 

By Patrick Sherry 

Lantana’s traditional seagull and sailboat logo, which can be seen throughout the town, might be changing. 

The town is considering an entire rebrand with the help of a local marketing agency, which would create a new identity for Lantana through redesigning longtime logos and visual images. 

Representatives from 2TON, a creative and marketing agency in West Palm Beach, presented their plans to create that identity to the community at a Town Hall meeting on Nov. 3. 

Back in April, the Town Council supported plans to rebrand the town. Subsequently, a rebranding committee was formed. The committee selected 2TON, which is getting $18,000 to head the project. 

At the Town Hall meeting, Ryan Boylston, founder of 2TON and a former Delray Beach city commissioner, emphasized that his company’s mission is to establish uniformity and cohesiveness. He explained how Lantana’s current branding is not consistent, which could hurt the view people have of the town. 

“It’s not just a logo, your brand is your identity,” Boylston said. “We’ve seen cities over the years that haven’t done a really good job of communicating what their brand is, and then the world decides to brand their city for them.” 

Lantana currently uses its municipal seal as its main logo, which has a seagull and a sailboat in the water. Some departments and town buildings use variations of the seal with different colors and fonts, or incorporate other visual elements. 

During the presentation, Boylston showed examples of those inconsistencies and how they show up in other areas, such as town signage.

To fix this, 2TON would create a logo family and brand guidelines that would direct town officials on what colors, fonts and logos they should use to maintain consistency across the board. 

The company would also create a unique town tagline — a short, memorable phrase or motto to help reinforce the town’s new brand identity. 

To ensure 2TON had the community’s interests in mind, residents had the opportunity to give their feedback on what they think the redesigns should include. Attendees participated in a brainstorming session to decide what best represents the town. 

They came up with words and elements that are central to Lantana’s identity — “coastal,” “peaceful,” and “laid back” were some of the most common.

Not only that, those at the meeting also voted on options for potential taglines that 2TON created. The top choices included “Old Florida, Today” and “Relax, you’re in Lantana.” 

Other feedback was given about what 2TON should look into as potential logo design elements. Some residents supported incorporating Lantana flowers and maintaining some aspects of the town seal. 

Boylston explained that his team will use this feedback to create an identity that aligns with the town’s vision, so that it’s also one that can always be used in the future. 

“I want to make sure that my team has all the input necessary to put together the best brand possible” for the town and the residents of Lantana, Boylston said. 

To gain more comments from residents, officials posted a community survey on the town’s website, www.lantana.org. 

The survey asks similar questions, such as words that best describe Lantana, what visual elements best represent the town, and what should be reflected in the logo. Residents can also upload their own ideas or sketches for a logo concept.

The survey closes on Dec. 11.

After the project is completed, the final rebrand will need to be approved by the Town Council.

From there, 2TON expects there would be a 12- to 24-month rollout period to implement the changes.

By Patrick Sherry

Owners of a nearly $8 million Hypoluxo Island property next to the Ocean Avenue bridge will be building a security wall taller than typically allowed, one that they say will protect their family. 

The Lantana Town Council approved a variance for the wall — at 101 N. Atlantic Drive — that will reach 11 feet high as the property slopes down to the Intracoastal Waterway. The town’s Planning Commission recommended approval of the application last month after hearing the owners’ concerns about people trespassing on their property by going under or through the side of the bridge. 

Ana Davie, owner of the property since 2017, told the council that she and her husband consider the house their forever home, but they want more security.

“In those seven years, we’ve had to call the Police Department a couple of times, we’ve had items stolen off our dock, and I’ve had people walking on the dock,” she said.

A neighbor came to the Nov. 10 council meeting to support the application.

“I feel this is a great way for the Davie family to be able to protect and have greater security for their family there,” Michelle Donahue said. 

However, there was opposition, with another neighbor telling the council she opposes the wall because she doesn’t want the owners to raise the ground level, which would increase the wall height. 

“An impression will be created that we live in a walled-in compound and, at worst, attract the attention of burglars,” said neighbor Ilona Balfour. “We know that houses being built now need to abide by new rules, elevation, and so forth. That doesn’t mean that the whole lot should become a mountain.”

Town ordinances allow a maximum height of six feet for walls. While this application requested a variance of 11 feet, in reality, that portion will be level with the 6-foot-high portion of the wall. It only becomes longer as the ground level falls to its lowest point, near the sea wall.

Elmar Benavente, principal designer for Be Design and the architect working on the project, added that workers won’t raise any part of the property’s ground level and will add landscaping.

The wall “will not go higher, but maintain those six feet all the way to the property line,” said Benavente. “They have agreed to landscape — they have agreed to maintain the trees and to keep it beautiful, so it doesn’t [detract] from anyone’s view.” 

Staff recommended approval, citing safety concerns. The council subsequently passed a motion to approve it 5-0. 

Lantana Town Council incumbents Mark Zeitler and Chris Castle secured new three-year terms on Nov. 21 after being the only candidates to qualify for what was to be next year’s municipal election. 

Zeitler and Castle both successfully filed to retain their respective seats, which will last until March 2029. With no contested seat, the town won’t hold an election previously scheduled for March 10. 

Jacqueline “Jackie” Morel originally filed to run for Castle's seat, but town ordinances require candidates to submit nominating petitions to be placed on the ballot, equal to 1% of the total voter registration in the town. Morel didn’t get enough petitions to qualify. 

Voters first elected Zeitler in 2020. Zeitler, who has been a Lantana resident for more than 60 years and is an air conditioner contractor, will now serve his third consecutive term on the Town Council.

Castle has been on the council since 2023 and is currently the town’s vice mayor pro tem. He is also a member of the Greater Lantana Chamber of Commerce and a technician for the city of Boynton Beach. 

— Patrick Sherry

Correction: The print version and an earlier online version of this story incorrectly identified the seat that Jacqueline Morel had planned to seek. She filed paper's for the seat held by Town Council member Chris Castle, who works as an air conditioner contractor.

Lantana’s town manager will be sitting on the council dais for another five years. 

The Town Council approved renewing Brian Raducci’s contract 5-0 at its Nov. 10 meeting. 

Raducci, who has 25 years of local government managerial experience, has been serving as the town’s manager since 2021.

The council also approved giving Raducci a 5% salary increase that will be applied retroactively to his fourth year anniversary, which was in October. 

This now brings his total salary from $239,272.80 to $251,236.96 annually. The renewed contract will begin next year and run until 2031. 

Council members praised Raducci for his service to Lantana and for thinking outside of the box. They mentioned his efforts to improve the council’s operations through hiring both a lobbyist and a grant writer, finding ways to save money, and figuring out how to allow the town clerk — who lives in a different state — to work remotely. 

“Dealing with Brian has been pretty smooth sailing,” said Council member Jesse Rivero. “He’s very transparent; he’s a straight shooter, like I am…. He’s very responsible, and I had a good time with him.” 

Raducci thanked the council members and said he is excited about continuing to work with them. 

“You’ve allowed me to take some of these opportunities — some of these challenges — and try some non-conventional things,” Raducci said. “We have a lot more to do. … I think we’ve made great strides, and I’m looking forward to working with each and every one of you and continuing that effort.”

— Patrick Sherry

City nets millions from undersea cables that zip along data

Tentacles of undersea cables reach out to global destinations from Boca Raton’s Spanish River and Silver Palm parks. This map shows how the seven existing cables stretch thousands of miles across the hemispheres. Map provided

Related: Submerged lands buyer faces choppy legal seas

By Jane Musgrave

When Boca Raton officials gave a European-based company the go-ahead to use Spanish River Park as a landing spot for a 1,200-mile undersea fiber-optic cable that would stretch to Cancun and Guatemala and possibly beyond, some city residents cringed.

“Why are we going to compromise one of our main beaches?” asked Jon Pearlman, founder of the Save Boca citizens group and a recently announced City Council candidate. “This is our land. Don’t approve this tonight.”

What many city residents don’t realize is that the cable that the council approved in September won’t be the first to make landfall at the popular 95-acre park that extends from the Intracoastal Waterway to the Atlantic Ocean.

Five already exist and plans are underway for an additional three, including the one that was recently approved, according to TeleGeography, a company that maps fiber-optic cables across the globe.

Another two extend from Silver Palm Park, along the Intracoastal south of Palmetto Park Road — including one owned by Globenet Cabos Submarinos America — and one more, not on TeleGeography’s radar, is planned for Spanish River Park, city officials said.

That means 11 cables will extend from Boca Raton, one of the largest number in Florida and among the most on the eastern seaboard. 

Why Boca Raton?

The cables that are sunken and buried are part of a vast invisible global network that has put Boca Raton on the map as an undersea fiber-optic hub. The longest one, installed in 2001, is 15,500 miles long, stopping in Puerto Rico and Guatemala before winding its way along both sides of South America.

The cables are the roads of the information highway, carrying 99% of global internet and telecommunication traffic, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. 

Exactly how Boca Raton became a hot spot for the cables is unclear. 

Some have suggested that as the former home of IBM and the birthplace of the personal computer, the city had a natural affinity for telecommunications.

But Brandon Schaad, director of development services for the city, said he suspects Boca Raton became a magnet for fiber-optic cables when significant divisions of the now defunct Tyco International were headquartered in the city some 20 years ago.

Tyco was an early pioneer in the fiber-optics industry, designing, building and installing networks throughout the world, and was one of the first to lay a cable from the city.

“Tyco had a good relationship with the city,” Schaad said. Most important, he said, then city leaders envisioned the long-term benefits of attracting fiber-optic cable companies. 

The financial rewards are indisputable. If the Spanish-based Telxius wins approval from state and federal agencies for its latest cable, it will pay the city nearly $2.7 million for the easement it got to use less than half an acre in Spanish River Park.

Over the years, payments from various companies and consortiums have added millions to the city’s coffers.

Minimal impact, official says

As what Schaad called an “early mover” in the industry, the city also is home to two processing centers that receive the information that streams through the undersea cables at the speed of light. The centers transmit the information to a vast network of underground cables. 

The two 15,000-square-feet-plus communication substations — one on South Dixie Highway and Southeast Sixth Street, and another on West Rogers Circle in the South Congress Industrial Center off Clint Moore Road — are the ultimate landing points for data transmitted by the undersea cables. Both were built roughly 20 years ago.

From 1998 to 2000, the one on Rogers Circle was owned by Tyco.

While Pearlman and others worried about construction disrupting park activities, Schaad said few will notice when crews arrive next year to lay cable from Boca Raton’s banks. Disruptions from the installations are minimal as are the effects on the environment, he said.

City Manager George Brown, now emeritus, has been with the city for 43 years and has watched other cable projects. 

“I’m going to give a very non-engineering description,” he said before the council in September approved the easement for Telxius. “They essentially open up a manhole and directionally bore where the cable needs to be.”

Schaad agreed. “It’s not excavating,” he said. “It’s very low intensity. The impact is very, very minimal.”

Because the first lines were installed more than 20 years ago, some of the infrastructure is already in place.

For instance, in its plans to install another undersea cable at Spanish River Park in 2027, Telxius says once it hits land the cable will run through vacant ducts that were installed years ago. The so-called CELIA cable will link Boca to Puerto Rico, Aruba, Martinique and Antigua. In about five years, the company also plans to install a third cable, using the same easement.

An invisible technology

Both of Telxius’ planned cables — TIKAL-AMX3 and CELIA  — will have to be approved by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. And, Schaad said, requests aren’t rubber stamped.

Telxius’ initial plans to run the cable for TIKAL-AMX3 through an off-shore sand pit that is used to renourish city beaches was a no-go, Schaad said. Ditto any plans to disrupt off-shore reefs.

The company was required to run the cable north to miss sensitive marine habitat and the sand borrow area before curving it south to reach Central and possibly South America if the company decides to extend the line another roughly 1,000 miles to Colombia.

Still, at least one council member was skeptical about the use of the park for undersea cables. 

Council member Andy Thomson cast the lone vote against granting the easement to Telxius. He said he didn’t have enough information to support it, noting that it appears to benefit residents of Central America rather than people who live in Boca Raton.

“I don’t recall us approving something like this in my time here,” said Thomson, who was first elected in 2018. “So this is putting me in a spot where I have too many questions to be able to vote on it.”

Schaad said he understands that people don’t fully grasp the invisible technology. Before he became development services director in 2016, he said he had no idea how many undersea cables landed in the city.

Once he learned about the networks that crisscross the globe, he said he realized how the city figured into the worldwide internet picture.

“Oh, wow,” he remembered thinking, “this is why the internet is so fast. It’s an incredible infrastructure.” 

By Steve Plunkett

Briny Breezes is looking for two good aldermen or women.

Alderman Jeff Duncan was the only one of three incumbents in November to file qualifying papers for the March 10 election. Mayor Ted Gross and Alderwoman Holly Reitnauer did not.

That means Duncan was automatically elected to his Seat 4 position and will serve a second two-year term. Duncan originally was appointed as an alderman in December 2023 when no one filed to run for the seat after then-Council President Christina Adams resigned early.

In March, when the three current terms end, the Town Council will appoint people to fill Gross’ Seat 6 mayor's seat and Reitnauer’s Seat 2, according to the town’s charter.

“At its first meeting after the election, the Town Council shall declare any office that was left unfilled due to a vacancy in candidacy to be a vacant office. The Council, by plurality vote, shall appoint a qualified elector to fill that vacancy for the full term of that office,” the charter says.

Gross was appointed to be mayor in December 2023 after he had qualified for the March 2024 election and then-Mayor Gene Adams resigned early to avoid having to file a detailed statement of his finances.

But a lawsuit held up implementation of the state’s in-depth financial statement known as Form 6 and aldermen have since only had to file the previous, less-intrusive form. 

Reitnauer, who is married to Alderman Bill Birch, will have been in office only 15 months when her tenure ends. She was appointed an alderwoman in December 2024 after Kathy Gross, Ted’s wife, gave up her Town Council seat. 

Correction: The print version and an earlier online version incorrectly explained how the mayor will be selected. The mayor will be chosen by the council from the electorate and appointed to fill the Seat 6 mayor's seat.

Twelve candidates on Boca Raton ballot

Related: January election canceled, but project’s fate will be in voters’ hands

By Mary Hladky

Resident furor over Boca Raton’s plans to redevelop the 31-acre downtown campus now has engulfed the March 10 city election as redevelopment opponents attempt to win control of the City Council.

Five candidates who are part of the opposition group Save Boca or support many of that group’s positions have announced they are running for mayor or the three other council seats that will be on the ballot.

In all, a large field of 12 candidates, including three current council members, qualified in November to run.

Save Boca has a slate of three candidates — Save Boca founder Jon Pearlman, Michelle Grau and Stacy Sipple.

Running for mayor
The mayor’s race includes the high-wattage matchup between Deputy Mayor Fran Nachlas and Council member Andy Thomson, who are vying to replace term-limited Scott Singer.

Nachlas supports the redevelopment, while Thomson repeatedly has called for the project to be terminated.

Thomson maintains that even though developers Terra and Frisbie Group have made significant concessions to win over opponents, the project remains too dense and has been pushed forward too rapidly.

Joining them in that contest is Mike Liebelson, whose résumé includes more than 40 years of experience with energy companies, including executive management positions in two publicly traded companies. He now is a senior adviser to several sustainable energy companies.

When he learned the City Council planned to lease land to private developers, he began attending council meetings.

“I just could not believe the level of tone deafness this council had for the interests of the people,” he said.

When Liebelson did not see any mayoral candidate he could support, he decided to run for office himself. He opposes handing over city land to private developers and pledges to take no campaign contributions from developers. While not part of Save Boca, he gives the group credit. “I have to thank Save Boca for really educating the community,” he said.

Council Seat B
Pearlman and Save Boca supporter Meredith Madsen are challenging incumbent Council member Marc Wigder for Seat B.

“I saw where the leadership of Boca was taking the city. They were taking it to a very dismal place,” Pearlman said. “I am running to revert the course of the city … and to protect our public land, our parks and to do what is right for the residents and represent their best interests.”

Pearlman, co-founder of the Mission Lean fitness app who also has an office that manages investment portfolios, said that the Save Boca slate “will not take one cent of developer contributions. Therefore, we can act without being compromised. We can make every decision in the best interest of the citizens of Boca, not the developers.”

Madsen, the founder and CEO of Sunshine & Glitter, which sells sunscreen products, frequently speaks out at City Council meetings against city plans to redevelop the campus in partnership with Terra and Frisbie Group.

Council Seat A
Three candidates are vying to replace Nachlas in Seat A: Save Boca candidate Grau; Christen Ritchey, a former Planning and Zoning Board member, who resigned from that position to stand election; and Bernard Korn, who initially filed to run for mayor as well, but withdrew from that race.

Grau is a certified public accountant with Grau & Associates in Boca Raton that specializes in governmental auditing. When she learned about the redevelopment plan, she saw that “residents were concerned about not being part of the process” and what she said was the lack of information provided by city officials.

When she expressed an interest in running, she was told, “‘We need you, Michelle. We need someone with a financial background,’” she said. “I know government budgets. I know how to spot waste.”

Ritchey, a family law attorney, briefly was a council candidate in 2023 but withdrew to focus on her children and her law firm. While she is not part of Save Boca, “I love that they have come together to let the residents have a voice,” she said.

Ritchey has not yet taken a firm position on the redevelopment, but said, “I think first and foremost, collaboration and communication is key.”

Korn, a real estate broker, is a perennial candidate who has never won an election. He had his best showing in 2024 when he captured 23% of the vote when running against incumbent Yvette Drucker.

Council Seat D
Three candidates are running for Thomson’s Seat D.

Former Council member Robert Weinroth is making a bid to serve again.

He won a special election to the council in 2014 and then ran without opposition in 2015 and term-limited out in three years. He was elected to the Palm Beach County Commission in 2018 and became county mayor.

After Weinroth lost reelection in 2022, he filed to run for the Palm Beach County School Board, but withdrew from that race, and ran unsuccessfully for Congress in 2024 in the Republican primary. He did not return calls from The Coastal Star about his current candidacy.

Entering politics for the first time is Larry Cellon, who is well known in the city for serving nearly 10 years on the Planning and Zoning Board and, before that, 27 years on the Community Appearance Board.

He resigned from the planning board to run.

Cellon is a founding member of Workshop 344+, formed by a group of influential residents who have plans to improve a five-block section of East Palmetto Park Road.

Frustrated because that effort hasn’t gained traction with city officials, Cellon decided on a council run.

Cellon is not affiliated with Save Boca, but he opposes the redevelopment plan. “I see no reason for us to give away our public lands to a private developer,” he said.

Instead, Cellon said, the city should upgrade city buildings and recreational facilities on its own.

“I think we can do it ourselves,” he said. “We can do it better.”

Sipple, a clinical pharmacist, is Save Boca’s candidate for Seat D. She said council members are not listening to residents. And residents “want to feel they have a City Council that listens to them and responds to them.”

Sipple opposes the redevelopment project.

Too many development projects have been approved in the city and are changing its character in a way that residents don’t want by turning it into an overbuilt and congested Miami or Fort Lauderdale, she said.

Sipple opposes the redevelopment project, saying it would bring an unneeded hotel and residential units. She believes that the city can improve the downtown campus on its own, at a far lower cost.

“I hope our residents show up in force and vote” in the March 10 election, she said. 

The Boca Raton Bowl spilled the beans about its new sponsor in November. It’s Bush’s Beans. Photo provided

By Larry Barszewski

It looks like South County’s contribution to this year’s college bowl season — Bush’s Boca Raton Bowl of Beans — is going to be a gas.

And that’s not a crock.

It’s a bowl. A bowl of beans. 

The game, to be broadcast on ESPN, takes place at 2 p.m. Dec. 23. Tickets go on sale Dec. 7.

The Boca Raton Bowl’s name legacy started with first sponsor Marmot (outdoor clothing and sporting goods), got a jolt with Cheribundi (tart cherry beverages), then landed on the “who could think of a better” promotion — South Florida’s susceptibility to hurricane disasters — with the RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl.

Now it’s Bush’s Beans to the rescue, announced Nov. 20 as the bowl’s latest sponsor.

The company is “on a mission to turn the stadium into the biggest bowl of beans the world has seen,” said Stephen Palacios, Bush’s senior vice president of marketing.

Because, it seems, when life is a bowl of beans, there’s no fear of winding up in the pits.

Holding the Bowl of Beans game at Florida Atlantic University’s Flagler Credit Union Stadium could prove providential — as the bowl can put the credit union’s bean counters to good use.

However, despite Bush’s Beans’ best efforts to brand the event to its taste, it’ll probably end up being just the Bean Bowl to most viewers.

Boca Raton Mayor Scott Singer, like so many who tune into the NFL Super Bowl each year, seems to be more interested in the commercials that will air during Bush’s Boca Raton Bowl of Beans than in the game itself. 

The city’s partnership with the bowl “highlights our attractiveness to businesses and job creators through targeted ads airing during the game,” wrote Singer in an email to The Coastal Star. Even before the Bean Bowl got its name, the mayor was out touting Boca Raton as a great escape to New York City businesses concerned about that city’s election of a democratic socialist, Zohran Mamdani, as mayor. 

The benefits of the city’s partnership with the bowl game continue to increase even as sponsors have changed, Singer wrote, and Bush’s “provides new creative marketing opportunities for additional exposure.”

Boca Raton: The city that’s full of beans.

That just leaves the bowl teams, which are expected to be  announced Dec. 7. 

The expectations have varied greatly. CBS Sports was recently projecting a matchup between Florida International and Lousiana-Lafayette, while Coastal Carolina, South Florida and Southern Mississippi were among other names bandied about as potential contenders.

Maybe bowl-eligible Duke University would be a better choice, supported by Bush’s Beans’ own longtime mascot, Duke (a dog and a good boy). Duke’s Blue Devils could then fight it out with the University of Alabama, another bowl-eligible team, with Bush’s Best Red Beans pureed to create a Crimson Tide chip dip. 

All in all, the Bush’s Beans sponsorship has the ingredients to be long running. With all the bean-eating bravado that will be taking place, it’s easy to see that one bowl will surely lead to another. 

For more information, go to BocaRatonBowl.com.