By Rich Pollack

Highland Beach commissioners gave final approval to a 2027 fiscal year budget that once again will keep the tax rate at the same level it has been for the previous four years.

Meeting on Sept. 24, town commissioners voted unanimously, 4-0, to approve the $30.5 million total budget and to keep the town’s tax rate of $3.58 per $1,000 of taxable value.

That is the same tax rate the town has had since 2023 — and once again means a tax increase for most property owners.

The new rate will generate $14.7 million in property taxes, about $662,000 more than for the previous year, or just shy of a 5% increase. Those tax revenues cover about 73% of the town’s $20.1 million general fund budget.

While the town’s tax rate remains the same, taxes are up because the town saw a 4.1% increase in total property values.

Town Manager Marshall Labadie said the town’s new budget emphasizes safety and quality of life in the town, whose motto is “Three Miles of Paradise.”

“The budget prioritizes public safety, employee retention, infrastructure maintenance and long-term financial sustainability,” he wrote in his budget message. “Public safety, including police and fire rescue, represent about 67% of the general fund expenditures, reflecting the town’s continued commitment to resident safety and emergency services. The town continues to keep a mindful eye on the increasing costs of providing public safety services.”

Labadie said the budget was designed to ensure the town could continue to provide quality services while at the same time keeping an eye on the future.

“The budget reflects a balanced and conservative financial approach focused on maintaining service levels, preserving reserves and preparing for potential legislative changes that may impact municipal revenues in future years,” he wrote in his monthly communication with residents.

He also pointed out that a large portion of the town’s overall costs go toward staffing and maintaining the police and fire departments.

The 2027 budget, which took effect Oct. 1, shows a slight decrease in Police Department spending and a 7% increase in the fire rescue budget.

The town staff, in preparing the budget, kept in mind the possibility of revenues falling in the beginning of the 2028 fiscal year should a proposed increase in the homestead exemption get 60% statewide voter approval this November.

In his budget message to residents, Labadie said if that constitutional amendment — Amendment 3 — is approved, the town would lose about $1 million in 2028 and $1.5 million beginning in 2029. The legislation would increase the homestead exemption — currently at a little more than $50,000 of a property’s assessed value— to $150,000 in the 2028 fiscal year budget and $250,000 in 2029.

He said the town’s “strong reserves, conservative budgeting practices and five-year financial forecast place the town in an excellent position to adapt to these changes while continuing to protect the quality of life our residents enjoy.”

Independent consultant to review cemetery — Delray Beach has hired a consulting firm to address long-standing complaints about plots and maintenance at Delray Beach Memorial Gardens Municipal Cemetery.

The comprehensive review by Kuehne Cemetery Consulting, of Casselberry, was scheduled to start in September and last six weeks at a cost of $15,000, according to the city manager’s office.

Meanwhile, City Manager Terrence Moore reported at a recent City Commission meeting that re-engineering and land reconfiguration have resulted in the availability of 100 new plots at the cemetery, which had reached full capacity.

The cemetery, at 901 SW 10th St., has been a source of complaints from residents about lack of space, misidentified plots and poor groundskeeping.

Kuehne will review maintenance standards, customer service, communication practices and finances, among other items, and then issue a report of its findings and recommendations. The city was scheduled to hold a Sept. 30 community input meeting for residents.

Money given to anti-drug programs — The Delray Beach City Commission awarded funds for anti-drug programs to two organizations at its Sept. 22 meeting: nonprofit group Living Skills in the Schools, of Delray Beach, for substance abuse prevention training and education; and Junior Achievement of Broward County. Both groups will receive $50,000 per year for three years for a total of $150,000 each.

The reimbursable grants will be funded through Caron Foundation Settlement funds. Delray Beach has a total of $947,566 in Caron funds and the city initially is considering allocations for half of that total, or $473,783.

At its Sept. 8 meeting, the City Commission also discussed using separate opioid litigation settlement funds to hire a community paramedic and a clinical social worker as part of a mobile integrated health unit for the Fire Rescue Department. But commissioners were concerned about being able to fund these positions beyond one year, so they advised city staff to come back later with a potential one-year contractual agreement for the personnel.

— Chris Gerbasi

By Brian Biggane

What began as a relatively confrontational meeting between officials from Lantana and South Palm Beach ended with the two sides agreeing to work toward a resolution of a territorial dispute that has been brewing for years.

The disagreement concerns who controls dock permitting in the narrow Intracoastal Waterway channel between Lantana’s Hypoluxo Island and the western shore of South Palm Beach.

Lantana claims it has jurisdiction over the waters between the two towns, thus giving it say over all permitting of docks and other structures constructed in those waters — including those for properties in South Palm Beach. However, South Palm Beach, which was incorporated in 1955, insists it established domain over the waters along its shores in 1959.

Lantana Town Attorney Max Lohman expressed confidence in Lantana’s position at an Aug. 17 Lantana Town Council meeting, going so far as to state he was “dumbfounded” by the stance South Palm Beach was taking and vowing to take the town to court and even file suit if necessary. South Palm Beach officials were equally adamant, with attorney Lyman Reynolds saying early during the Sept. 18 joint meeting at Lantana Town Hall that the differences were so great that the town was ready to hire a mediator.

The latest installment of the ongoing disagreement began in September 2025 when Lantana first approved a permit request from the Concordia condominiums at 3555 and 3560 S. Ocean Blvd. in South Palm Beach to build a dock, then withdrew the authorization two months later. After South Palm Beach passed an ordinance Aug. 11 saying it controlled dock permitting for its residents, Lantana voted to challenge its neighbor’s action, setting up a legal challenge that required the joint negotiating meeting.

Reynolds’ proposal to go to mediation appeared to catch Lantana Town Manager Brian Raducci and Lohman by surprise, with Lohman pointing out the rules of the meeting mandated each side present its case and see if an interlocal agreement could be reached before mediation was needed.

And after more than an hour of back and forth between the two towns, an agreement appeared possible. 

Raducci was particularly intent on reaching a quick resolution, repeatedly asking, “So what is it that you want?”

Lohman remained adamant throughout that South Palm Beach would have to align its regulations with those of Lantana before a compromise could be reached. South Palm Beach Mayor Rafael Pineiro, meanwhile, went through the history of his town’s efforts going back to 1959 to establish its domain over permitting on docks along the waterway.

“That disagreement hasn’t gone away,” Pineiro said after the meeting. “Our founding documents take us to the middle of the lake, and in 1959 they (Lantana officials) reaffirmed their boundaries come to our shore, so there’s an overlap. So the interlocal agreement would allow us to do permits but that doesn’t mean we are relinquishing our claim. That’s a fight for another day.”

South Palm Beach Town Manager Jamie Titcomb said he felt the meeting amounted to “a win for both sides.” 

Lohman, meanwhile, sounded pragmatic, saying, “We are going to be neighbors for years, right? We have a lot of issues to work through; this is just one of them. It behooves us to have a good working relationship with all of you.”

At the conclusion of the meeting, Raducci made an offer for Lantana to work up an agreement and send it to South Palm Beach for consideration. “At least we’ll start with that,” he said.

Just what that agreement will stipulate regarding issuing permits remains to be seen. What both sides agreed on is that regulations regarding docks in the two towns and the waterway in between them need to be uniform.

“It’s going to be something you can work with, obviously,” Raducci said. “Because you’re not going to sign it if it’s not.” 

By Steve Plunkett and Mary Hladky

The Boca Raton City Council gave final approval on Sept. 22 to a $276.8 million general fund budget and set the property tax rate at $3.66 per $1,000 of taxable property value.

The new tax rate is a tiny tax cut of 0.001, or 0.027%, which is in keeping with the city’s practice of making a very slight cut so officials can claim a tax rate decrease.

But the $3.66 per $1,000 rate is virtually the same amount it has been since fiscal year 2016.

The rate will generate $145.1 million in property taxes, up $9.5 million or 7% from the previous year. Residents owning a home with a taxable value of $450,000 will pay $1,648.76 in city ad valorem taxes.

The latest figures show the assessed value of Boca properties increased by $2.7 billion, or a 6.3% increase from the previous year.

The general fund budget, which is registering a 7.7% jump, includes a last-minute addition of $1.8 million to replace a fire truck that was damaged on Interstate 95 in mid-September. The loss will be covered by insurance, said Jim Zervis, deputy city manager and chief financial officer.

“We have an opportunity to move quickly and get an order in with a potential delivery of 12 to 13 months, which is extremely quick for a fire truck of this size,” Zervis said during the final budget hearing.

The budget also includes money for 24 new full-time positions — 12 firefighters, four fire lieutenants, four EMS captains, a budget analyst, a vehicle technician, a community resource coordinator dedicated to homeless management and a community relations coordinator.

Separate from property taxes, the residential fire assessment fee is increasing from $155 to $224 — a 45% increase — to cover the cost of the new fire rescue positions.

Much of the general fund budget — 63% — pays for police and fire rescue services.

Ad valorem taxes pay for 52% of the general fund budget. The rest largely comes from charges for services, licenses and permits and franchise fees.

A separate capital improvements budget includes $7.5 million to begin improving Memorial Park in the downtown campus, including the existing buildings and recreation facilities, since city voters shot down plans in March to redevelop the area in concert with a developer. 

Town’s tax rate jumps dramatically — The Briny Breezes Town Council unanimously agreed to nearly double the tax rate for the new fiscal year, approving a rate of $6.75 per $1,000 of taxable property value, up from the $3.75 per $1,000 residents paid in the previous year.

Under the new rate, for the fiscal year that started Oct. 1, the owner of a mobile home with a taxable value of $150,000 would pay $1,012.50 in town property taxes, a $450 increase.

The new rate was recommended by Town Manager Bill Thrasher, who said it is necessary as the town is seeking a $2.5 million loan from the state of Florida for capital improvement projects. The projects include drainage improvements and enhancing the town’s entire sea wall. 

Given the town’s current property valuations, the $3 increase will raise about $300,000 to cover debt service payments.

Thrasher made the same tax rate proposal last year, but he pulled back and recommended keeping the rate at $3.75 per $1,000 when he realized the town couldn’t get a loan in time. 

The town’s tax rate had been at the state-maximum $10 per $1,000 up until 2023, when it was reduced dramatically with some police costs shifted to the town’s corporation, Briny Breezes Inc., which then charged property owners an assessment. That was done to give room to raise the tax rate in the future for money the town would need to make debt payments on the anticipated loans. 

— Henry Fitzgerald

By Rich Pollack

Highland Beach’s efforts to enhance safety on the Intracoastal Waterway got a shot in the arm in September when the Florida Inland Navigation District awarded the town $1.29 million to be used for a public safety boat dock.

The dock, which will be used by the town’s Police Department Marine Patrol Unit, comes with a price tag of about $2.5 million, with FIND providing $50,000 for design and $1.29 million for construction.

The town also received a $250,000 appropriation from the state Legislature for the dock, which will be directly behind the town library. The remainder of the cost, about $900,000, will be covered by the town.

“This will help us protect and preserve safety to the residents in our three miles of paradise,” Town Manager Marshall Labadie said. “It’s part of our commitment to providing a strong marine response.”

The police boat is currently docked at Boca Highland Beach Club and Marina at the south end of town, so providing a public safety dock just a short distance from the police and fire station will be a significant improvement, in large part for emergency response times.

“We have to get the marine dock in a central location,” Labadie said.

The floating dock is designed specifically for public safety use and gives the town the ability to coordinate rescues between the police boat and paramedics.

Labadie said that the town will share the dock with other public safety agencies. He said this factor may have played a role in funding decisions, especially from FIND, which is a special taxing district that helps local governments fund public navigation projects on inland waterways.

“I believe the other agencies that are helping to fund this project understand its regional importance,” he said.

In March 2022, the Highland Beach Police Department launched its new marine unit, a 28-foot rigid-hull boat outfitted specifically for police usage.

Equipped with twin 225-horsepower engines, the boat was manufactured in Fort Lauderdale and came with a $164,000 price tag. The launch followed two fatal boating accidents on the Intracoastal Waterway within Highland Beach town limits.

Boca Raton uses barriers Miami International lacked

This jet overran the runway last year at Boca Raton Airport, but the Engineered Material Arresting System — the crushed concrete block surrounding the plane — prevented it from continuing toward busy Spanish River Boulevard. Photo provided

By Rich Pollack

It was just after 5 p.m. on a Wednesday in September 2025 when a 23,000-pound Bombardier Jet overran the runway at Boca Raton Airport and headed toward heavily traveled Spanish River Boulevard.

But before the business jet from Las Vegas carrying two passengers and two pilots came close to the fence separating the road from the runway, it was stopped by a safety system installed at the 78-year-old airport just nine years earlier.

That system, the Engineered Material Arresting System, or EMAS, has been in the spotlight in recent weeks following the fatal Sept. 6 crash at Miami International Airport when a Boeing 767 overshot the runway and plowed into a van and another vehicle, killing five.

Miami’s airport does not have an EMAS system. Boca Raton’s has one at each end of the runway. It is one of only 72 airports nationwide to have the technology.

The systems, which use crushable concrete blocks to stop overrunning planes, have proven successful time and time again, says Boca Raton Airport Authority Executive Director Clara Bennett.

“They’re proven not just to save property and aircraft but also to save lives,” she said.

In South Florida, President Donald J. Trump International Airport in West Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport both have EMAS systems at runway ends. The Palm Beach County Park Airport in Lantana does not have the systems.

Since the Federal Aviation Administration began requiring airports meeting certain specifications to install the EMAS system, there have been 26 incidents where they have been used and have successfully stopped aircraft, Bennett said.

“Every aircraft has been repaired and flyable,” she said.

One of the other times the system was used successfully occurred in Chicago on the same day as the incident in Boca Raton, which Bennett said could have been disastrous had the EMAS system not been in place.

Boca Raton Airport was selected by the FAA to have the EMAS systems because the safety zones between the end of its runway and Spanish River Boulevard to the north and the Boca Raton Utility Services Complex to the south are less than 1,000 feet.

Funding for the $13 million installation of the EMAS systems at Boca Raton Airport came largely from the FAA, with the state providing 5% of the cost and the Boca Raton Airport Authority providing another 5%.

Airports with EMAS systems installed generally have a bed of crushable concrete blocks at the end of the runway that are designed specifically for the type of aircraft using the airport. Boca Raton Airport serves light, midsized jets and single-engine and multi-engine aircraft.

When a plane overshoots a runway and rolls over the blocks, the wheels sink into the blocks which then collapse under the weight of the plane. The aircraft is then quickly slowed down due to resistance and drag.

The blocks in the EMAS system are easily repaired or replaced.

An online video of the EMAS system stopping the Bombardier business jet in Boca Raton shows the plane stopping in a cloud of dust as the concrete blocks crumble. Heavy traffic on Spanish River Boulevard is clearly visible.

Bennett said there’s a good chance the plane would have reached the road had the EMAS not been in place.

The systems were installed in Boca Raton in 2016 on the north end and in 2017 on the south end.

“Airports like ours are grateful that the FAA invested in the research and development and supported the installation of these systems,” Bennett said.

By Emily Rose Finn

Manalapan’s plan to replace the aging guardhouse at the entrance to Point Manalapan is back on the drawing board after bids for the work greatly exceeded what town commissioners had authorized — even after the town scaled back the design.

In May, the town told residents construction would start in July. There is still no contract, and commissioners have not settled on how to proceed.

Nine contractors met the Aug. 21 deadline for bidding to tear down the old guardhouse and build a new one, with prices ranging from $489,000 to $897,935. Commissioners originally earmarked $100,000, but the budget grew to $300,000 as the town moved from renovation to replacement.

At an Aug. 11 commission meeting, before bids came in, Town Manager Eric Marmer said he anticipated “the cost to be higher than what was budgeted due in part to the pile foundations required,” according to minutes of the meeting.

The low bid came from KER Construction LLC, but staff did not recommend awarding a contract based on its cost.

Staff on Sept. 8 asked commissioners for direction on two options: to redesign and rebid the project or to defer the project and fold it into the new Town Hall/Police Department construction project.

Staff cited “the upcoming season and potential disruption associated with construction in that area” as a reason to wait.

Some suggestions for cutting costs included building on a slab instead of pilings, and eliminating a golf-cart overhang and feature window.

Commissioners said a reworked design put back out to bid should draw better prices, and that the town has only what it budgeted to spend.

Commissioners leaned toward redesigning and rebidding rather than folding the guardhouse into the Town Hall project.

In a September email to The Coastal Star, Marmer said the town plans to keep the design the same, with small changes to bring the cost down. “We are going to see if we can get it under the 300k the commission is allowing us to spend on the project, if not we will end up folding into the bigger Town Hall/PD building,” Marmer wrote.

The current guardhouse on Lands End Road dates to 1968 and is in too poor shape to renovate, officials said. 

In March, architects from Currie Sowards Aguila presented a glass-and-coquina design with a steel trellis over the entry lanes, estimated at about $340,000. The town’s Architectural Commission rejected it, and the trellis was dropped.

In April, commissioners settled on a simpler “governmental style” building of about 248 square feet, with larger windows, two guard booths, a kitchenette and a restroom that meets federal disability (ADA) standards. 

By Emily Rose Finn

Manalapan’s town tax rate will stay at $3 per $1,000 of taxable value for another year, though most property owners will still pay more because property values keep climbing.

Town commissioners on Sept. 28 unanimously approved the rate and a $9.74 million general fund budget — a drop of 25.8% from the previous budget — with no discussion. The new budget and property tax rate are for the fiscal year that started Oct. 1. 

It is the fifth straight year the town has held the rate at $3 per $1,000 of taxable value. The owner of a home with a taxable value of $10 million this year will pay $30,000 in town taxes, an increase of almost $2,000 from the previous year based on the town’s average increase in home values.

Taxable property values in Manalapan rose 6.94% this year, to about $2.59 billion, according to town budget documents. As a result, the unchanged rate is expected to bring in about $7.49 million in property taxes, roughly $471,000 more than last year.

That puts the rate 6.65% above the town’s rollback rate of $2.81 per $1,000 — the rate that would bring in the same property tax revenue as last year. 

The drop in the general fund budget, which pays for day-to-day operations including police — and is supported by the property taxes — was from land purchase, mostly, including the land for a new Town Hall, officials said. The town’s overall budget, including for water and other services, is $15.5 million.

The town’s $516,032 capital budget includes $175,000 to design the new Town Hall and $200,000 for police and town vehicles. 

A separate $1.065 million utility capital budget will pay for several water projects, including design work to meet new federal limits on PFAS, also known as “forever chemicals.” 

Suzanne Snider, curator of the Museum of Central American Art in Delray Beach, holds a copy of the book she co-wrote with her business partner, Mark Ford. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

Delray Beach resident Suzanne Snider has spent a lifetime on the move, both geographically and while following her career path.

When she was 20, newly married and living in West Palm Beach, her husband, Court, gave her a camera. “I fell in love with photography, which opened my eyes to art and design,” she remembers.

At 21, she followed her husband to Korea after he was drafted. “That was a wonderful experience living there for a year. It opened my eyes to the world and a new culture,” she said.

Then for the next 30 years, this mother of two and grandmother of two hop-skipped between Florida, North Carolina and Costa Rica, working in art-related venues, owning a surf shop, developing children enrichment programs and picking up print-making. She also managed to finish college and study art history. 

“It only took me 36 years to get my degree. I graduated summa cum laude, thank you,” said Snider, 77. 

Her time in Costa Rica deepened her connection to art, she said. “I was introduced to local contemporary artists who wanted to be represented in the United States. I still represent them and have their artwork. They include Enar Cruz, Alejandro Villalobos, Edgar Zuñiga and Marcia Salas.”

After returning to Florida, Snider crossed paths with Delray Beach resident Mark Ford, an entrepreneur, art collector, author and philanthropist, and the next chapter of her life took off. With him, she’s started art galleries, participated in art shows, built his collection of Central American art and written a book, Central American Modernism. 

In 2025, they opened the Museum of Central American Art at The Annex, 290 SE Second Ave., Delray Beach. 

“Our mission statement is basically to bring awareness to Central American art and to educate about the richness of the cultures,” she said.

Its fourth show, “The Masters of the Matrix: Latin American Printmaking,” is on exhibit through January 2027, along with related monthly events. 

For this show, Snider has “branched out,” she said. “I’ve incorporated a lot of Mexican, South American and Cuban works from Mark’s collection: etchings, serigraphs, mixographs, stone lithographs, woodblock printing, piezographs and xylographs, which was invented by a Costa Rican artist.”

And the momentum continues. She’s working on a new book, Central American Postmodernism. 

“I didn’t realize that I was going to be embarking on such a satisfying and important career at the age of 59,” she said. “It took me by surprise. Meeting Mark Ford and working with him has been such a gift to me, as well as working with so many people in Central America. 

“In 2021, I published a children’s book about one day in my life in Costa Rica — Groovy Grandma’s Surf Shop.”

— Christine Davis

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

A. I grew up in Palm Beach County in a wonderful community that no longer exists called the town of Golfview. We could walk to the elementary school and the junior high school. I think those days gave me my sense of assuredness and living without fear. Growing up with four brothers gave me a competitive spirit.

 Palm Beach High School was considered to be located at the western border of the city of West Palm Beach in the 1960s, and we never suspected the growth that would occur. Military Trail was at the edge of the “boonies.” 

I received my associate degree from Palm Beach Junior College. It was then only a two-year program at the campus on Congress Avenue. Classes with Watson B. Duncan III opened my eyes to literature. I continued my studies at UNC-Charlotte and North Carolina State, where I specialized in print-making and art history. And the world of art opened its arms to me.

Q. What professions have you worked in? What professional accomplishments are you most proud of?

A. Personally, I think all we experience influences our futures. Graphic design, teaching, being the director of a children’s museum and owning a surf shop in Tamarindo gave me skills that I use in my most- proud-of and current career of being the curator and director of the Museum of Central American Art.

Q. What advice do you have for a young person selecting a career today?

A. Realize what you don’t like doing and discover what you do well.

Q. How did you choose to make your home in Delray Beach?

A. After living five years in Costa Rica, I returned to represent Costa Rican artists in the USA and being close to Miami — the Latin American capital of the world — made sense. I stayed with a dear friend, Judy Testa, and exhibited in her Via in Palm Beach next to her restaurant for a few months. Then rented a cute house in Lake Worth, a walking town, near the bridge. 

I had little success selling the artwork on weekends and found supporting work creating children’s enrichments and working part time in a frame shop in Delray Beach. It was there I encountered my business partner, Mark Ford, in 2008. 

Delray was just then on the cusp of being voted “best small tourist town,” most of the shops on the Avenue were locally owned, and it was a joy to walk or bicycle everywhere any time or day. And the beach here — exceptional. ... It felt right and I found myself embarking on a new adventure in life at the age of 59.

Q. What is your favorite part about living in Delray Beach?

A. Living near the beach and in a town that embraces walking.

Q. What book are you reading now?

A. One by a favorite author, Haruki Murakami, The City and its Uncertain Walls.

Q. What music do you listen to when you need inspiration? When you want to relax?

A. For work I like Strunz & Farah as well as Hermanos Gutierrez, and to relax, blues and the oh-so nostalgic music of the ’60s and ’70s.

Q. Do you have a favorite quote that inspires your decisions?

A. To predict the future, create it.

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

A. Mother Nature is my constant mentor. Living in South Korea for a year when I was 21 opened my eyes to the world.

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

A. Helen Mirren, of course.

The museum is at 290 SE Second Ave. Hours are by appointment noon to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. 561-808-8587; mocaart.org

By Emily Rose Finn

A contractor building a private pedestrian tunnel under State Road A1A has Manalapan’s permission to keep working on the tunnel for about two weeks into the start of the town’s tourist season in November.

Last year, a monthslong tunnel project in the spring caused extended traffic tie-ups on A1A due to lane closures. That led commissioners to pass an ordinance prohibiting tunnel constructions between Nov. 1 and April 14 without advance approval of the Town Commission.

The request for 1860 S. Ocean Blvd. to keep its tunnel project going into November was the first to come before the commission since the ordinance took effect. Commissioners approved the request at their Sept. 8 meeting.

The passageway will connect a main house on the west side of A1A with a beach house on the east side. RWB Construction Management asked to keep working “through November 14.”

Commissioners originally approved the 1860 S. Ocean tunnel on May 20, 2025 — the same meeting at which they adopted the tunnel ordinance.

The contractor blamed the delay on the state, which did not approve the work until Aug. 24, after three years of permitting.

“The controlling factor in this schedule has been the Florida Department of Transportation permitting process,” RWB wrote in a Sept. 3 letter. “Installation could not lawfully commence prior to that issuance.” The company promised to follow an approved traffic plan and keep the right-of-way “secured and passable.”

While construction is underway, traffic shifts onto a temporary bypass lane and a police officer is on site daily, able to take manual control of the traffic signal if needed. 

Though they approved the work into November, commissioners were concerned about the impact of the tunnel project combined with A1A lane closures to the south for water pipe work being done in Ocean Ridge, which they said already backs up traffic on busy weekends.

“Then it’s like Frogger going down to A1A,” Vice Mayor Simone Bonutti said. 

By Emily Rose Finn

Manalapan has recast its shore-based shark fishing crackdown as a nuisance law, leaving fishing regulation to the state while keeping a 100-yard buffer between hooks and swimmers.

Commissioners revamped an ordinance they approved in May because of concerns that it might be perceived as stepping on laws that give the state the power to regulate fishing. The new version, approved at the Sept. 8 commission meeting, renames the code section “Prohibited Fishing Related Nuisance Activities, and Other Nuisance Activities.” 

It still treats fishing with hooks, line and bait within 100 yards of swimmers, beachgoers, paddleboarders, kayakers or jet skiers as a prohibited nuisance. It is included with other town regulations that ban trespassing on private beaches, provide for littering and noise violations, and, during sea turtle nesting season, ban nighttime beach lighting other than red or amber.

The ordinance acknowledges that the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has authority over shore-based shark fishing, and it lists the state’s rules: a permit, circle hooks, cable cutters on hand, no chumming and no drones. The revised language “is a direct result of discussions the Town had with FWC based on FWC recommendations,” a staff report said.

Residents are asked to report nuisance violations to town police and shark fishing violations to FWC or police. The ordinance authorizes signs at beach accesses and bridges. 

By Mary Thurwachter

It’s been almost seven years since Kmart shuttered in Lantana. The 84,000-square-foot building at 1201 S. Dixie Highway remains empty and an adjacent building fronting on Greynolds Road is giving off serious ghost town vibes with all the businesses — including Lantana Pizza, a local favorite — having vacated the premises.

The 18-acre shopping center site is being redeveloped into Lantana Village Square, a mixed-use residential and retail community. Signs of impending growth haven’t been noticeable — although FPL trucks have been working behind the old Kmart building, according to tenants of the shopping center. 

Integra, the developer, “has been working closely with staff on some very minor amendments to the previously approved site plan,” said Nicole Dritz, Lantana’s director of development. “They did apply for demo permits; however, those were abandoned. There are no current demo permits. Integra has indicated they would like to start demo this fall. They have submitted building permits for the new structures, which are under review. There are some conditions of approval that they must meet before permits will be issued, such as $45,000 for transit upgrades as well as impact fees.” 

Selma Rabelo, who is managing the project for the developer, said Integra is hoping to get the project underway before the end of the year. “We’re excited to move forward with this project,” which she said would be “welcoming to the local community.” 

With Kmart closed, the largest retail tenant remaining in the shopping center is Winn-Dixie, which has a multiyear lease and occupies 165,000 square feet.  There’s also a 9,000-square-foot storefront housing West Marine, which has been at the site for more than eight years and plans to stay put. 

But change is coming.

The town-approved site plan includes a phased redevelopment with 426 dwelling units and 21,967 square feet of ground-floor commercial space. 

“Phase I includes three-story buildings with 307 dwelling units centered around a main-street-style design concept featuring approximately 12,000 square feet of commercial space, a large public open space, wide pedestrian sidewalks, outdoor seating areas, elevated streetscape furnishings, enhanced landscaping, electric vehicle charging stations, and modern coastal architectural elements,” according to the Town Manager Report on the town’s website. 

“The design emphasizes walkability, sustainability, and the creation of a vibrant mixed-use environment intended to complement the surrounding community.” 

Town code permits 15 units per acre, and the master plan allows for 25, so the town agreed to change the permitted number to 25. Units will include studios and one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments. 

Students from St. Jude Catholic School in Boca Raton empty buckets of debris collected along the Spanish River Park shoreline during the 2026 International Coastal Cleanup. ICC is the world’s largest volunteer effort to clean up beaches and the marine environment. Every year, volunteers from more than 100 countries descend on beaches, rivers, lakes and canals to show their commitment to cleaner waterways. The Ocean Conservancy, the world’s largest organization focusing exclusively on the health of the marine environment, has sponsored this annual event for the past 41 years. Local efforts were spearheaded by Keep Palm Beach County Beautiful and its community partners. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Mary Thurwachter

It looked like curtains for Lantana Pizza when it shuttered at 467 Greynolds Circle in April. Dino and Fatime Ismajli, who ran the popular eatery there for 27 years, thanked loyal customers and said it was time to retire.

But it appears the restaurant — where Town Council members frequently gathered after meetings at Town Hall across the street — will be back for a second act in a new location.

News of Lantana Pizza’s reemergence became clear on Sept. 17 when the council held a meeting to consider a special exception to its code allowing the property owners, Lantana Partners, LLC, to make renovations, paving the way for the restaurant to move in. 

The request included renovations and modifications to the exterior facade of the building at 618 W. Lantana Road, which was home to Pearl’s Next Generation Restaurant for 51 years until the restaurant closed in 2016. More recently, Lantana Tavern operated there from May 2023 through July 2026. 

“The building footprint and overall square footage will remain unchanged,” said Development Services Director Nicole Dritz. “The application was submitted because of a proposed change in tenancy and is intended to establish the new tenant’s use of the property. Existing access points, parking areas, and operational characteristics will remain unchanged.”

Inside, the restrooms will be rebuilt for ADA compliance.

Neighbors of the Lantana Road property expressed concerns about late night noise, but the special exception is contingent on the restaurant’s closing its kitchen at 11 p.m. And Dino Ismajli said his pizza place was a restaurant, not a bar, although drinks are served.

The strip mall on Greynolds Circle where the pizza place had been located was next to a former Kmart and is set to be razed to make way for a planned mixed-use development, Lantana Village, which will bring 426 apartments to the corner of Dixie Highway and Hypoluxo Road.

Originally when they learned they would need to move the business, the Ismajlis planned to move to another location in the development, But they  later changed their minds and decided to close on April 4. 

Lantana’s budget comes with no big surprises, with a tax rate of $3.75 for every $1,000 of taxable value for the fifth consecutive year.  The Town Council formally adopted the budget after a final public hearing on Sept. 17.

The $3.75 rate necessary to fund the town’s newly approved $19.1 million general fund budget is 6.2% above the “no new taxes” rollback rate of $3.53 per $1,000.

Though the rate is the same, the town expects that will provide $495,000 more in property tax revenue in the fiscal year that began Oct. 1 because property values are higher. “While property values have increased, the budget continues to take a conservative approach, with a planned use of $300,000 in building permit reserves to balance the general fund,” Finance Director Stephen Kaplan said.

The general fund covers the cost of the town’s day-to-day operations, supported by property tax revenues. 

In developing the town’s overall $32.4 million budget, officials used the council’s long-term priorities. Some of those are maintaining infrastructure, continuing beautification projects, promoting responsible development, attracting and retaining valuable employees, attracting businesses to Ocean Avenue, resuming dune restoration, supporting the library, and enhancing public safety. 

“We use them because for the most part, they really work well,” Town Manager Brian Raducci said of the priorities.

Raducci said the town is aware of future potential headwinds, such as Florida’s Amendment 3 on the November ballot that would significantly reduce property taxes coming from homesteaded properties if approved by 60% of voters.

“We’ve taken steps to manage costs including reducing our property casualty general liability trust expenses by approximately $150,000, and with Amendment 3’s uncertainty are addressing staff levels through attrition where appropriate.”

Kaplan said utility rates will increase 4% and the water and sewer fund is being balanced with the planned use of $1.4 million from reserves.

The budget includes $551,000 in capital spending in the general fund that will go toward town improvements, fund the town library and pay for police equipment. Also included in the budget is a 3.3% cost-of-living adjustment for employees and a merit increase of up to 4%. 

— Mary Thurwachter

By Connor Walter Brickel and Larry Barszewski

Boynton Beach commissioners didn’t hold the line on the city’s property tax rate this year. They dug deeply into it.

While officials in some towns and cities feel they’ve done a good job if they’re able to keep the tax rate the same as the previous year — or if they make a small reduction in the rate that leads to a tax increase anyway — Boynton Beach commissioners went all in.

They committed to cutting the tax rate and they didn’t stop at the rollback — the “no new taxes” rate that the state suggests municipalities should aim for — but went almost 3% below that rate.

The result: City property owners will pay more than a half-dollar less in city taxes for each $1,000 of taxable property value. The unanimous commission on Sept. 16 dropped the previous rate of $7.75 per $1,000 to $7.2052 per $1,000 for the fiscal year starting Oct. 1, a drop of 7%. 

The owner of a property with a taxable value of $250,000 will pay $1,801 in city taxes this year, a drop of about $75 from the previous year. 

The move comes as the city, which had the fourth-highest tax rate among Palm Beach County’s 39 municipalities, considers other options for cost savings. It has been in discussions to explore the possibility of having the county take over its fire rescue services and its water utility, and it has broached the idea of teaming up with Ocean Ridge to set up a water authority that would also remove the utility and its increasing costs from the city’s budget.

Going under roll back will require the city to draw about $1.8 million from its reserves to balance the city’s $138.3 million general fund budget, according to city officials.

“This year’s budget was very, very tight and there’s no juice left to squeeze right now in that lemon. We’re not possible to find that 1.8 where we are right now,” Chief Financial Officer Alan Lawson said. “So we’re looking at drawing that money out of fund balance in order to facilitate this new proposed rate.”

Commissioners shared concerns over drawing from the city’s operating reserves, which Lawson said sit at around $33 million.

“I know that we’ve been doing a great job with increasing our fund balance, but I feel like every time we turn around, we’re taking a little bit out of fund balance to make up a difference for here and there,” Commissioner Aimee Kelley said.

Currently, the reserves allow the city about three to five months of operating costs, according to City Manager Daniel Dugger. 

The commission also approved increasing the fire assessment by $25, to $170 annually starting Oct. 1. That will bring in an additional $1.7 million in revenue.

“When the City chose to adopt the rollback rate, the increase in the fire assessment helped offset part of the property tax revenue the general fund would otherwise have lost,” Deputy City Manager Andrew Mack wrote in an email to The Coastal Star.

The new budget also assumes that a hiring freeze on all general fund positions — which are paid for with property tax dollars — remains. Under the adopted budget, open positions within the city will be harder to fill. 

By Steve Plunkett

Prodded by the impending loss of access to three sports fields at Florida Atlantic University, the city and the Greater Boca Raton Beach and Park District have approved agreements that lay the groundwork for adding fields at the Countess de Hoernle Park.

The park, which is on Spanish River Boulevard west of Interstate 95 and is also known as the Spanish River Athletic Complex, has been a joint venture since 2011. The city owns the land and supplies manpower and scheduling; the district pays for operation and maintenance and for the original construction.

The amended agreement, approved Sept. 8 by the district and Sept. 22 by the City Council, restates the partnership, allowing the district to manage the design, procurement and construction of a second phase of the park while giving the city the opportunity to review the plans and provide comments. The district must give “substantial consideration” to the city’s recommendations, the agreement states.

With the document signed, the district is moving the Phase II project into the design and permitting stages. The conceptual plan, which currently shows four new athletic fields, parking and restrooms, will continue to be refined through coordination between the district and the city, Briann Harms, the district’s executive director, said in a memo to district commissioners.

In June 2025 the district began discussing what would happen when it lost access to the FAU fields in 2030. The district has paid for access to the fields for decades, but the university says student demand for them has grown.

The new agreement has a 30-year term with options for 10-year renewals. 

OCEAN RIDGE — Mauro J. Walker, beloved husband, devoted father, grandfather, great-grandfather, accomplished engineer, and lifelong problem-solver, died Aug. 28. He was 90.

Born Nov. 21, 1935, to Nancy and Frank Walker in the coal-mining town of Hazleton, Pennsylvania, he grew up in a modest home where hard work, ingenuity, and family were central to daily life. His childhood was filled with homemade pasta, gardening, and hunting in the Pennsylvania woods with his father and friends. He loved to joke that he had been a paperboy since the age of 7 — and that his route went uphill both ways.

Mr. Walker was the first in his family to attend college, graduating from Penn State in 1956 with a degree in electrical engineering. In 1971, he joined Motorola, beginning a remarkable career that would help shape the future of electronics manufacturing.

Throughout his career, Mr. Walker was recognized for his visionary contributions to electronic packaging, manufacturing automation, and high-reliability systems. At Motorola, he established advanced manufacturing technology centers and championed innovations in semiconductor packaging and high-speed surface-mount assembly that helped enable increasingly small and sophisticated portable communications devices, including pagers, two-way radios, and the emerging cellular telephone. He ultimately became Motorola’s senior vice president and director of manufacturing and was elected a corporate vice president.

Mr. Walker’s influence extended well beyond Motorola. He was a founding leader of the National Electronics Manufacturing Initiative, now known as the International Electronics Manufacturing Initiative, helping bring together leaders from industry, government and academia to establish technology road maps and advance collaborative research and development.

He testified before Congress on the importance of maintaining American leadership in electronics manufacturing and worked with universities and industry to strengthen manufacturing research and education. He contributed to the formation of the MIT Leaders for Manufacturing program and manufacturing research centers at Georgia Tech and the University of Illinois, and he founded the IEEE International Manufacturing Technology Symposium.

His contributions to engineering and technology earned him election as an IEEE Fellow and numerous professional honors, including the IEEE Special Manufacturing Technology Award, the Society of Manufacturing Engineers’ Total Excellence in Electronic Manufacturing Award, and, in 2012, the IEEE Components, Packaging and Manufacturing Technology Award, recognizing his worldwide contributions to electronic manufacturing, technology and packaging through technical innovation and collaborative leadership.

But above all, Mr. Walker cherished his family.

He leaves behind his beloved wife of six decades, Julia McGrath Walker; their four children, Frank (Gina Bettis Walker), Mary Anne (Tom Hilliard), Michael, and David (Chris Deveraux Walker); 10 grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren. He is also survived by his sisters, Mary Ann Walker and Christine Dundas (Bob Dundas), and his brother, Michael Walker (Diane Walker).

After retiring from Motorola in 1998, Mr. Walker devoted himself to his family. Together, he and Julia built homes in Florida and Pennsylvania designed to bring their children and grandchildren together. Holidays, birthdays, graduations, golf games, lawn bowling tournaments, and countless ordinary days filled those homes with generations of memories.

Mr. Walker leaves a legacy measured not only in technological innovation and professional achievement, but in the family he built, the people he encouraged, the problems he solved, and the love he gave so freely. His children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren were privileged to witness through Mauro and Julia what enduring love, commitment, faith, and a purpose-driven life look like.

He will be deeply missed and forever loved.

A funeral Mass at St. Vincent Ferrer Catholic Church preceded burial Sept. 4 at Our Lady Queen of Peace Cemetery, Royal Palm Beach.

— Submitted by family

The Boca Raton Police Services Department has opened an administrative review of a Dec. 18, 2024, officer-involved shooting that ended with a homeless man’s death.

The review, announced Sept. 8, comes after the State Attorney’s Office decided Aug. 26 that the use of deadly force by Officer Michael Super was “objectively reasonable under the circumstances and his actions were legally justified,” the Police Services Department said in a news release. The state attorney reached that conclusion after a lengthy investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

Boca police’s administrative review “is separate from the criminal investigation and is intended to provide a thorough and objective examination of the circumstances surrounding the shooting, as well as compliance with the department’s policies and procedures,” the release said.

Super has served in the department since 2019. He was not injured in the altercation on Northwest Second Avenue near City Hall.

The dead man was Morey Clemmons, 39, who had been arrested on felony and misdemeanor charges in the past, including aggravated assault on an officer in West Palm Beach after a confrontation when he left a Publix grocery store with beer and food he had not paid for, according to court records.

“Officer-involved shootings have a profound impact not only on those directly involved, but also their families and the broader community,” Boca Raton Police Chief Jarad Phelps said in the news release. “The Boca Raton Police Services Department remains committed to transparency and will continue to share information as the process moves forward.”

— Steve Plunkett