Town still faces major costs for aging  treatment plant

By Jane Musgrave

While Manalapan residents face an 18% water rate increase in October, that could turn out to be a bargain compared to what may lie down the road.

Like other utility systems throughout the country, Manalapan expects to be forced to upgrade its water treatment plant to meet federal regulations that require utilities to remove so-called “forever chemicals” from drinking water supplies by 2031.

Added to the town’s woes is that the plant is old and needs an estimated $10 million to $12.5 million in improvements, not including those that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency could require.

Further, six years ago, it lost 65% of its revenue when the town of Hypoluxo ended its 60-year contract with the town, electing to get water for its 2,200 residents from Boynton Beach Utilities instead.

“It’s almost like a perfect storm of factors (i.e. losing Hypoluxo, insane inflationary period, and EPA regulatory requirements) are all hitting at the same time,” Manalapan Town Manager Eric Marmer wrote in an email.

Hoping to get the best deal for its ratepayers, the town is shopping around to see if it would make more sense to follow Hypoluxo’s lead and find another utility to provide water service for the town’s 425 residents and business owners.

Preliminary results aren’t good.

Palm Beach County Water Utilities said it would cost Manalapan at least $36 million to connect to its system, the town’s utility consultant told commissioners at their August meeting. 

That is more than double what it is expected to cost to upgrade the existing 92-year-old plant that last underwent major improvements in 2006.

John Cairnes, senior project manager for engineering consultant Mock Roos & Associates, said other nearby utilities weren’t surveyed.

Commissioners asked him to contact Lantana and Boynton Beach utilities to determine how much they would charge to provide water service to the town.

Efforts are also underway to find ways to increase revenues if the town opts to upgrade its plant, Marmer said

Town officials are exploring whether South Palm Beach may want to switch its water service to Manalapan and whether Hypoluxo could be lured back, he said.

Mayor John Deese said all possibilities should be considered. “But we want to protect our water system so we don’t have to rely on someone else,” he said.

Manalapan isn’t alone in dealing with the looming expense of removing the cancer-causing forever chemicals from its water supply.

Rules, requiring water plants to remove per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known as PFAS, were enacted by the EPA in 2024. The chemicals are in thousands of manmade products, such as non-stick cookware, microwave popcorn bags and stain-resistent carpets, and major contamination has been linked to the use of firefighting foam.

Delray Beach is spending an estimated $280 million to build a new, larger water treatment plant. An estimated $140 million of that is linked to the cost of removing forever chemicals.

Riviera Beach is spending an estimated $400 million on a new water treatment plant to address a host of issues, including the federal regulations.

“The whole country is dealing with it,” Marmer said.

The Town Commission signed off on the 18% rate hike to assure the plant remains in good financial health. 

A 2025 rate study recommended the 18% increase — following an average 80% rise the commission enacted last year — be phased in over three years, but commissioners decided to accelerate that schedule.

Water rates for the town are based on pipe size and usage so the increases will vary. The larger the pipe size, the greater demand on the system. Nearly all Manalapan residences are served by either a 1-inch or 2-inch pipe.

According to the rates, shown on the town’s website, those with a 1-inch pipe are paying a base price of $171.83 a month. An 18% rise would increase those bills to $202.75 when the new rates take effect. Under the original plan to spread the remaining increase over three years, those customers would have been paying $182.14.

Those with a 2-inch pipe, who are paying a base price of $532.75, would see their bills jump to $628.64 instead of the $564.76 they would have been paying with the recommended three-year increase.

Customers also are billed for how much water they use. That, too, would increase 18%, according to the rate plan.

Before last year, there hadn’t been a rate increase for 11 years.

During that time, the cost of labor, chemicals, equipment and other expenses skyrocketed, Marmer said.

“When the town finally completed a rate study, it became clear that rates had fallen significantly behind the actual cost of operating the system,” he said. “The increases adopted by the commission were intended to correct that imbalance and put the utility back on a financially sustainable footing.”

The rate study didn’t take into consideration the cost of possible upgrades needed to deal with forever chemicals.

“So, unfortunately (this) will not be the end of rate increases,” Marmer said. 

Sloshing through knee-deep water is commonplace in areas of Briny Breezes during king tides. The flooding is expected to occur starting this month. 2022 The Coastal Star photo 

By Ruth Santana

They’re images coastal residents have gotten used to seeing: Sportsman’s Park in Lantana resembling a lagoon, impassable roads around the Eau Resort and Spa in Manalapan, residents wading through rising waters in Delray Beach, Briny Breezes, Boca Raton — you name the community — to get into their vehicles. 

It isn’t a storm or hurricane that’s typically behind these events.

No, they’re the result of king tides — also known as sunny-day flooding — the higher-than-normal high tides that are possible every fall when a full or new moon is closest to Earth. 

They can cause sea levels to be a foot or more above normal.  

Residents who live along the Intracoastal Waterway or along the coast or canals may face flooding damage from the seasonal events that have gotten worse due to climate change. 

But they might get a break this year.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has predicted that this year’s hurricane season will be calmer than normal in the Atlantic Ocean due to El Niño — and the weather pattern could also temper the intensity of this year’s king tides. 

Palm Beach County’s Division of Built Environment Risk Reduction says the 2026 king tides are not expected to reach any flood stage. However, the division singled out two king tide event periods — Oct. 26-29 and Nov. 24-27 — for having the greatest potential for flooding. 

Although it is easy to predict when a king tide will occur due to astronomical alignments, and for research models to determine the baseline of the tide, strong winds or a passing storm can easily turn a minor event into major flooding. 

"Anyone in flood-prone areas should be prepared and should stay alert regardless of the forecast numbers," said Stessy Cocerez, the county's BERR director.

According to the South Florida Water Management District, which uses broader date ranges than the county (which looks at single-day threshholds), the king tide dates for 2026 are: 

• Sept. 8-15

• Sept. 24-Oct. 15

• Oct. 22-Nov. 12

• Nov. 22-29

• Dec. 22-27

Briny Breezes, which has been particularly susceptible to king tides, is taking steps to strengthen its infrastructure and protect against future flooding. The town has been preparing to build a new sea wall and improve its storm water systems.

It has also approved allowing higher home elevations after the Federal Emergency Management Agency updated its regulations for homes in heavy flood zones.  

“The drainage project should start fourth quarter of 2026. … The sea wall will take six months for permits and construction drawings, and afterwards a year and a half to build,” Town Manager Bill Thrasher said.

When asked if the town will be implementing any extra precautions, Thrasher said, “Nothing we can do right now other than encourage people to park in higher locations and encourage residents to implement flood prevention on their own property. It’s not our responsibility to do it for them.”

The  town will continue to implement its usual measures.

“The corporation gives notice of pending high tides and when they are expected to the residents. The police department is notified of parking allowance to avoid ticketing,” Thrasher said in an email.  

Other towns are using social media to keep residents up to date. Ocean Ridge posted on Facebook the expected king tide dates and encouraged residents to take precautions to keep themselves safe. The post ended with “a little preparation and awareness go a long way.” 

Larry Barszewski contributed to this story.

The new owners of the century-old estate known as Miradero, once owned by Lila Vanderbilt Webb, are attempting to remodel it. Photo provided

By Steve Plunkett

A new property owner’s stubborn second attempt to win a variance to remodel a century-old oceanfront estate will instead lead Gulf Stream to devise new building rules for its remaining handful of historic homes.

Jay and Christi Turner purchased the property, called “Miradero,” at 1443 N. Ocean Blvd. from the late Bob Ganger’s family for $21.6 million last September and quickly assembled a design team to bring the buildings into the 21st century.

But when architect Richard Sammons presented the plans to the Town Commission on June 12, including seeking 2,605 square feet more than the allowable limit of floor space, he quickly learned one hard truth about Gulf Stream: The town does not easily grant variances.

Shocked commissioners wondered why the team had not worked with town staff to avoid asking for the variance to the building code. Sammons, of Palm Beach- and New York-based Fairfax & Sammons Architecture, tried to explain.

“You asked why it hadn’t come up before — because when we look at the site, the site’s enormous. It just never occurred to us that we were even anywhere near (the limit). … It doesn’t feel crowded on the site. … It just didn’t occur to us. It was our mistake,” he said.

Jay Turner, of the billionaire family that owns Dollar General stores, conceded that town staff had warned them that winning a variance was unlikely.   

“Our thinking was, if there’s anytime you’re going to grant a variance, it would be this one. The house was built a hundred years ago. There’s not many of those left in Gulf Stream,” he said.

Unswayed, commissioners sent the application back to the Architectural Review and Planning Board and told the Turner team to work with staff to develop an acceptable proposal.

Architectural designer Scott Collison returned with redrawn plans to the commission’s Aug. 14 meeting. Some living space in the main house was changed to a single-car garage. And two of the original four bays of an “enormous” garage were gone, bringing the floor space overage down —but still 959 square feet too much. 

So he still needed relief.

“You’re requesting a variance still and you know at the town we really don’t grant variances overall. And I brought it up during the last meeting,” Commissioner Joan Orthwein said. 

She praised the house plan, which remained faithful to original Palm Beach architect Maurice Fatio’s 1928 design.

“It’s just gorgeous, and I’d like to see you have it,” she said. “But also I don’t want to jeopardize our variances in our rules. It opens the door for other people to get certain things.”

Vice Mayor Tom Stanley was open to relief for the “pretty unique” circumstances.

“There’s no other house that’s ever going to be like this,” he said.

In the end commissioners directed Town Manager Trey Nazzaro to draft new code language to cover historic properties.

He said that could take perhaps two years.

“We would have plenty of time to study it and provide something that is thoughtful and appropriate instead of just rushing through,” Nazzaro said.

As for Miradero, the town granted a permit to demolish the swimming pool, part of the main house and garage/pool house. The permit also calls for destruction of the gate house at the front, which is more than 1,000 square feet, to avoid having to grant a variance. 

But the plan is to use the gate house as a staging area for the estimated three-year construction period and reapply to amend the demolition permit to keep the gate house after the town enacts the new historical building rules.

Ganger, a former town commissioner and vice mayor, wrote a history of his house titled, “Lila Vanderbilt Webb’s Miradero: Window on an Era,” about the heiress’ home that he and his father bought in 1970.

The original property was split in two in the 1930s with the resulting properties sharing a common wall. Architect Sammons described the Turners’ portion as the estate’s master bedroom and service wing and the side to the north as its “pleasure dome.”

The northern side of the estate at 1465 N. Ocean Blvd., with the original tower and bedrooms, sold for $16.65 million in 2023. 

By Brian Biggane

Delray Beach City Manager Terrence Moore said he is hiring a consultant to come up with recommendations for decades-old issues at the city’s cemetery that have been resurrected in recent months by irate city residents concerned about its upkeep and management.

Dozens of residents lined up during the public comment portion of the City Commission’s Aug. 18 meeting, criticizing the lack of progress at Delray Beach Memorial Gardens Municipal Cemetery and repeatedly urging the commission to appoint a citizens’ advisory committee to work with the consultant before any decisions are made. Moore said that will happen.

“I will keep the City Commission informed relative to the services being rendered, the name of the consultancy, and the specific steps to be finalized … for your review and consideration in the coming weeks,” Moore told commissioners. “I’d like to give this opportunity a chance to be productive and successful.”

Mayor Tom Carney, who said he had walked through the cemetery recently, said, “There’s a lot of systemic problems there that I don’t know that we’re ever going to be able to correct.”

Later he added, “I want to underscore this really is just the first step.”

One resident after another lodged complaints about the cemetery. Several, including Sandra Owens, said they had bought a plot only to have the city sell it again and bury someone in it without notifying them or refunding their money. “I want to be buried next to my mother,” Owens said. “That’s it.”

Kevin Mitchell, one of several funeral directors who spoke, delivered a detailed list of considerations to be made, including an audit of past practices and erecting a building on the premises to serve as an office for a full-time caretaker, another request.

An oft-repeated complaint was the state of the grounds and the gravestones, and a consensus that erecting a mausoleum was not a good idea. 

In an effort to make growth pay for itself, new developments in Delray Beach will have to contribute more to cover the costs the city expects to incur for the equipment and facilities needed to serve those new homes.

In addition to increasing the existing impact fees the city charges for parks at its Aug. 18 meeting, the City Commission unanimously approved new impact fees that will go toward municipal, police, fire rescue, water, wastewater and storm water capital projects.

The new fees — which apply to new residential developments and expansions exceeding 1,000 square feet — are based on an impact fee justification study completed in January and prepared by DTA Public Finance Inc. The new fees take effect Jan. 1.

The city will charge far less than the study’s recommended park impact fee of $6,741 for each new residential unit because the state limits how much existing fees can be increased. Instead, the current $500 impact fee will rise to $562.50 in January.

With the other impact fees added in, someone building a 2,000-square-foot home — on a vacant lot with 2,500 square feet of impervious area — will owe the city $12,757.50 in impact fees. That includes $3,380.50 for water (half the fee the study recommended), $2,780 for city administration, $2,440 for fire rescue, $1,375 for storm water, $1,220 for police and $1,000 for sewer. 

Some of the fees are per unit and others are per square feet. Future increases can only be made once every four years, based on a new impact fee study, and each fee is limited to a 50% increase, spread out over several years.                                

— Larry Barszewski

Storm water study planned; rate increase approved —  Delray Beach is getting set to update its Stormwater Master Plan, with the City Commission approving a $300,000 grant agreement with the Florida Division of Emergency Management at its Aug. 11 meeting to study the city’s storm water infrastructure. 

The grant will be combined with $200,000 from the city to pay for the project. The updated plan will assess the condition and capacity of the city’s storm water system, identify vulnerabilities and prioritize future capital improvement projects.

At its Aug. 18 meeting, the commission approved a 4.8% increase in the city’s storm water assessment fee. The owner of a home between 2,000 and 5,000 square feet will see a $7.17 annual increase, bringing the total to $155.39 for the year. 

— Patrick Sherry 

Jeff John at one of his restaurants, Warren American Whiskey Kitchen in Delray Beach. John, who lives in Boca Raton, is the 2026 recipient of the Gregory J. Malfitano Distinguished Alumni Award from Lynn University, where he earned two degrees. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

Entrepreneur Jeff John recently received Lynn University’s Gregory J. Malfitano Distinguished Alumni Award. He earned a bachelor of science there in 2000, and an MBA in 2002.

“I was very, very surprised and very honored,” said John, who lives in Boca Raton. “Lynn holds a very good spot in my heart. 

“Obviously, it’s the people who make everything happen in any business. There were a lot of great professors that I had: Dr. Ralph Norcio, Dr. Matthew Miller, Dr. John Pickering. They were all ex-CEOs, CFOs, CMOs of companies, so they really taught me about real life experiences, versus just what some author puts in a book.”

John, 49, must have been paying attention, because his business keeps growing. Under the umbrella of his company, Damn Good Hospitality Group, are Revolution Live (Fort Lauderdale, opened in 2004); America’s Backyard (Fort Lauderdale, 2008); Green Room (Fort Lauderdale, 2010), which morphed into the Stache Drinking Den (2013); Green Bar and Kitchen (Fort Lauderdale, 2018), and Warren American Whiskey Kitchen (Delray Beach in 2021 and Naples in 2023).

But John’s landing a business in hospitality happened by accident, he said. “I had a friend who invested in the Chili Pepper property in Fort Lauderdale, and I had a minor investment with his plan. Let’s just say the plan didn’t go as planned. Long story short, I ended up buying out all the other partners in 2002 and doing it myself.” 

That grew into his first venues, Revolution Live, America’s Backyard and Stache.

Before any of this happened, John, who grew up in Barrington, northwest of Chicago, had no plans at all on the business/hospitality track. His passion was skiing.

“But my dad wanted me to go to college instead,” John said. 

“I probably wasn’t going to [go to] school. A month before school started, one of my best friends, Tony Chiarito, and I and our families came to Florida. A high school counselor at Barrington High School had recommended Lynn University. Lynn was small, private and quaint with smaller classes and an excellence in sports. It seemed like a good fit.”

John said that Lynn’s dean, Paul Turner, “was the man. My friends and I did all the sports, the intramurals, and he was always the referee. Soccer, which is what I came down to play, didn’t work out. We ended up doing intramural flag football and basketball. And we beat FAU in the Boca Bowl. 

“Put that in the article in big letters, ‘Lynn beat FAU in the original Boca Bowl.’  (Howard) Schnellenberger was the referee, if you could believe that. He was the coach that FAU hired. He won the championship with Miami, a very famous guy.” 

Often, for Sunday brunch, he and his family eat at Warren.

For that venue, “We wrapped what my Uncle Warren loved around our whiskey collection and put a package together, and we used a great designer in Fort Lauderdale.”

Overall, his hospitality concepts are designed around “the experience,” he explained. “It starts with the first touch right at the door: the look, the feel of the room, the sound in the room. But also, obviously, it boils down to service and the quality of food and beverage. 

“When you look at Warren, we serve all Australian wagyu, which is extremely high-end, and it’s a scratch kitchen. So, all the sauces, all the purees, salad dressings are made from scratch. And if you look at the beverage side, there’s 1,200-plus bottles of whiskey —  some of the best in the world. Back in the day, I created relationships with whiskey companies and now that’s blossomed, allowing me to build a restaurant concept out of our ability to get some of these fine and rare bottles of whiskey and alcohol.” 

The success is reflected in the number of customers.

“Just in Fort Lauderdale, I think we get a million to 2 million people through our venues in a year,” John said. “And then, at the restaurants, we do anywhere from 2,000 to 4,000 people a week. 

“That’s a lot of cocktails.”

It’s hard for John to choose his past favorite performers at Revolution Live. “There were hundreds,” he said. “Absolutely, Chris Cornell, A Tribe Called Quest, Kings of Leon, Smashing Pumpkins,” and, he added, he’s looking forward to Michael Franti on Sept. 22. 

While John and his family — wife, Jackie, and kids, Jaxon, 6, and Jordyn, 4 — love to ski, golf has become his No. 1 sport. He’s also good in his own kitchen.

 “I cook ribs really, really, really good. Crock-pot action. On the Fourth of July, I did a 101/2-pound pork with the bone in for my family. It was just to die for.” 

Charities he’s been involved with include Big Brothers, Big Sisters in Fort Lauderdale, and the United Way in Fort Lauderdale. “After the Marjory Stoneman Douglas tragedy, I did a Friday event at our place, raised $85,000 and gave away 17 angel scholarships. We’re very proud of that,” he said.

— Christine Davis

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

A. I was born and raised in Barrington, Illinois, a small town about 40 miles northwest of the city of Chicago. I went to North Barrington Elementary School, Barrington Middle School, Barrington High School and Lynn University for undergrad and graduate school. Growing up in Barrington was great; it was a small town, close families and community. 

We were just close enough to Chicago where it was very easy to get in and out of the city on a regular basis, so I was fortunate to spend a lot of my childhood growing up in downtown Chicago as well as having a small-town experience. Growing up there mixed with the big town, I think was a great influence on me, allowing me to understand both markets, the diversity in people and how things worked.

Q. What professions have you worked in? 

A. I have worked in real estate and development and building management in the city of Chicago [on internships during summers as an undergrad and grad student]. I have worked in hospitality ever since.

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

A. You better love what you decide to do! When in doubt, go for it. Put yourself out there. You’ve got to want it.

Q. How did you choose to make your home in Boca Raton?

A. My wife, Jackie. We were living in Fort Lauderdale and my wife and her family, Bernhard and Vikki Langer, are somewhat from Boca and live here. She wanted to move back. [Bernhard Langer is a two-time Masters golf champion.] 

Q. What is your favorite part about living in Boca Raton?

A. Best parts about living in Boca: It’s safe, clean, quiet and quaint, beautiful beaches. In a way, similar to where I grew up, more of a suburb, I love it.

Q. What book are you reading now?

A. Not reading one right now, not a big book reader. I read a lot about my industry (data reports), read the newspaper every day, try and read Scripture, daily devotional.  

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

A. Good question. Obviously,  I love music. My favorite music to get inspired is mostly hard rock and old school trash/punk music like Metallica, Ozzy Osbourne, Guns N’ Roses, Pantera, Rancid, Jane’s Addiction, Smashing Pumpkins, to name a few. But on the same hand I have to say Tupac, he was the absolute best, very inspirational. Last, I would have to says The Doors, love them, inspirational for sure. As far as relaxing, what’s better than reggae and Bob Marley? I love reggae music and the culture. Over the years, we have produced many reggae shows and it’s always been great. I love listening to Bob Marley Radio when I’m playing golf. Also, I would add classic rock, I can always relax to classic rock.

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

A. Yes, I’ve had mentors in my life: my father, Dr. Edward John, my uncle Warren John, Dr. Norcio, and Dave Silver [previous director of operations at John’s company]. 

My dad and uncle, I would probably wrap it up into morals, values, work ethic and family. If I had any questions or if I didn’t understand a question or mathematical equation completely, Dr. Norcio helped me. Dave Silver taught me a lot about hospitality, the goods and bads. 

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

A. I’m really not a movie guy, but I would guess I would have to say, I always love Ray Liotta. The only other person is a guy by the name of Glen Plake [a Hall of Fame skier].   

Q. What’s your favorite cause and why?

A. The military and our veterans. Without them, we would not be here today. We would not be able to live in the greatest country in the world, and we would not have our freedom. The world would not be what it is today without the service of American men and women. They along with their families sacrificed for all of us, and they deserve to be honored as heroes every single day. They should be entitled to the best of the best, starting with healthcare, the best professional services, the best financial access.

By Larry Barszewski

Mike Caruso, Palm Beach County’s clerk of courts and comptroller — and a former state representative for South County’s island communities — was arrested Aug. 18 on multiple child sex-abuse charges.

Gov. Ron DeSantis suspended him from office. Caruso, a Republican, has been seeking election to the clerk’s post to which DeSantis appointed him last year.

Caruso, 67, has been charged with five felony counts: kidnapping, lewd or lascivious exhibition, lewd or lascivious molestation, luring or enticing a child, and child abuse (mental injury). He was transferred from Palm Beach County to Orange County, where he will be tried.

But an Orlando circuit judge questioned the charges at an Aug. 28 pretrial hearing.

“At this time I cannot say that there’s a substantial probability that the defendant committed the offenses,” Judge A. James Craner said.

Craner set bond at $160,000, which Caruso posted later that day, leaving the Orlando County Jail and returning to his new home, a condominium he bought in December in Lake Park.

“I maintain my innocence completely,” he told reporters.

Still, officials said, the investigation remains ongoing and more charges are expected. The Haba Law Firm in Orlando, which is representing the alleged victim in the case, is encouraging any other individuals who may have been victimized by Caruso to reach out.

Caruso was a Delray Beach National Little League coach for more than 30 years, and was a Cub Scout and Boy Scout leader, according to his biographical information on the flhouse.gov website.

The counts against Caruso involve an alleged victim under 12 years of age and incidents that were reported to have occurred in 2024 and 2025. 

The Coastal Star is limiting the victim information it provides to protect the child’s identity.

According to a Florida Department of Law Enforcement arrest affidavit, the alleged victim said he was abused in Orange County around Thanksgiving in 2024 and during a family cruise-ship vacation with Caruso and others in August 2025 — just a week after Caruso’s appointment to the clerk’s position.

The boy described to investigators a sexual act that allegedly occurred while he and Caruso showered together on the cruise ship — while others in their party were told they had gone to get ice cream. The victim also told police of occasions where Caruso touched and tickled his genitals while the two were out at a pond fishing together, as well as during a game of “tickle monster” while they were outside playing soccer.

When confronted with the victim’s disclosures in December, Caruso denied the allegations, according to the police affidavit. It also stated he told one of his sons: “Son, if you tell anyone I will get arrested. I will just go away. You tell anyone, I’m going to jail.”

During a recorded February conversation, “Caruso asserted that the allegations were impossible because, in substance, sexual deviation is directed toward only one sex rather than two, and because he is attracted to women he could not be a sex offender,” according to the affidavit.

The governor’s executive order said: “Michael Allen Caruso is hereby prohibited from performing any official act, duty, or function of public office; from receiving any pay or allowance; and from being entitled to any of the emoluments or privileges of public office during the period of this suspension.”

 The suspension shall last “until a further executive order is issued, or otherwise provided by law,” it said.

“I’m shocked. Everybody is shocked,” said a fellow Republican, Rep. Peggy Gossett-Seidman of Highland Beach, who served with Caruso in the state House.

That sentiment was shared by a clerk’s office post on Facebook announcing that Caruso had been arrested for “serious” criminal charges.

“While this is surprising news for our entire team, it does not change who we are at the Clerk’s office or our commitment to the community and customers we serve,” the post said.

The office announced that Shannon Ramsey-Chessman was named clerk ad interim for Palm Beach County by Chief Judge Glenn Kelley of the 15th Judicial Circuit. Ramsey-Chessman has served as chief deputy clerk and in other administrative positions for the office since January 2021.

Caruso is currently the Republican candidate in a November contest for the clerk of courts position against Boca Raton City Council member Yvette Drucker, a Democrat. At this point his name will appear on the ballot even if he were to withdraw from the race.

Caruso was a CPA from Delray Beach when he was first elected to the state House in 2018, originally representing a district that stretched along the coast from Boca Raton to Singer Island. 

At the time he was appointed clerk, his district included most of Manalapan, the eastern part of Lantana, plus South Palm Beach and points north to Juno Beach.

That latter seat is now held by Rep. Emily Gregory, a Democrat, who won a special election in March. 

Rich Pollack contributed to this story. 

Police starting salary raised — With Ocean Ridge Police Chief Scott McClure having trouble hiring officers, town commissioners in August agreed to hike the annual salary for new hires to $75,000.

Town Manager Michelle Heiser said the decision had immediate impacts. The $5,000-a-year pay raise allowed the town to hire an officer who had been considering going to a nearby agency where she could have earned $77,000 annually.

“I hate the idea of losing great candidates,” Heiser said on Aug. 3 when she urged town commissioners to increase the salary to make Ocean Ridge competitive with its neighbors.

When the new hire begins work Oct. 1, the 24-person agency will be at full strength, she said.

Another officer, who started work in May, will get a $5,000 boost when the new fiscal year begins Oct. 1. Extra money will be added to next year’s proposed $11 million operating budget to cover the increased pay for future new hires.

The move is important because the town will be negotiating a new contract with the Police Benevolent Association next year, Heiser said. “I’d like the PBA members to see the goodwill we have and that we really want to invest in them.” 

Bereavement leave — The swearing in of newly appointed Ocean Ridge Town Commissioner Lanette Bosch Gustafson was postponed for a month in August because her mother died.

In a letter read by Commissioner Carolyn Cassidy, Gustafson said she regretted missing what was to be her first commission meeting, but that she had to travel to Iowa to be with her family.

The commission unanimously selected Gustafson in July to replace Commissioner David Hutchins, who died in May at age 78. She is now to be sworn in on Sept. 14.

“It is a tremendous honor to serve this community and I look forward to joining my fellow commissioners to officially participate in the September meeting,” Gustafson wrote.

No watering fake grass — To promote water conservation, Ocean Ridge is adopting new rules designed to stop homeowners from irrigating artificial turf. 

Those who install synthetic grass surrounding homes that are on less than an acre of land will be required to remove all irrigation heads and cap the water pipes, according to a measure the Town Commission gave preliminary approval to on Aug. 3. 

The new rules, created by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, will take effect immediately if the ordinance is approved by the commission on Sept. 14.

— Jane Musgrave

By Steve Plunkett

While a new ban on license plate reader systems on state roads appears to threaten the cameras being used by area police as essential crime-fighting tools along State Road A1A, those agencies are optimistic they can keep theirs operating.  

The Florida Department of Transportation on Aug. 31 revoked permits to operate license plate readers, such as those by Flock Safety, and gave agencies 30 days to remove LPRs from the rights-of-way of all state roads, U.S. highways and interstates. But many of the local A1A cameras are on private property — and others can be moved there.

The ban “is certainly going to be a blow for law enforcement across the state,” said Manalapan Police Chief Jeff Rasor, adding that his department would be looking for “alternate locations.”

Moving the offending cameras elsewhere also appeared to be the route being taken in Ocean Ridge, Briny Breezes and Gulf Stream.

“We do have a few that were permitted on state roads and we are exploring relocating to private property,” Ocean Ridge Police Chief Scott McClure said.

McClure called license plate readers “one of the most effective crime-solving tools we have seen in law enforcement.”

“Our LPR system has helped us solve numerous burglaries, fraud cases, missing-person investigations, shootings, and cases involving stolen vehicles and license plates,” he said. “With the assistance of this technology and our officers’ proactive efforts, property crime in our town has decreased by 81% over the past three years.”

But the cameras have also become embroiled in controversy.

“While Florida law limits the issuance of permits for LPR systems to law enforcement agencies, the recent exponential increase in deployments along our roadways, coupled with concerning reports of misuse, data privacy concerns and surveillance schemes merit immediate action to preserve Floridians’ sovereignty and quality of life,” Will Watts, FDOT’s assistant secretary, wrote in a memo to LPR permit holders.

Gov. Ron DeSantis in August called the proliferation of LPRs “out of control” and said the state needs stronger laws on how data collected by such cameras is used.

“When I see like a police officer using this to track like an ex-girlfriend, I’m like, ‘You know, what the hell’s going on with this?’” DeSantis said.

Rasor said law enforcement officials who ignore privacy rights should be “disciplined severely” but that he had heard no complaints about the system from Manalapan residents. “The exact opposite,” Rasor said.

Gulf Stream Police Chief Richard Jones, who said his town may have only one camera affected by the ban, also said he has no problem with the governor’s call for stricter laws on the cameras.

“First and foremost, I am not opposed to legislative changes and safeguards to protect the rights of citizens while also creating criminal penalties for misuse of the data or the system,” he said. 

Flock Safety, the main target of the FDOT action, also supported action by the Legislature.

“Rather than banning a critical public safety tool, we support thoughtful legislation and strong privacy, transparency, and accountability guardrails that ensure technology is used responsibly while preserving law enforcement’s ability to use effective tools to keep people safe,” the company said in a statement.

Some agencies were less clear on the impact of the state action.

“We’re evaluating any cameras on State Road A1A,” was all that Highland Beach Police Chief Craig Hartmann would say. 

Lantana police are searching for those who vandalized markers for fallen police officers at a memorial near Town Hall on Aug. 14. The spray-painting spree also targeted a historic church.

The lawbreakers defaced the fallen officers’ memorial on Greynolds Circle. The stone monuments at the memorial bear the names of Lt. Alfred Garrison, who died Dec. 1, 2001, and Sgt. Andrew Redding, who died Feb. 12, 1974.

In a Facebook post, Mayor Karen Lythgoe said the incidents were “hurtful to the people in the community.” She said she has lived in the town since 1965, when she was 5, and had never seen anything like this. “Disgusting and shameful don’t quite cover what I think of this,” she said.

Police Chief Sean Scheller said the investigation “remains active/open, and no suspects have been taken into custody.” 

The Anglican Catholic church involved was the Church of Holy Guardian Angels on Cardinal Lane. The church, built by Henry Flagler in 1894 and formerly known as the Minerva Chapel, is one of the oldest buildings in Palm Beach County. 

Anyone who knows anything about the vandalism is asked to call the Lantana Police Department at 561-540-5701.

— Mary Thurwachter

The Lantana Town Council is discussing plans to renovate the aging boardwalk and pavilion at Lantana Beach Park. The work will be done in phases to control costs. Photo provided

By Patrick Sherry

The Lantana Town Council agrees Lantana Beach Park’s old, deteriorating boardwalk and pavilion need to go. Local leaders are supportive of a major renovation project there and are trying to alleviate concerns of wary residents that the plans are too grandiose. 

They are prioritizing replacing the boardwalk and removing the pavilion as the first renovation steps. The council discussed staff’s latest proposals at their workshop meeting on Aug. 10. 

Earlier this year, the council held a community workshop and released a survey the town did that revealed residents want to maintain the small-town character for which the beach is known. 

With that feedback in mind, town staff developed a multiphase plan with a “less is more” approach. The first phase, estimated to cost about $9.5 million, would include replacing the boardwalk, building a new two-story restaurant and event space, constructing a new northern restroom facility, and demolishing the Dune Deck Café and pavilion. Later improvements have yet to be decided. 

The town has no debt, but financing a project of this scale would still be difficult, especially with uncertainty over property tax reforms on the ballot this November. Instead of waiting for additional funding to become available, staff proposed completing the renovations incrementally, even if it may cost more. Building a new Dune Deck Café is still a top priority, but the pavilion and boardwalk may need to come first.

“Ideally, we would like to do everything simultaneously, but it’s just not financially feasible to do that,” Town Manager Brian Raducci said. “If you wait for perfect timing, you’re never going to get there.” 

Original plans were to build the new boardwalk in two phases, with a new extension reaching north toward the Imperial House condos. But the council wanted it all to be done at once, seeing the boardwalk as a safety issue because of its deterioration.

“Safety is the first issue in my mind and go from there,” Council member Kem Mason said. New restrooms and rinse facilities included in the revised plan have yet to be designed.

“I think when people see it, hopefully they’ll embrace it,” Raducci said of the plan. “They’ll embrace the project, and they’ll see that we’re not overdeveloping the beach.”

At previous workshops, staff suggested that extending the town’s ability to lease property for more than five years and selling town-owned property were possible ways to help fund projects like the beach redevelopment. However, the town’s existing charter language makes it difficult for these deals to happen in a timely fashion because they need voter support to move forward. 

The council supported continuing to look into creating a charter referendum that would ask voters to make it less complicated for the council to lease or sell town property. 

For now, town staff will revise parts of the beach redevelopment plan with the council’s feedback in mind and return with updated costs at a future meeting. 

By Mary Hladky

One of Boca Raton residents’ unrelenting complaints is that many streets are unsafe.

Speaking up at City Council meetings, residents frequently cite East Palmetto Park Road, Federal Highway and State Road A1A.

They say drivers speed, are reckless and seem to have no regard for bicyclists and pedestrians.

New data compiled by the city shows that they aren’t whiners. They are right.

The number of crashes between 2018 and 2023 on Palmetto Park Road, from A1A to Southwest Seventh Avenue, totaled 933 with nine that resulted in death or serious injury.

Federal Highway from Camino Real to Yamato Road had 1,541 crashes, with 43 causing death or serious injury.

The relatively short stretch of A1A between Camino Real and Palmetto Park road had 103 crashes, with three causing injury or death.

But these are far from the only problematic roads.

Other examples include West Yamato Road from Federal Highway to Congress Avenue, which saw 980 crashes, of which 18 were severe. West Glades Road from Federal Highway to Jog Road had 2,454, with 32 severe.

West Palmetto Park Road from Boca Del Mar Drive to Northwest 12th Avenue tallied 1,011, with 13 severe. Spanish River Boulevard from A1A to Northwest Second Avenue had 445, with five severe.

A comparison with West Palm Beach, Palm Beach County and the state of Florida showed that Boca Raton had a higher crash rate per 100,000 people and a higher rate of serious injuries and fatalities.

Boca Raton had 95 serious injuries and deaths per 100,000 people compared to 86 in West Palm Beach and 62 in Palm Beach County.

“Florida is already one of the most dangerous states for road users — especially for people walking and biking,” the city report states. “In the City of Boca Raton, the risk is even greater.”

While only 2% of crashes in Boca resulted in serious injury or death, 8% involved bikers and 20% pedestrians.

It would not appear that Boca Raton-owned roads are a major factor.

City-owned roads comprise 57% of the city’s road network but have only 21% of the serious crashes. The Florida Department of Transportation and Palm Beach County own just 14% of the roads in Boca Raton, but those include some of the city’s major thoroughfares and account for 67% of serious crashes.

This data was gathered as the city puts into place a Vision Zero Action Plan.

Vision Zero is a strategy aimed at eliminating fatalities and injuries. It was first implemented in Sweden and now is in use across Europe and in American cities.

The City Council designated Boca Raton as a “Vision Zero City” in 2022 and is scheduled to put the program into effect at its Sept. 8 meeting.

“We are excited to get it rolling,” Zachary Bihr, the city’s public works and engineering director, said at an Aug. 24 council workshop meeting.

“Anything we can do to keep people safe … is a step in the right direction,” said Council member Yvette Drucker.

But Council member Stacy Sipple voiced her concern that, however well intentioned, the program might not meet the goal.

“I am all for saving lives and decreasing serious accidents, but I really don’t know how much this is going to help,” she said.

The concept is not to eliminate all crashes, but to reduce the number of serious ones. The approach is to view traffic deaths as preventable and to take into account driver mistakes.

It focuses on building safer streets, controlling traffic speeds, promoting responsible driving behavior and supporting technologies that prevent crashes.

The city has obtained three federal grants that, with city matching funds, total $7.4 million that will be used to kick-start improvements.

The portion of the Federal Highway construction project between Camino Real and Southeast Fifth Street/Mizner Boulevard will remove one travel lane in each direction, create buffered bike lanes, and widen the sidewalks. Rendering provided and Staff Photo/The Coastal Star

By Steve Plunkett

Expect driving downtown on Federal Highway in Boca Raton to be more challenging through fall of next year.

Work has begun on what the state calls a “lane repurposing and resurfacing project” on 1.3 miles of the highway from Camino Real to Northeast Eighth Street/Mizner Boulevard. 

The first step was closing the inside lanes of both northbound and southbound Federal between Southeast Eighth Street and Southeast Fifth Street on Aug. 24 and continuing through Sept. 11. 

The $6.3 million project consists of milling and resurfacing the highway and repurposing the roadway from Camino Real to Southeast Mizner Boulevard/Southeast Fifth Street by eliminating the 11-foot outside lanes and narrowing the median to provide 5-foot separated bike lanes and 11-foot-wide sidewalks. That stretch currently has 6-foot-wide sidewalks and 4-foot-wide, unbuffered bike lanes. Bicyclists will be separated from motorists by 2 feet of raised concrete and 2 feet of sod; there will be 4 feet of sod between the bicyclists and the sidewalks.

The project also will narrow the median from Southeast Mizner Boulevard/Southeast Fifth Street to Northeast Mizner/Northeast Eighth Street to provide 5-foot separated bike lanes; add a new signalized mid-block crosswalk with increased lighting south of Plaza Real, and upgrade pedestrian push buttons and signal heads at signalized intersections throughout the project corridor.

Existing traffic signals with mast arms at the intersection of Federal Highway and Camino Real will be replaced; a second left-turn lane at the intersection of northbound Federal and Camino Real will be added to improve intersection operations and capacity; curb ramps and pedestrian detectors will be modified to meet ADA criteria; and signing and pavement markings will be replaced and upgraded to improve visibility and accessibility.

As usual, work will be done in phases to reduce the impacts of construction on the community, temporary lane closures will be done mostly during non-peak hours, and access to residences and businesses — along with pedestrian traffic — will be maintained during construction, the Florida Department of Transportation said. 

Construction is scheduled to continue through autumn 2027.

A Boca Raton police officer keeps bystanders away as a Sea Tow vessel works to move the twin-engine plane that splash-landed on Aug. 22. Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

By Rich Pollack

A 23-year-old pilot who landed her failing twin-engine plane in the ocean just off the beach in Boca Raton rather than take it on a path to the Boca Raton Airport over heavily populated areas on Aug. 22 beat the odds by swimming away unharmed.

Faith Tenkley of Fort Myers was on her way to pick up her parents in Bimini that Saturday after leaving her nearby Southwest Florida International Airport when she told air traffic controllers that her plane was experiencing engine trouble.

Tenkley, who had the option of attempting an emergency landing at the Boca Raton Airport or ditching in the ocean, chose the water and swam to the beach in front of the Marbella condominium with the help of lifeguards.

“Being able to put an airplane down in the water and get out of the plane is remarkable,” said Dave Cohen, dean of the College of Aeronautics at Lynn University in Boca Raton. “That she was able to swim away was impressive.”

What was also impressive, Cohen said, is that the Piper aircraft appeared to have remained intact.

In a statement reported by WPTV, Tenkley said that her primary focus was on ensuring the safety of everyone around her. Recognizing that flying to the airport would take her over buildings, she chose to put the plane down in the ocean, close to the shoreline but away from paddleboarders and swimmers.

Cohen said emergency water landings come with many challenges and that the odds of surviving a splash landing are not good when compared to a hard-surface landing.

“It’s a much more complicated process,” he said.

Tenkley, who has been flying for about four years, may have had several factors working to her advantage, Cohen said, including good weather, suitable water conditions and the proximity to the shoreline.

The pilot’s skill and training may also have been major factors in the landing.

Landing on water, Cohen said, is not always the best option because impact can cause the plane to break apart and waves can cause it to flip over.

“All things being equal, your preference is not to put the plane down in water,” he said.

Cohen said that pilots are trained to think about what to do and where to land in case of emergency.

In Tenkley’s case, the decision turned out to be a good one.

Tenkley, in the statement to WPTV, expressed gratitude to people who offered concern and support and said she considered herself “incredibly fortunate” to have swum away from the water landing. She thanked the air traffic controllers who guided her and first responders who were there to help her from the water, including those from Boca Raton’s ocean rescue, fire rescue and police as well as the U.S. Coast Guard.

Teams from the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will be reviewing the incident and filing reports.

Ocean Ridge and Boynton Beach are exploring the idea of creating an independent water authority to control and operate the city’s drinking water facilities. The separate utility could also include other current and future communities receiving Boynton Beach water, such as Gulf Stream, Briny Breezes and Hypoluxo.

Ocean Ridge Town Manager Michelle Heiser briefed her commission on the discussions at an Aug. 31 budget workshop, and Boynton Beach city commissioners will hear a presentation at their Sept. 16 meeting.

Town commissioners said they’re willing to investigate the idea and Heiser identified $300,000 in the budget — if needed — for reports or consultants.

Boynton Beach is talking with Palm Beach County about the county taking over the city’s utility, so its commission has competing possibilities to weigh.

But Deputy City Manager Andrew Mack, who met with Heiser and attended the workshop, said, “It does look like this would be the direction we would go.” 

A benefit for Ocean Ridge would be to allow the town to move its infrastructure burdens — the town is about $3 million into a $30 million water pipe replacement plan, Heiser said — over to the authority.

Officials compared the proposal to the Seacoast Utility Authority, established in 1988, that serves some 56,000 households in Palm Beach Gardens, North Palm Beach, Lake Park, Juno Beach and some unincorporated areas of North County.

In basic terms, it’s also like the South Central Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant, serving Delray Beach and Boynton Beach, that has an appointed governing board and provides sewer services. 

— Larry Barszewski

Road work to solve water neglect

Work on a $1.9 million water main improvement project along a 2-mile stretch of State Road A1A in Ocean Ridge is expected to be completed by the end of the year, contractors told town commissioners in August.

Extending from Corrine Street to Ocean Avenue, the project will increase water pressure and enhance fire protection, contractors said. Fire hydrants on the west side of the road are also being replaced.

W. Clark Cryer, president of the Lantana-based Johnson-Davis underground utility company, said traffic snarls are inevitable. The project is using portable traffic signals that let vehicles pass in a single lane.

“Like any improvements, there are growing pains,” he said. “It’s like you get sore when you work out — you get bumps and bruises,” he said.

But, he said, he was hopeful the impact would be minimal. Since work began in July, regular updates have been posted on the town’s social media platforms. Those interested in receiving text alerts on their phones can do so by signing up on the town’s website, oceanridge.gov. 

— Jane Musgrave

By Rich Pollack

Following in the footsteps of leaders in other local municipalities, Highland Beach town commissioners preliminarily agreed to a ban of electric vehicles on the town’s 3-mile-long walking path along State Road A1A.

Under a proposed plan that drew consensus from commissioners at their Sept. 1 meeting, people riding e-bikes, motorized scooters or any other micro-mobility devices could face citations issued through the town’s code enforcement process.

The plan for restricting e-bikes and other such vehicles on the walking path is still in the early stages and is not likely to come back before the commission in the form of an ordinance until November.

In the interim, the town’s staff will begin developing a communication plan to ensure residents and e-vehicle users are aware of the possible restrictions.

Vice Mayor David Stern, who has pushed for some type of regulation of electric bicycles on the walking path, or sidewalk, sees the proposed regulations as a step in the right direction.

“It’s for safety, and that’s been my big concern,” he said.

The vice mayor said that the walking path is used by lots of residents who are out for a daily stroll, walking a dog or pushing a stroller.

“You get an electric vehicle on that path and it’s downright dangerous,” he said.

The walking path, Stern says, will be even more perilous come season when more people are using it.

He said he is hoping electric vehicles will use the newly widened bike lanes along A1A.

“To me, that’s a lot safer than having them on the sidewalk,” Stern said.

The proposed ban would provide some exceptions for a few motorized vehicles, including wheelchairs or a vehicle operated by a person with a disability. It would also exempt law enforcement or public safety vehicles or any electronic mobility device being walked and not operated under power.

Those in violation will be cited under the town’s municipal code rather than under state law and will face fines of $50, although Town Attorney Len Rubin says that could change at the discretion of the commission.

Stern said he is hoping that the result of the new legislation will be voluntary compliance.

“You don’t have to have a citation in order to get safety,” he said.

Commissioners all agreed that the main goal of any restriction would be to improve safety.

Commissioners had discussed e-bike rules earlier this year but said they needed to get the OK from the Florida Department of Transportation because the walking path is on state right-of-way.

Town Manager Marshall Labadie said that the state cleared the proposed regulations following a meeting.

Several other municipalities in the county have passed a ban on e-bikes on sidewalks, including Jupiter and Wellington. Palm Beach County commissioners are also discussing the regulation of e-vehicles in unincorporated areas.

E-bikes generally are different from other e-vehicles because users can still pedal them and use the power boost at their own discretion. 

By Robert Haughn

South Palm Beach, which just months ago was planning to spend $7 million or more to replace its aging Town Hall, is now moving forward with a makeover officials say will do the job for around $1 million. 

The Town Council voted unanimously at its Aug. 11 meeting to have Town Manager Jamie Titcomb start working with the selected contractors to begin the process of renovating the building. 

“At the end of these series of projects, we hope to have a shiny, new-old building with new repurposing and new services and new uses and new lifespan,” Titcomb said.

The most expensive item on the project list is replacing the building’s roof for $118,750. The town also plans on updating the bathrooms to ADA standards for $80,000, replacing the flooring for $62,000, painting the inside and outside of the building, and replacing fire exit doors, stairs and railings. 

It might also remove the garage door in front of the building and replace it with hurricane-proof glass to turn it into a multipurpose space. The town also expects to remove the existing maintenance building wing due to its being separated from the main building and sinking into the ground. 

The shift from replacing Town Hall to renovating it came after the town’s seismic March elections, which saw the mayor and two council members ousted by a three-candidate slate opposed to the plans, who are now known in town as Mayor Rafael Pineiro, Vice Mayor Francesca Attardi and Council member Adrian Burcet.

The previous Town Council majority had authorized the building of a new Town Hall building in June 2024, but Pineiro and the others campaigned on keeping the original building.

“We actually got elected because we felt like the majority of people in South Palm Beach felt that the building was sufficient for our needs,” Pineiro said. “So, as soon as we got elected, we canceled it.”

The project was well into development when it was suspended. Titcomb said that there was around $500,000 spent to execute the plans. The town even had bids coming in for the project two days before it was suspended.

Titcomb said that the main benefit of moving forward with this renovation instead of the new building is the cost. 

“They’re not spending the $7 million to $9 million that they were going to spend on the new building,” Titcomb said. “We’re going to spend around a million.”

Titcomb said there were other cost-saving factors in this option. This included the Town Council’s suspending the original project as opposed to outright canceling it. That allowed the town to use data and information it had already compiled from environmental testing, utilities and other aspects instead of starting from scratch.

While the project has a $777,200 ceiling, certain costs are not estimated yet, including parking lot renovations and landscaping. 

However, Titcomb said that there is not too much concern on outstanding costs and that they were partially accounted for, with 25% of the price ceiling being allocated as a contingency.

One potential issue with renovating the building instead of moving forward with the new one is future flood risk. The original plans included elevating the Town Hall building by one story to meet current Federal Emergency Management Agency standards. 

“Every one of the condos in the town, they all have base floors with first-floor units that are in the same boat as we are,” Titcomb said. “If a big hurricane comes through and these buildings get compromised, we’ll all be dealing with the same kind of restorations and response efforts we would be dealing with anyway.”

With the current project, the renovations cannot exceed half the building’s value, or FEMA rules would require the costly task of bringing the entire building into full compliance with FEMA’s current flood safety codes — including elevating the building. 

Titcomb is comfortable with the switch to renovating Town Hall. 

“You can debate whether the new building might have taken us out 30 years or 40 years, or the renovated building might take us out 10 to 15 years,” Titcomb said. “But it gives the time to figure out what its long-term needs are, and it’s going to take the deteriorated condition of the Town Hall off the table because it’ll be fixed.” 

MANALAPAN — Sharon Allen Kirkland, a frequent volunteer in town, died Aug. 7. She was 84. 

Born Nov. 12, 1941, to Joe and Lillian Allen (née Corinth) in Wilmington, Delaware, Mrs. Kirkland grew up in Westport, Connecticut, where she graduated from Staples High School before attending the University of Arizona. 

She began working as a flight attendant for World Airways, helping transport soldiers between Vietnam and the United States when she wasn’t on commercial trips. After landing in Tampa on one such passenger flight, she met Bob Kirkland; three weeks and a few endearing nicknames later — in April 1966 — the two were married. 

They spent the following 60 years adventuring around the world with each other and their three children, exploring dozens of countries.

Mrs. Kirkland worked as a real estate agent in St. Louis, Missouri, Washington, D.C., and Palm Beach for most of her life — but more important, she served as a cornerstone of her community. She was chair of the Architectural Commission for Manalapan, volunteered at the library, and served as a polling clerk and trainer there for many years. 

She could regularly be seen walking her beloved dog, Charley, throughout town and stopping to chat with anyone she met. Mrs. Kirkland loved volunteering, gardening, biking, spending time with family, and any other project she could get her hands on.

“She will be remembered not only for her many years of volunteerism and civic involvement, but also for the kindness, warmth and laughs she shared with everyone she met,” Manalapan Mayor John Deese said.

She is survived by her husband, Bob; her children, Sean, Paget and Whitney; her five grandchildren, Lilly, Lexi, Lauren, Alexander and Liam; and a wide network of friends and family. She left them all with countless memories and endless wisdom, including: Dance whenever you can, start your morning with fresh fruit, know what to do in case you encounter a bear, dress in fun clothes and bright colors, say hi to everyone you pass on the street, send that letter checking in on old friends, and above all else, JDI (just do it).

A celebration of life was held Aug. 15 at the National Croquet Club in West Palm Beach.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a contribution in her memory to the J. Turner Moore Memorial Library, 1330 Lands End Road, Manalapan.

— Submitted by family

Five months after voters resoundingly rejected the city’s plan to redevelop its downtown campus in partnership with developers, officials are starting over to determine how the property should be re-envisioned.

Boca Raton City Council members on July 28 unanimously ranked Chen Moore and Associates, an engineering, planning and design firm headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, as their top choice to lead that effort. As soon as contract terms are finalized, Chen Moore will follow the city’s timeline to complete project planning in six months.

To avoid issues that led voters on March 10 to shoot down the plans put together by developers Terra and Frisbie Group, developers who stand to profit will not be part of the project.

In addition, city leaders and Chen Moore officials promise that residents will have multiple opportunities to give their input and that Chen Moore will revise its design plans based on resident feedback. City Council members will make the final decisions.

The firm will concentrate on the 17 acres west of Northwest Second Avenue where the City Hall, Community Center and Memorial Park, which commemorates World War II veterans, now are located.

Chen Moore has committed to preserving the banyan trees on site and is amenable to using Addison Mizner-style architecture on any newly constructed building. Veterans will be consulted on plans for Memorial Park.

— Mary Hladky