Jackie Lorne’s passion led her to create Sea Turtle Adventures Inc., which monitors sea turtle nests in Gulf Stream, Briny Breezes and southern Ocean Ridge. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Steve Plunkett

On the eve of nesting season 2026, Jackie Lorne was busy rounding up people for her sea turtle group’s annual fundraising walk and reminding folks that it’s time again to leave room on the beach for mama turtles and turn off lights at nights.

“We’re expecting another steady year,” Lorne says of nesting season, which runs from March 1 to Oct. 31. “Last year was a pretty stable, steady year and I think we’re predicting the same for this year as well. It’ll be interesting to see when we get our first nest.”

Her group, Sea Turtle Adventures Inc., counted 652 nests in 2025 along the roughly three miles of beach it monitors in Gulf Stream, Briny Breezes and southern Ocean Ridge. The nonprofit also conducted five nighttime lighting surveys to ensure beaches are dark for nesting turtles and their hatchlings.

The group, now in its 10th year, has two other full-time employees, three part-timers and about a dozen volunteers. They keep active during the off-season rescuing injured turtles and organizing beach cleanups and educational events.

“We stay busy 365 days a year,” Lorne says. “We’re one of the main nonprofits that rescues turtles throughout the whole county.”

Her fascination with marine life started early.

“I always just wanted to be a marine biologist, ever since I was a little kid. Looking back, my favorite gift I ever got for Christmas was a fish tank when I was 10. It was just, I’ve always had a love for the ocean,” she says.

Lorne, who was born and raised in Boynton Beach, had another childhood dream to live in Briny Breezes. She accomplished that four years ago.

“I have wanted to live in Briny Breezes since I was a kid, and I always knew I was going to make it happen one day,” she says. “I love the community, the people, the clubs. And it’s just unlike anywhere else. It is so unique. It’s my favorite place to be and I can’t picture myself ever leaving.”

The town is also the perfect spot for Lorne and her significant other to raise their toddler son. “It’s just an amazing community for him to grow up in,” she says.

Lorne, now 44, recommends that youths start as soon as they can in following a career path.

“The earlier you start in the field, the better. Volunteering your time, essentially getting off the couch and doing something useful,” she says.

Lorne began monitoring turtle nests and volunteering at the Loggerhead Marinelife Center in Juno Beach when she was 13. That gave her a leg up when it came to going to college and getting a career. She has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in biology and spent 15 years as a project manager at Florida Power & Light before turning full-time to nonprofit work.

Her group’s annual “Turtle Crawl” fundraiser is at 8 a.m. March 7.  

The nonprofit will also host nighttime sea turtle walks and its nest adoption program this year. It offers a Mommy and Me program where moms and their little ones read a story, do a craft and go to the beach to dig up a nest, and a ride-along program “where families hop on our five-seater ATV with us and they spend an hour with us on the beach watching us dig up a sea turtle nest.”

Nests are excavated three days after they hatch to free any remaining hatchlings.

Lorne, whose grandparents started Lorne and Sons funeral home in Delray Beach, is also proud of her efforts to improve the lives of people with special needs through a weekly Conservation Club.

“It’s something God has put in my heart since I was a little kid,” Lorne said. “I wanted to provide nature-based experiences to that population. Their activities were more traditionally indoor-based and more isolated to being around others with their same condition. I wanted to get them out in nature, on the beach and integrating with the public and helping with conservation.”

The program proved so popular that it spun off its own nonprofit to organize bingo nights, dances and cooking classes.

“It started with seven members in 2016, and last year we had over 250 members,” Lorne says. 

Turtle Crawl

What: 2.25-mile fundraising walk

When: 8 a.m. March 7

Where: Nomad Surf Shop, 4655 N. Ocean Blvd. 

Register: seaturtleadventures.com

Cost: $35

NOMINATE SOMEONE TO BE A COASTAL STAR 

Send a note to news@thecoastalstar.com or call 561-337-1553.

An eager crowd awaits the chance to dig in and find natural treasures among rocks, shells and pieces of coral dumped Feb. 23 in Anchor Park. Their removal from the beach is an effort to protect the outflow area of sand pumped during the renourishment process. Photos by Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Sephora Charles 

In Delray Beach, seashell hunters don’t have to comb the shoreline for treasure — they’re sifting through a city-made mound across the street instead.

Residents dug through a fresh pile of dredged shells at Anchor Park, chatting quietly as they filled their buckets and bags on Feb. 23. The chilly Monday morning shifted when a sudden squeal cut through the air.

Tiffany DeSilva of Lake Worth Beach laughed in excitement as she held a junonia, a rare find in Florida that can sell for about $200. Junonia shells are considered rare because they live in deep water and typically appear ashore after a major storm, DeSilva said.

This special treasure wasn’t found after a hurricane or tropical storm, but as a by-product of Delray Beach’s beach renourishment efforts that began Feb. 6.  

The sporadic delivery of shells is temporary, lasting only until the end of the sand project, which has an April 30 deadline. Crews have been separating seashells during sand screening and dropping them off at Anchor Park — across State Road A1A from the beach and to the north of Casuarina Road — for people to collect. 

“This is really cool that they’re letting us do this,” DeSilva said.

DeSilva, who’s been shelling since she was a little girl, said she’s been visiting the park every other day to find shells and meet “like-minded people.”

“I’ve met a lot of cool people, and I’m happy that I can call them my friends now,” she said. 

Tiffany DeSilva of Lake Worth Beach found a junonia, considered to be a holy grail for shell collectors because of its deep-water habitat.

For similar reasons, Linda Horst, a Maryland resident who spends winters in Florida, said she is drawn to the park’s dredge pile. 

“You get to meet so many different people and have a good time,” Horst said. “The majority of people are so nice, and they’re so willing to share. It’s really a great community of people.”

She describes herself as a “shell addict” who has been collecting for more than 30 years, finding joy in discovering her “dream shell” or “a really good shell.” 

After collecting shells, Horst typically makes crafts for loved ones or displays them for sale while educating people about them. 

Her passion for shelling correlates with her love for beaches. An item on her bucket list is to walk on every beach in the United States, she said. She’s yet to walk on the beaches in Mississippi and Alabama. 

Being near the beach to pick shells has a calming aura and brings Horst relaxation, she said. “I definitely feel a lot closer to God here.”

While some shell collectors have decades of dredge pile experience, others arrived as curious newcomers after hearing about it through word of mouth.

Kaitlyn McLoughlin, a Colorado native, experienced pile dredge shelling for the first time at Anchor Park. Despite recovering from a snowboarding accident while visiting home, McLoughlin made efforts to participate in the fresh pile drop-off. With a seat cushion and a hand rake, she collected a bucket full of shells. 

“Not being from here, it’s like a whole different type of appreciation for shells and the ocean. I never wanna leave now,” she said.

Max Chiorean, 20, from Boynton Beach was introduced to the Anchor Park pile by his friends. Chiorean arrived at the park around 7:30 a.m. on Feb. 23, hoping for a fresh shell drop for his first visit. Crews with a big truck came shortly after, dumped their load, and the community digging began. 

Surrounded by people with years of experience, Chiorean said he felt comfortable asking others for their shelling knowledge and sharing with those who didn’t find shells. “There’s no real greed in this,” he said.

Above all, Chiorean said he finds joy in using his hobby, which makes him “feel like a little kid again,” to give back to those younger than him. He takes buckets of shells to the beach and gives them to children.

“It’s all about making memories and making people happy. I think the smile is worth it more than anything,” Chiorean said. 

If You Go   

What: Dredged shells from a beach renourishment project are being trucked to a park across the street from the Delray Beach municipal beach for the public to pick over.

Where: Anchor Park, 340 S. Ocean Blvd.

When: Through April 30, or until otherwise advised. The delivery of new shells to the park is sporadic and is not announced ahead of time. The park is open daily, sunrise to sunset.

Suggested equipment: Gloves, sand scoop or sifter, small rake or hand shovel, water shoes or sturdy shoes, mesh bags or small protective containers.

Info: Contact Delray Beach Parks and Recreation at 561-243-7250 ext. 7277.

Manalapan residents and visitors can buy alcohol at Publix in town on Sunday mornings after the Town Commission voted to roll back a decades-old restriction that barred sales during early Sunday hours.

The amendment aligns Manalapan more closely with many South Florida communities that have relaxed blue-law-style limits on Sunday alcohol sales in recent years.

Town Manager Eric Marmer said the change came after complaints from residents, such as those who go grocery shopping on Sunday morning. 

— John Pacenti

Advisory board’s input to weigh on final design

By John Pacenti

Call it the Taj Mahal of guardhouses. Architects presented to the Manalapan Town Commission a new glass-enclosed design — to replace the town’s aging guardhouse — that could run as much as $340,000.

However, Town Manager Eric Marmer says the final say will come after residents’ input at the town’s Architectural Commission meeting on March 5. 

“It’s hard to say what the final design will be,” Marmer said. “We will have a clearer picture of the final design once the Architectural Committee meets and weighs in with their recommendation to the Town Commission.”

The guardhouse — built in 1968 — is located on Lands End Road and serves as the entrance to Point Manalapan, but it’s not easy for nonresidents to find. Motorists have to follow a circuitous route through Hypoloxo Island. 

The J. Turner Moore Memorial Library is located in the neighborhood on the Intracoastal Waterway, and the guardhouse is adjacent to some stylish homes — right next door is a good two-story example of coastal colonial design, nicknamed “Southern Exposure.”

Options presented at the commission’s Feb. 10 meeting are eye-catching, to say the least. 

Jess Sowards of Currie Sowards Aguila Architects presented commissioners with two main schemes: a full steel trellis that covers both ingress and egress lanes, and an asymmetric option that covers only the incoming lane while leaving the outbound lane open to the sky. 

Both concepts center on a largely glass guardhouse clad with smooth-face coquina stone and dark bronze metal accents, designed to maximize visibility into the facility for security monitoring. 

A covered carport for golf carts and integrated TV monitors above the guards, intended to reinforce the perception that drivers are being observed, are included in the proposal — though the public road is open to anyone.

Commissioners praised the design as modern and contemporary, but also questioned how the design strikes a balance between security and privacy for nearby homeowners. 

The new design includes golf cart storage to allow guards — community service officers — to respond to medical emergencies quickly.

Commissioner David Knobel urged inclusion of vine-covered green walls or trellises along one or both sides of the structure to screen spillover light from the 24-hour facility. “With a glass guardhouse that might put light over to the houses on either side of it. So I was looking to kind of screen it a little bit,” he said.

Marmer added, “Obviously, the full trellis looks nice, but can we live with the half, asymmetrical trellis?”

The design drawings show a 15-foot clearance that Sowers said provides extra margin over the standard height requirements. Mayor John Deese and other commissioners expressed concern that oversized loads — an example was given of a truck full of grown palm trees — would not be able to get through.

“I don’t think that accommodating pretty much a one-off situation should be a big concern,” Knobel said.

Resident Niki Peterson, who sits on the Architectural Commission, attended the meeting and said she would like the full trellis: “I think it’s beautiful, that’s for sure.”

Marmer said the building alone, as now designed, would cost between $150,000 and $170,000. However, that does not include the trellis feature, which would double the cost of the project. “So, we didn’t budget for that,” he said. The commission earmarked $100,000 for the project, but Marmer said it’s not accurate to say the town has run over budget.

“When we originally budgeted for this project, it was to remodel what currently exists there,” he told The Coastal Star. “But after having people check it out, it’s in such poor condition that that doesn’t really make sense. So, it became a tear-down and rebuild.”

The new design expands the guardhouse from 200 to 260 square feet, growing it longer as opposed to wider. 

A two-phase approach was discussed at the commission meeting: build the guardhouse, foundations and piling first, then add the trellis and site finishes in a later phase. Architects emphasized that piling and permitting work could proceed while the trellis is being fabricated.

Installing the pavers might present a conundrum, Marmer said, if the town moves forward with a septic-to-sewer project.

In the end, Deese said the town’s Architectural Commission should weigh in and allow residents to comment on the design at its meeting. The final say-so rests with the Town Commission.

Another major change for the guardhouse already occurred.

At January’s commission meeting, Police Chief Jeff Rasor said the town in December moved away from the private security company and created community service officer positions. They are employees of the Police Department and will staff the guardhouse. 

Rasor noted the Police Department had already hired three CSOs and was working toward full 24/7 coverage, with regular police officers filling any gaps.

Target construction start for the guardhouse was discussed for the off-season in May, subject to permitting and bidding schedules. 

By John Pacenti

Ocean Ridge’s town manager has proposed a modest but potentially crucial new revenue stream as Tallahassee debates sweeping changes that could strip local governments of hundreds of thousands of dollars over the next decade.

At the Feb. 2 Ocean Ridge Town Commission meeting, Manager Michelle Heiser proposed the town raise its communication services tax as a way to diversify revenue should state legislation to cut property taxes for homestead properties end up on November’s ballot. 

Like all Florida initiatives, such a proposal would need 60% of the vote to be approved.

The CST is levied on the sale of communication services — think smart phones, landlines, cable, and internet. If you’ve ever looked at your monthly cell phone or internet bill and noticed a list of fees that make the total significantly higher than the advertised price, the CST is usually one of the biggest culprits.

Ocean Ridge currently levies the CST at 2%, generating roughly $41,800 in the current budget year, Heiser told elected leaders. If the commission were to adopt a commonly used rate of 5.22% — the maximum  allowed for many municipalities — the town could see CST receipts rise to about $109,300, an increase of roughly $67,500 annually.

“(It) doesn’t seem like a lot, but it does make a difference. Every little bit is making a difference,” Heiser said. Gulf Stream to the south has its CST rate at 5.22%, but Manalapan to the north uses a rate of 1.6%.

The CST discussion came after the town’s elected leaders last November directed staff to explore other sources that could mitigate potential reductions to property tax revenues resulting from state-level initiatives.

Commissioner Ainar Aijala Jr. described proposed state legislation that could drastically reduce local property tax revenues over time. The version discussed at the meeting would create a new homestead exemption that phases in by $100,000 per year until it reaches $1 million. It then eliminates the town’s ability to levy certain non-public-safety property taxes on those homes.

Using conservative local assumptions, Aijala’s preliminary “back-of-the-envelope” projections show the town would lose roughly $61,000 in the first year under the draft state plan, $122,000 the next year and about $180,000 the third year.

If the exemption reaches its full phase-in, the town could see cumulative annual losses on the order of several hundred thousand dollars — and potentially more than $1 million once the cap phase ends and limitations take full effect, he said. “So we either have to find some things to do, like communication services or fee-based, or we’re going to start reducing the services that we provide to our residents,” he said. “Why should our people pay less for a cell phone than somebody in Gulf Stream does?”

Mayor Geoff Pugh said he wants to take a wait-and-see approach with what comes out of Tallahassee. “I’m not raising the tax just because somebody else is 5.2%, unless we need to,” he said.

Heiser recommended that commissioners consider the CST as a budget season option and, if they want to proceed, direct drafting of an ordinance and public hearings. Legally, the town must adopt an ordinance and notify the Florida Department of Revenue by Oct. 1 to have any rate change take effect Jan. 1 of the following year. “We’re in pretty good shape today, but these proposals in Tallahassee change the context,” Heiser said. “The CST could help us remain net neutral in year one if the law passes, but we need a clearer picture before making a decision.”

If a CST of 5.22% is adopted, the average impact would likely be roughly $100 per household annually, Aijala said, but the exact increase depends on families’ communication usage and bills. 

The CST is collected from service providers and remitted to municipalities by the state.

Public hearings and ordinance drafting will provide residents a chance to ask questions and weigh in before any change is enacted. 

By John Pacenti

Town Manager Michelle Heiser asked the Ocean Ridge Commission at its Feb. 2 meeting to consider revising the town charter’s term-limit provisions, arguing that limits enacted in 2019 may hinder the town’s ability to carry long-term projects across election cycles.

Heiser told commissioners she was raising the issue as a policy question for their consideration, not at the request of any commissioner. Her memo and on-dais remarks framed term limits as a potential liability for a small municipality facing complex, multiyear initiatives and shifting state rules that could affect local revenue and regulation.

“Term limits, while a very good talking point politically, can work against us in a small town,” Heiser said. She noted that the 2019 charter change now creates the possibility that multiple seats could turn over at once, leaving the commission with a large share of new members at critical moments for projects requiring institutional memory and continuity.

Heiser pointed to examples of lengthy public works projects elsewhere — including a decades-long county bridge project from her prior experience in Port St. Lucie — to illustrate efforts that benefit from elected officials with longer tenures and deeper familiarity with local priorities. “We’re going to move forward with a lot of projects, and this town would benefit from having a lot of institutional knowledge on this board and understanding exactly what the constituents want,” she said. “In the next couple of years, we’ll have an election where people are not gonna be able to run again, and that’s going to be a loss.”

Vice Mayor Steve Coz currently holds the most consecutive years serving on the commission and will be ineligible to run once his current term ends in 2028. The Town Charter limits commissioners to three consecutive three-year terms, after which they must sit out a year before running again.

Mayor Geoff Pugh, the next longest-serving in terms of consecutive years, could run for office again in 2027 before he is term-limited. 

Heiser also noted that Ocean Ridge does not have a residency requirement for candidates like other municipalities. Such rules ensure that newcomers have time to learn the town’s culture before seeking office.

The manager said the idea is intended to be a conversation starter, not an immediate action item. Any charter change, she reminded the board, would require voter approval. She also noted that the earliest practical timeline to place such a measure before voters would likely be March of next year.

Commissioners already experienced what could happen if an exodus of elected leaders takes place.

In 2023, four commissioners resigned: Martin Wiescholek, in protest over the hiring of then Town Manager Lynne Ladner; and Kristine de Haseth, citing family obligations; then their two replacements, with Philip Besler citing personal reasons and Ken Kaleel citing opposition to new financial disclosure requirements.

At the March 2 commission meeting, several residents offered public comments on the issue. Pugh asked that the item be on April’s agenda, where the commission can decide how to move forward — or to keep term limits as they are written in the charter. 

By John Pacenti

How many coconuts must fly before they hurt a passerby? How big can a tree be before it needs a permit to be planted? How many times must the police knock on a door and say, “Trim or else”?

For the Ocean Ridge Town Commission, the answer at its Feb. 2 meeting was — as the great Bob Dylan sang — “blowin’ in the wind,” delivered in a freewheelin’ discussion where commissioners went a little nuts — coconuts, that is. 

What started as a narrowly focused tweak to town regulations requiring coconut trimming turned into an all-hands-on-deck conversation about whether the town should be policing aesthetics or genuine safety hazards.

Town Attorney Christy Goddeau said the current code is that every coconut tree has to be trimmed by July 1 each year in preparation for potential hurricanes.

Commissioners wanted a simpler, less punitive approach — trim trees that are a public safety risk or interfere with power lines; otherwise, hands off. The planning and zoning board wanted something a little more encompassing.

A draft ordinance would also clarify when a permit is needed for planting or removing sizable trees — and delete the trim-your-coconuts-or-else mandate that has become an enforcement headache.

The existing language created a rule that had to be enforced repeatedly and, according to multiple commissioners, put the town in the awkward position of knocking on neighbors’ doors about their landscaping choices.

The proposed change refocuses enforcement on clear public safety concerns: trees overhanging public rights-of-way, obstructing sidewalks, or hanging into power lines. 

The draft also would clarify the permit process when residents plant new trees. The current code already exempts small trees measured by trunk circumference from permitting, but the language is fuzzy. 

The revised version will explicitly require permits for larger plantings. Essentially, the town wants to know when someone puts in a substantial tree that could affect easements, septic fields or rights-of-way.

Invasive trees, such as Australian pines, are prohibited.

Always the libertarian, Mayor Geoff Pugh said, “Personally, if I want to plant a tree in my property, as long as it’s not some mega-tree or something — a tree I’m gonna plant for my kids or my grandkids — I should be able to plant a tree on my property,” he said.

The mayor suggested keeping a 20-inch diameter threshold when requiring which trees need a permit. Commissioner Carolyn Cassidy asked, “How did this come about? Are we trying to solve the problem that we’re not aware of?”

Pugh explained, “It comes down to coconut trees. … Cut your coconuts, because the coconut is going to be some missile flying through the air.”

Vice Mayor Steve Coz added, “Which is not true.”

“We didn’t want the Police Department to have every year knocking on somebody’s door and say, ‘Hey, cut your coconuts,’” said Pugh, returning to the subject.

Coz tagged back in, giving context from a previous commission directive. “We sat here and decided not to enforce the coconut ordinance,” he said. “So we just stopped enforcing it, except when there was a public safety concern. For instance, if the public were walking through a back alley and coconuts hanging could drop.”

Former Commissioner Kristine de Haseth had a different recollection, saying the coconut ordinance came about because of two rental properties on Tropical Drive that did not maintain their huge palms and the coconuts — during a tropical storm — dropped and damaged cars. 

“So it wasn’t about, you know, us being crazy about coconuts or anything else like that. It was trying to help some of the residents down on Tropical who had no recourse with their landlord because of what happened,” she said.

Pugh suggested taking the name coconuts off the ordinance.

“Should we just make it a tree ordinance?” he asked. “Because, let’s face it, I mean, a Norfolk pine during high winds will knock off way more limbs than a coconut palm.”

Coz said he didn’t understand how the draft ordinance had mushroomed once in the hands of planning and zoning. “We’re intruding on people’s private property rights. I just don’t understand how we’ve got from our coconut problem to P&Z coming back with all this.”

Goddeau finally got her guidance from the commissioners. She will redraft the ordinance to replace the annual coconut deadline with a general tree-maintenance requirement focused on public safety and utility clearance and clarify when planting and removal permits are required.

The revised ordinance will come back to the commission for more review. 

Public works projects move ahead — A 2,100-foot replacement of an aging water main with a 12-inch pipe to improve water quality and system reliability along State Road A1A from Ocean Avenue south to Thompson Street in Ocean Ridge should break ground in mid-March. 

The Phase 4 water main project will replace all customer service lines and install new hydrants to meet current standards.

In regards to repairing the Hudson Avenue sea wall, Ocean Ridge received notice of a recommended federal funding share of $400,235 contingent on final FEMA approval. Town staff anticipated having a contract by April. 

Sea grapes removed — The Police Department is investigating the recent removal/trimming of sea grape and other vegetation at the Porter Street beach crossover. Police Chief Scott McClure said a contractor may have performed work without permits over a weekend at the Portofino condominiums. 

“That’s a sore subject,” Mayor Geoff Pugh said when a resident mentioned the trimming. “It took us almost 15 years to get them that tall.”

The matter is under further review to determine if the trees were maintained on the town right-of-way or on private property, and is now scheduled for a special magistrate hearing on April 7. Town Manager Michelle Heiser says the state Department of Environmental Protection is also investigating.

Honor your elders — Ocean Ridge commissioners honored two senior citizens at their March 2 meeting.  They approved a measure dedicating Ocean Ridge Linear Park to former Commissioner Betty Bingham, who is 96 years old.

They also read a proclamation for Thomas Ambrose, who turned 100 on Feb. 14 and was present at the meeting. 

— John Pacenti

By John Pacenti

Seeking to trade shouting matches for center-court composure, Delray Beach Mayor Tom Carney opened the Feb. 24 City Commission meeting with a plea for decorum, urging his colleagues to swap months of bickering — even screaming at each other — for the professional sportsmanship he witnessed at the Delray Beach Open tennis tournament.

Carney told the commission he was struck by the way tennis players handled tense moments — disagreeing quietly without bickering, and shaking hands at the end — and said that same etiquette should apply to local government meetings. “I thought to myself, that’s what I would like to have here,” he told Commissioners Juli Casale, Angela Burns and Tom Markert. “I’m hearing it from a lot of people that there’s a lack of decorum, a lack of etiquette. I am guilty of this as well.”

The tennis tournament ran from Feb. 13 to Feb. 22.

The mayor proposed getting back to Robert’s Rules of Order in running the meetings, designed to move the agenda along by eliminating crosstalk, bantering and arguing.

Commissioners must raise their hands and be formally recognized by the mayor before speaking; interruptions will be discouraged; and officials should address one another by formal titles if possible while on the dais. He framed the effort as respect not only among elected officials but toward the public, noting many residents leave meetings dissatisfied with the tone of debate.

Carney stressed the pledge was personal as well as procedural. “We have a tendency to talk over each other, and I’m just as guilty as everybody else here,” he acknowledged, adding that a more orderly process would benefit both the commission and constituents who attend meetings.

Commissioners have yelled at each other over the Downtown Development Authority, proposed budget cuts and perceived insults in the bevy of newsletters that float around Delray Beach’s email inboxes.

After his speech, the mayor’s argumentative and defensive tenor of the last month returned to his more measured approach. It certainly lowered the temperature.

Carney described the change as a “pivot” toward better governance: “Follow the rules, no interruptions, no bickering,” he said. 

After the meeting, Casale — who has chastised Carney during meetings on several issues — said when asked about the mayor’s olive leaf: “The tenor of the meeting rests squarely on the person with the gavel in his hand. I look forward to respectful and civil discussions on the dais.” 

By Mary Thurwachter

After discussing the matter at three workshops, the Lantana Town Council on Feb. 23 revised its ordinance regulating food trucks on public and private property.

“The old ordinance was made before the proliferation of food trucks,” Mayor Karen Lythgoe said, adding it was time for an update.

The council said it doesn’t want food trucks to take business away from brick-and-mortar restaurants, but it wants to be able to have them at popular community events.

Food trucks have been only allowed on public property during town-sponsored events. Food trucks on private property have been limited to three hours of operation at any given time and must have the written consent of the property owner.

Other venues where food trucks are stationary in one location and operate like a standard restaurant must follow normal restaurant regulations.

Going forward, food trucks will be prohibited at commercial, industrial and mixed-use properties. Block parties will require Town Council approval due to their high impact.

Those living in residential districts are limited to one food truck party per quarter.

“We don’t want residents having a party every weekend using a food truck,” Vice Mayor Kem Mason said. “That’s why we are going to limit them to once a quarter. We want to be fair to everybody.”

“This is not to prevent people from making a buck,” Lythgoe said of the ordinance. “But if they’re not regulated, it could be causing hazards. And we can also tweak it if need be."

What this means, she said, is “the guy with a food truck can’t just pull over to the boat docks on Saturday and start selling stuff and then dump the leftovers into the bin. And then, of course, garbage doesn’t get picked up for two or three days and then you’ve got rats.” 

Local municipal elections at a glance

March 10 elections, with polls open 7 a.m.-7 p.m., are:

Boca Raton: Mayor, three City Council seats and referendums on downtown campus and police headquarters

Delray Beach: One City Commission seat

Gulf Stream: Five Town Commission seats

South Palm Beach: Mayor and three Town Council seats

Voters with unmailed vote-by-mail ballots can bring them to polling places on Election Day and exchange them for regular ballots. They also can hand deliver unmailed ballots to the Supervisor of Elections main office by 7 p.m. — or its South County branch office by 5 p.m. ­— March 10.

Information: Contact your town clerk or city clerk, or the Supervisor of Elections office.

South Palm Beach Mayor Bonnie Fischer (center) chats with residents who attended a Feb. 10 candidate forum. She joined Vice Mayor Monte Berendes and Council members Sandra Beckett and Elvadianne Culbertson in meeting prospective voters. Brian Biggane/The Coastal Star

By Brian Biggane

What was initially billed as a “Meet the Candidates” night instead turned into a “Meet the Incumbents” event as the mayor and three South Palm Beach council members up for election met with their constituents on Feb. 10 at the Barclay condominium.

The program, hosted by moderator and Barclay resident John Stillpass, lasted just under 90 minutes. It allowed the incumbents — Mayor Bonnie Fischer, Vice Mayor Monte Berendes and Council members Sandra Beckett and Elvadianne Culbertson — to show their support for the Town Hall project, while correcting what they said were misconceptions about financial issues and responsibility for badly needed repairs to the sidewalk along the west side of State Road A1A.

The four are running in the March 10 municipal election, being challenged by mayoral candidate Rafael Pineiro and council candidates Francesca Attardi and Adrian Burcet, all of whom declined to attend. Pineiro has said the three spread their message by meeting residents at several of the town’s condos. The League of Women Voters dropped its sponsorship when advised both sides would not be represented.

Resident and retired property manager Richard Haggerty voiced an opinion heard throughout the event regarding the Town Hall situation, saying, “It’s a pretty simple thing: The cost to renovate is too expensive and doesn’t do anything for the long term. They expect (the cost) to be $1.8 million to do the renovation, and that was in 2018. It would be $2 million or $3 million by now.”

“I put my full faith in their decision,” Kim Redmond added. “They’ve done a lot of research on it and have made some very judicious choices.”

The fact that only a handful of residents typically attend the monthly Town Council meetings brought some in search of more information about the project, which has been in the works for nearly 10 years and is expected to break ground in a matter of months. One of those was relatively new resident Kim Rayner.

Before the meeting, Rayner had doubts, saying, “I’m against it until I learn more. I’d love to hear other ways to resolve the issues other than building a new facility.”

Afterward she said, “If they have the funding that’s fine. I have to go to the Town Council meetings to learn more.”

Lantana Mayor Karen Lythgoe and County Commissioner Marci Woodward, whose district includes South Palm Beach, were on hand to support the incumbents.

“We already work together,” Lythgoe said. “It’s important neighbors get along, so there are no adversarial relationships.”

Stillpass solicited questions from the audience, about half of which involved the deteriorated condition of the sidewalk. Berendes explained that the council has been working with the Florida Department of Transportation, while Beckett said a plan toward repairs is in the works with the help of the Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council.

That wasn’t enough for resident Georgette Betts, who said, “They need to use their influence to push harder. That needs to be a priority.”

When it was over the incumbents professed confidence the meeting had served its purpose and the election would go their way.

“I’m not cocky, but I’m confident,” Culbertson said. “I don’t think our competition is strong at all.” 

Manager gives Town Hall update — Although the future of a new Town Hall may be affected by South Palm Beach’s March 10 election, Town Manager Jamie Titcomb delivered an update on the latest news about the project and a new timeline at the Town Council’s February meeting.

Titcomb said solicitations for bids for the project had been sent out on Feb. 3 and replies were already coming in, resulting in several copies of CPZ Architects’ 150-page plans being sent to contractors. Proposals are due on March 10 and the firms selected to make bids will do so at the next Town Council meeting on March 17. The winning bid will be selected on March 26 and notice to proceed with Phase 1 issued on March 27.

If all that remains on schedule, the price would be determined by June 27 and construction would begin in early August, lasting until February 2028.

Of course, the timeline could change if the three challengers in the election are victorious. That would likely result in the council’s undertaking an engineering study to determine if the current building can be retrofitted or if a new Town Hall is necessary.

County library chief makes presentation — Douglas Crane, director of the Palm Beach County Library System, made a 20-minute presentation updating the council on its recent additions, including a planned Hypoluxo branch coming in 2028.

Crane said the system is the sixth-largest in the state, offers 18 locations and has an $18 million annual budget. He said South Palm Beach is “one of our busiest locations” for the Bookmobile, which visits every Monday. 

— Brian Biggane

By John Pacenti

Maybe the most telling moments at the Beach Property Owners Association forum for two Delray Beach City Commission candidates happened before it even started. That was when Mayor Tom Carney met with the camps for Realtor Judy Mollica and land use attorney Andrea Keiser at the Feb. 11 event.

The fact that Carney is looking for a possible ally could switch the dynamic on the dais. Fellow Commissioners Tom Markert and Juli Casale have not supported his positions on the budget, the Downtown Development Authority, and — most recently — suing the Lake Worth Drainage District over a banyan tree on the municipal golf course.

The March 10 vote is to fill the commission seat vacated by Rob Long, who is now a state representative for District 90.

At the Opal Grand Resort & Spa, Mollica and Keiser answered questions on growth, budget, traffic, parking and noise. Both demonstrated their ability to do the job. A third candidate, Delores Rangel, was sidelined by the flu.

Keiser and Mollica are establishment candidates in different ways. Mollica has endorsements from the police and fire unions. Keiser has put in $102,000 of her own money into the campaign and for two political action committees — but when pressed on them wouldn’t give details.

Although the race is non-partisan, the issue was a topic of discussion among some BPOA forum attendees. Keiser and her family contributed $3,000 each to the campaigns of U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds for governor and Attorney General James Uthmeier, both Republicans.  

Mollica and Rangel are former Republicans, defecting to the Democrats because of the policies of President Donald Trump. Keiser said her donations are a non-issue in a non-partisan race.

A number of coastal residents said they were still undecided as they left the forum.

Keiser — a mother of three young children — came across as polished but modest, while Mollica used humor to ease the tension. 

Mollica framed her candidacy around longtime community service and preservation, emphasizing local roots, volunteer leadership and a desire to “preserve the character, charm and livability” of Delray Beach. She highlighted her service on the Planning & Zoning Board and civic organizations, and stressed making the city easier to live in for residents, including seniors.

“Leadership isn’t about being the newest voice. It’s about being the right voice. I believe in using common sense,” Mollica said. “Common sense tells me that if the city raises our parking rates for minimal revenues, our visitors will go somewhere else to dine and shop and get out of the habit of coming to Delray Beach, and that’s not going to be very good for our businesses.”

Keiser cast herself as a policy-and process-oriented candidate with legal and public-service experience. The daughter of an immigrant, Keiser emphasized technical expertise in land use, budgeting and government operations.

On development, Keiser urged strict adherence to existing height and zoning limits, as well as the protection of beaches and dunes. “Any future development in Delray Beach has to respect the neighborhoods,” she said. 

The absent Rangel, who spoke to The Coastal Star previously, has not come across as a polished public speaker but knows the issues probably better than any other candidate, having spent 27 years as an administrative assistant in the city manager’s office. 

When asked about barrier island issues, Rangel said, “Our beach is our jewel — maintaining it will always be a top priority, but we must continue to explore methods other than renourishment to preserve it. … There are street flooding issues and residents want better enforcement of the No Wake zone on the Intracoastal. I will work with the Beach Property Owners Association and coastal residents to address these issues.”

If barrier island residents at the candidate forum were concerned about development, Mollica most likely didn’t put their minds at ease. “I think that our city needs to have a mix of residential and business, and we need more businesses to sort of help pick up the tax base that’s going to even that out,” she said. “Our city should make it easy to do business.”

The forum occurred before the commission was about to tackle a new noise ordinance. Mollica emphasized vehicle noise as a major problem on the barrier island. Keiser also mentioned the growing issue of regulating gas-powered leaf blowers — another issue championed by Carney.

Mollica mentioned the DDA helps businesses thrive. The mayor has cast the DDA at times as committing fraud for failure to obtain receipts for some purchases and has instigated two audits — one city and now one state — of the organization.

When it came to budget and spending, Mollica criticized a tax rollback in 2024 spearheaded by Carney, saying it “didn’t quite work out.” Keiser talked about efficiency and an “opportunity to cut down on waste” — another refrain from Carney.

Keiser also called out Carney’s nemesis on the dais, Commissioner Juli Casale, on a vote that denied a request from the Old Palm Grove neighborhood to block access from the public. Carney lives in the neighborhood and recused himself on the issue along with Long.

Keiser, as an attorney who used to live in Old Palm Grove, represented the neighborhood residents. Interestingly, Mollica was present at the October meeting, sitting right behind the podium for public speakers on the issue.

Yet, Keiser dropped Casale’s name so demurely and sweetly that it showed she could be a tonic to the bickering — and shouting — that now infects the current commission.  “I hope we can agree to disagree respectfully,” she said.

Casale was one of three yes votes on Oct. 21 to deny the request to block access to the road. She asked at the candidate forum to interject to give her side, but the crowd shouted her down.

A contentious yes/no question from an audience member about whether the city police should cooperate with federal immigration authorities was also shouted down. 

By John Pacenti

Not all noise is equal in Delray Beach.

For people on the barrier island, the roar of gas-powered leaf blowers is the chief concern. For those who live near downtown, it’s the establishments that blast music late into the night or revving motorcycles.

After months of community meetings, public debate and technical study, the Delray Beach City Commission adopted a revamped noise ordinance at its Feb. 24 meeting. The new standard is designed to move enforcement from a subjective “plainly audible” standard to an objective, decibel-based approach — with a measured roll-out and a 120-day implementation and evaluation window.

Enforcement will emphasize education and warnings in the early weeks. The city plans to spend $7,000 for up to five sound meters, train personnel and begin community outreach. It will evaluate progress and data after 120 days.  

The sound will be measured at property boundaries — generally sidewalks — rather than doorways or internal business spaces, in line with state law restricting entry onto private property without consent.

“I’m going to support this, because I want to get started,” Mayor Tom Carney said. “But I don’t think we’re done with noise, because I do think we need to readdress the issues of the gas blowers, and we have to readdress the issue of also the other lawn equipment.”

The ordinance establishes decibel limits tailored to land use zones — with higher allowable levels in the city’s entertainment district and lower thresholds in residential areas. The change reflects findings from a consultant-led sound study and responds to persistent resident complaints about late-night music, amplified sound from waterfront restaurants, and disruptive vehicular noise.

City Attorney Lynn Gelin explained that the standard being replaced is whether a noise is plainly audible 100 feet away. “This is a subjective standard,” she said. “That’s not fair, right? We always want to ensure equity and fairness with our ordinances.”

However, the new noise ordinance does not address some of the chief concerns from residents regarding lawn equipment and traffic.

Republicans in the Florida Legislature are trying to preempt municipalities from banning or regulating the use of gas-powered leaf blowers. Florida landscapers and industry groups, including the lobbyists for the Florida Nursery, Growers and Landscape Association, are behind Senate Bill 290, intent on making sure residents remain disturbed by leaf blowers.

“We see it as a dangerous trend in Tallahassee to begin with, preempting, robbing cities and municipalities from managing their own cities, and having this mandated out of Tallahassee,” said Hal Stern, president of the Beach Property Owners Association.

But Stern says he knows the issue of noise is different for those who live near Atlantic Avenue and the entertainment district.

“So the noise coming out of a place like the Tin Roof, for instance, is something that we were aware of, but it’s not something that we weigh in on, because you can’t hear it on the barrier island,” Stern said.

Supporters — including longtime residents and community advocates — framed the ordinance as a necessary balance between livability and vibrancy. 

“Some of these entertainment venues do not have to have weapon-sized speakers up there to try to blast us all off to the sidewalk,” resident Jody Kovalick said at the Feb. 24 commission meeting. He said there is a happy medium where the vibrancy of downtown can be maintained without disturbing the peace.

A lot of complaints, though, were about traffic as opposed to venues blasting music.

“The vehicular noise is really what brought me down here, and it’s scary to pedestrians to be walking on Atlantic Avenue and having motorcycles and cars rev up and seeing little kids respond to it is concerning to me,” resident Ellen Beyda said.

Police told residents at a Feb. 5 town hall on the noise ordinance, when it comes to cars or motorcycles, state statutes exist where police can issue citations without needing to measure the decibel levels.

A resident at the town hall recalled an incident where her husband asked politely for a motorcyclist to stop revving his motor. “Well, this guy started coming at him, you know. He’s like giving him the finger,” she recalled. “And the guy did it again and again.” 

By John Pacenti

No civic amenity in Delray Beach stands as more of a war wound from the 2021 ouster of the nonprofit that ran Old School Square than the historic Crest Theatre. Five years later, the Crest remains at a critical crossroads as the city navigates a multimillion-dollar path toward reopening the legendary venue.

Now its long-awaited makeover is at hand.

The City Commission at its Feb. 3 meeting gave staff and the design team direction to move forward with a $7.9 million design that would take a staged approach so the city can prioritize and phase in items for budget or fundraising reasons.

The renovation comes after the nonprofit Old School Square Center for the Arts Inc. was ousted by the commission from running the campus in an August 2021 vote after failing to provide audits of its finances. 

The bold move — one that still divides former leaders in some circles — also meant ongoing upgrades were stopped. Equipment was removed, according to critics of the nonprofit, though officials with the group said that the equipment was the property of the organization, not the city.

The city restarted programming at the Crest in November 2024 while ceding the rest of the Old School Square campus to the city’s Downtown Development Authority, which took it over reluctantly.  The arts school at the Crest  — housed in renovated classrooms — was reestablished in the building to great acclaim and is expanding to include ceramics.

At the commission meeting, Mills + Schnoering Architects presented three concept packages: a base rehabilitation to return the auditorium to safe, usable condition for small events; a midlevel package — called Option 1 — that restores full theatrical systems and improves back-of-house accessibility; and an ambitious Option 2, a technology-forward package that adds advanced rigging, lighting, audio/AV and livestreaming capability to make the venue attractive to touring productions and larger events.

The base scope is intended to reopen the Crest for community programming with refreshed finishes, improved seating and critical accessibility upgrades. It would add a permanent back-of-house elevator, a more robust loading dock, and substantially upgraded theatrical systems to support multi-act productions, cinema and musical theater. 

Architects said Option 2 included a catwalk or tension-wire grid for an expanded lighting package, in-house audio and video systems that would allow the now 323-seat Crest to be rented to visiting productions and allow live-streaming.

The architects also recommended acoustic improvements, new assisted-listening systems, and safer, more maintainable front-of-house lighting access.

Mills + Schnoering called cost estimates “conceptual,” with the base running about $3 million. Option 1 would cost more than double that price, at nearly $6.4 million, and Option 2 would cost $7.9 million.

“I’m trying to get what’s the biggest bang for the buck,” Mayor Tom Carney said.

Commissioner Juli Casale argued for aiming higher. “My opinion is that we look to get to Option 2, but maybe, as you say, in a staged way,” she said. 

Commissioner Tom Markert asked if the balcony was safe. Public Works Director Missie Barletto said that architects have indeed deemed it structurally sound, but safety will be enhanced with new railings. 

By John Pacenti

The City of Delray Beach has suspended the permit for Coco Market, a popular wellness and community event, following a “serious incident” involving a dog attack that left a teenager with severe facial injuries.

City Manager Terrence Moore, on Feb. 20, notified event organizers at Cocoyogi, Inc., that their special event permit is suspended for three months. The decision stems from an incident on Feb. 8 at the city’s Old School Square campus, where a 16-year-old girl was bitten in the face by a dog.

According to city officials, the organizers authorized H3 Dog Rescue to display multiple dogs at the event despite the city’s special event policy. “You were not authorized to host an event with animals,” Moore wrote in the suspension letter, calling the incident “alarming” and a clear violation of the permission granted by the city.

H3 Dog Rescue is connected to the charity Hospital Helping Hands, founded by Rodney Mayo, who owns Dada restaurant and the Subculture coffee shop in Delray Beach.

The victim suffered a severe laceration to her upper lip and cheek that could result in permanent scarring, Moore wrote.

Representatives for Cocoyogi, Inc., were told they may resume hosting events in June, provided they “govern themselves accordingly” and adhere to all city policies. Further violations could result in a permanent  ban. 

By Jane Musgrave

A leaky stormwater drain pipe that went undetected for nearly 30 years has erupted into a court battle between a Delray Beach homeowner and the city.

In a lawsuit filed in Palm Beach County Circuit Court in February, Mary Anne Wood and her sons claim the city should pay for the damage the pipe has caused to the backyard of their roughly $4.6 million home — along an Intracoastal Waterway finger canal a few blocks north of Atlantic Dunes Park — for burying it on their property without permission.

While city officials initially indicated they would help the Woods, they later reneged, according to the lawsuit Fort Lauderdale attorney Jamey Campellone filed on behalf of the family. Since the pipe has been on the property for decades, Delray Beach officials told the family the city has what is known in the legal world as a “prescriptive easement.”

Under Florida law, someone can claim they are legally entitled to use someone else’s land if they have done so for at least 20 years and the property owner didn’t complain.

But, Campellone wrote, the pipe was buried underground. Wood and her late husband bought the home on Poinsettia Road, just north of Atlantic Dunes Park, in 1987. City officials never asked them for permission to run the pipe through their property and there is no record that they asked previous owners, he said.

The pipe was discovered in 2023 by crews hired to repair the property’s sea wall.

Since then, it has become apparent that the leaking pipe, which dumps stormwater into the Intracoastal, is causing the property to sink, Campellone wrote.

The city invaded the Woods’ property rights, interfered with their use and enjoyment of the property and never paid or offered to compensate them for its depreciation in value, he said.

 Campellone declined to comment on the lawsuit. It did not detail how much the family is seeking, but only suits where more than $50,000 is at stake can be filed in circuit court.

 As a policy, Delray Beach doesn’t comment on pending litigation. Attorneys at the Fort Lauderdale firm Weiss Serota Helfman Cole + Bierman are representing the city. 

Emergency work has begun to repair a failing sea wall at the southeastern end of Southeast Wavecrest Way in Boca Raton’s Por La Mar neighborhood south of East Palmetto Park Road.

The work will also include stormwater infrastructure improvements, including a new pumping system to assist with drainage during high tides.

The projects, recently approved by the City Council, will cost a total of $3.7 million. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection has provided a $350,000 grant. The work will be done by Cone and Graham Inc.

The city expedited the project because the sea wall was at risk of collapsing, with its problems exacerbated by repeated king tides.

The Riviera Civic Association, which includes Por La Mar, cheered the city’s action. President Katie Barr MacDougall credited City Manager Mark Sohaney and Public Works and Engineering Director Zachary Bihr for being very responsive to their concerns.

“We are very happy with the follow-through on their part,” she said.

The association has another reason for celebration. Sidewalks on East Palmetto Park Road are being improved and a pedestrian crosswalk installed.

For years, the association has pressed for extensive improvements along the section of the road between the Intracoastal Waterway and State Road A1A.

Residents aren’t getting everything they wanted, but are pleased with the work that is being done, MacDougall said.

— Mary Hladky

Police employee of the year — At the Feb. 23 Lantana Town Council meeting, Police Chief Sean Scheller presented his department’s employee of the year award to executive assistant Karen Dipolito. 

Dipolito has worked for the Police Department for 27 years. Scheller said she is always willing to accept additional duties and responsibilities. He said she is an invaluable member of the department and keeps him on his toes.

Beach charrette coming — Residents are encouraged to attend the Beach Master Plan Charrette at noon March 14 in the council chambers at 500 Greynolds Circle. 

Mayor Karen Lythgoe said council members may attend but will want to remain quiet because this meeting is all about hearing from residents.

Beach parking dispute — Mayor Lythgoe, at the Feb. 23 meeting, said she’s been hearing complaints from residents regarding beach parking. “They are decal holders who are finding many of the decal parking spots occupied by others,” she said.

Those parking in decal spots without a sticker will be ticketed, even if they have paid for parking, according to Nicole Dritz, director of development services.

Lythgoe said others were complaining about how full the parking lot was, even though there weren’t many people at the beach. On social media, people are suggesting town leaders are getting money from Eau Palm Beach, the resort next door, to allow people who work or visit the hotel to park there.

“That is not happening,” she said.

Town Manager Brian Raducci said the lot was for public parking and folks wouldn’t have to go to the beach to use it. 

— Mary Thurwachter