Commissioners were not sold on all design features for signs such as this one for city gateways. Rendering provided

By Tao Woolfe

Boynton Beach city commissioners are considering spending about $1.5 million on signs to help ensure that all who wander — within city limits, anyway — are not lost.

Dani Moschella, the city’s public affairs director, presented several artists’ renderings of proposed signs in various sizes to the commission at its June 3 meeting.

Some 89 new signs were included, from huge welcome signs for four of the city entryways, to 32 medium-sized signs for use in street medians, 33 park signs, eight digital information-providing signs and 12 directional signs to city destinations, such as City Hall and the Children’s Museum.

The city would start the installations next year if commissioners approve, but they had differing concerns about the designs.

All the signs feature blue lettering as well as the city’s signature sailfish, which, as it turns out, is not universally beloved.

“I hate the fish,” said recently elected Mayor Rebecca Shelton.

Commissioner Thomas Turkin, a boating and fishing enthusiast, argued in favor of keeping the soaring sea creature, whose Latin name is Istiophorus albicans, at least on the most prominent signs.

“We are the gateway to the Gulf Stream,” Turkin said. “I like the fish on the big signs, but not so much on the little ones.”

The 8.5 feet high, 15 feet wide entryway signs, which say, “Welcome City of Boynton Beach,” would light up at night. They feature “Boynton Beach” in dark blue letters on a silver, mesh background, with grassy shrubbery at their bases. The tops of the signs are wavy, to show the city’s relationship to the sea. The sailfish is ubiquitous.

Vice Mayor Woodrow Hay questioned the wisdom of the overwhelmingly blue lettering on the signs proposed by the unnamed consultant.

“I like blue. It’s my favorite color,” Hay said. “But doesn’t blue have a tendency to fade?”

Commissioner Angela Cruz’s comments were less nuanced.

“I don’t love the signs,” she said of the artist renderings.

She added that she would love the idea of using big entryway signs to sell the city and make a statement.

“Let’s get one big sign — something huge,” Cruz said, pointing out that massive, well-designed signs in other municipalities, such as those of Hollywood, California, Orlando, and Miami Beach, make a lasting impact.

Hay reminded his colleagues that closer to home, Delray Beach has done an excellent job with its entryway signage.

Delray Beach’s so-called gateway feature, which was installed in 2013, consists of six lighted, free-form sculptures designed by San Antonio artist Michelle Newman.

The forms tower 28 feet above the pavement and flank Atlantic Avenue, the main road into the city, on the east side of Interstate 95. They are front- and back-lit at night and depict images, such as gladioli to honor the city’s old gladiola festival, and pineapples to represent the city’s early history as a prime grower.

Moschella explained that branding is a way to market the city. A brand incorporates such elements as a city’s culture, values, natural beauty, architecture, its businesses, history and people, she said.

“It’s more than just a logo or a motto,” Moschella said.

Signage is considered part of a city’s visual identity, which is a particular aspect of branding, the public affairs director said. It incorporates color schemes, design aesthetics, logos and city seals, and text font.

The sailfish is part of the city seal, Moschella said, so must be kept for official purposes.

Shelton conceded that the sailfish would be an appropriate addition to some signs — such as those that grace the city’s marina — but overall, she’d like something less hokey.

“The fish looks a little cheap sometimes,” the mayor said.

The commission did not vote on the matter and no public input was allowed, but Hay suggested the city solicit suggestions and opinions from residents about what sets Boynton Beach apart from other coastal cities.

Hay also recommended the city look into whether a small impact fee — which the city collects for public artworks from developers for construction projects of $250,000 and up — could be levied for the signs.

“It is art,” said Hay, who also suggested that residents be enlisted to give alternative suggestions based on their perceptions and memories of the city.

The vice mayor offered the top question residents should ask themselves to start the visioning process: “What’s special about Boynton Beach?” 

First responders at the scene where a man was electrocuted while trimming a palm tree. Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

A worker killed while trimming a tree June 4 in Ocean Ridge has been identified as Alonzo Gilberto Domingo Domingo, 25, of West Palm Beach, according to a report from the Ocean Ridge Police Department.

Police responded to a 911 call at 10:41 a.m. When they arrived at 4 Beachway North at 10:43, they saw Domingo Domingo unconscious and dangling from a coconut palm tree by his safety harness. He dangled about 25 feet off the ground for several minutes before Boynton Beach Fire Rescue firefighters in a bucket truck could get him down.

“They immediately called Florida Power & Light to shut off the power so they could start the rescue. OSHA was called and the investigation is continuing,” said Chelsea Sanabia, a spokesperson for Boynton Beach, which provides fire rescue services to the town.

Tom Pelegrin, who lives at 16 Adams Road directly behind the home, said his neighbor told him she was in her back yard when she heard a scream.

“She told me she looked up and saw the gentleman in distress,” he said. “She also saw smoke, then she called 911. This is horrible. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Power lines could be seen close to the tree, which appeared to have burn marks. The arriving officer also “detected a faint burnt odor in the area,” according to the report.

Domingo Domingo worked for Gator Lawn and Landscape of Jupiter. He was part of a four-person crew that arrived at the job site that morning, but was working alone at the time of the incident, the report said.

The Palm Beach County Medical Examiner’s Office observed burns to Domingo Domingo’s hands and upper thighs, and later determined the cause of death as electrocution, the report states.

This is the second incident this year in Ocean Ridge of a tree trimmer being killed.

A worker identified as Elmer Eduardo DeLeon Calmo, 32, of West Palm Beach, was pulled into a wood chipper and killed while trimming coconut palms at Ocean Ridge Town Hall on Jan. 28.

He was a member of a crew from Carlton Tree Services, a vendor hired by the town for the work.

— Henry Fitzgerald

Related: In-home health providers stay mobile during hurricanes

With hurricane season here, towns and cities along the coast are offering tips to stay ready.

Recommendations from Boca Raton’s emergency officials include trimming excess foliage and taking advantage of tax-free shopping weeks for storm supplies in July and August.

Highland Beach reminds residents about what is at stake given their location.

“As a barrier island, Highland Beach is in a mandatory evacuation zone when Hurricanes rated as a Category 2 or higher are expected to make landfall,” the town’s website says. “The Town of Highland Beach follows Palm Beach County’s Emergency Operations Center Evacuation orders and policies.”

Delray Beach mentions stocking up on a gallon of water per person per day for at least three days, as well as a similar supply of nonperishable food.

“Don't forget the pets!” its site adds.

Manalapan’s hurricane tips include inspecting windows for rust, missing bolts or other damage.

“Repair immediately,” it urges online.

South Palm Beach’s website advises, “Know where to go for trusted sources of information during a hurricane event.”

One option: Sign up for the town’s emergency notification system called Blackboard by contacting Town Hall at 561-588-8889.

— Charles Elmore

 How, where to move patients plays big part in preparations

Rose Glamoclija, who owns Boca Nursing Services, started planning for hurricane season months ago, such as by listing which of her nurses and aides can do what and for which clients as a storm approaches. Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

Related: Getting prepared for storms

By Charles Elmore

The contingencies, the calculations, the human factors start turning over in Rose Glamoclija’s mind long before hurricane season starts each June 1.

Her company, Boca Nursing Services, cares for scores of patients in their own homes, many set along a seascape capable of delivering both startling beauty and abrupt catastrophe.

“Some of the clients live alone,” Glamoclija said. “They live on barrier islands. Some can feel helpless.”

Once a storm takes an ominous turn, often at what seems like the last minute, there’s no calling time out, no asking for a little breathing space to start preparations then. This takes earlier planning for individual needs and possible evacuations.

People who receive in-home health care — or depend on others for their daily care — represent one strand of a wider story of the preparations taking place each year for when the tropics start roiling. 

“Experts are predicting a very active hurricane season, so whether you are a longtime resident, or new to the city, it is critical to prepare now and be ready for a potential storm,” said Boca Raton’s emergency manager, Christine Mucci.

Hurricane season runs through Nov. 30, with peak storm activity expected between mid-August and late October.

Plans in place

State regulators require in-home care providers — among others — to file comprehensive emergency management plans. Those must include “how services will continue to be provided to clients who must evacuate their homes in an emergency,” according to instructions from the Florida Department of Health.

Large senior facilities, such as the Carlisle in Lantana, also have plans for their residents should a hurricane approach. The Carlisle, for instance, has reciprocal agreements with facilities in other areas that it can turn to in a crisis if residents need to be evacuated.

Glamoclija’s privately owned company also prepares, as need be, to evacuate clients north or south or west, away from the projected path of a storm. Because her company offers to handle relocations, it’s important for her to develop relationships with hotels, nursing homes and hospitals so she knows who can take people in crunch time.

Sometimes it can fall on others, not the in-home care agency, to handle the actual evacuation details. In those instances, the relocation decisions might be in the hands of family members or a patient’s designated caregiver. An agency then coordinates with them to ensure that their services continue to be provided at an evacuation location, says Geiselle Surette, owner of Seagrape Concierge Home Healthcare based in Boca Raton.

“Each staff member would be assigned a client, before during and after the storm,” Surette says.

“We have reached out to all of our clients and gone through all of these details with them. It takes time to make sure we have all of the key elements in place,” Surette says. 

Government can also play a role.

Palm Beach County offers special needs sheltering during hurricanes for people who cannot be without electricity because they depend upon life support equipment, have special medical needs, or require assistance with activities of daily living, allowing them to evacuate with their caregivers. Space in a special needs shelter is limited and is prioritized based on need. An online application is available at discover.pbcgov.org/publicsafety/dem/SpNS/SpecialNeedsApplication.pdf. 

County Commissioner Marci Woodward, whose district includes South County’s coastal communities, urges people to be aware of the resources available.

“Take a moment to review the county’s comprehensive hurricane guide,” she advised.

That can be found at discover.pbcgov.org/publicsafety/PDF/Hurricane-Guide.pdf.

Managing care

Seagrape is only three years old and Surette said the company has not yet had a client needing its help to coordinate an evacuation, but she said such care would fall under the concierge services it provides if the situation arose. 

For Glamoclija, whose company has been around for three decades, there’s a practical side to the preparations that amounts to more than just a plan on paper. For example, she employs about 100 nurses and aides at any given time. She takes the time in meetings before hurricane season to establish which of them can handle certain duties in a storm.

That means knowing who can accompany a patient inland to a temporary refuge on short notice. Some workers need to tend to their own families in such a moment.

“By May, we have updated every patient’s home chart,” she said. “That involves calling every doctor and updating their medication lists.”

A common priority is securing at least a two-week supply of all medicines.

With the help of aides, patients might prepare a suitcase in advance of possible evacuation. Supplies at the ready typically include water, nonperishable food and battery-operated lamps, among other things. It’s also good for them to have their IDs and medical information in waterproof bags to include with their other items.

Depending on the patient’s needs, an evacuation could take place by way of a private vehicle or by ambulance. Conditions such as whether patients receive oxygen can affect how they are transported and where they take up temporary residence.

There are usually twists. Glamoclija says one client — a guy in his 90s on Palm Beach County’s southern coast — simply refused to leave with a hurricane coming. She pleaded with him personally. Police said they could not remove him forcibly from his home. The power went out for two hours, but he survived.

The majority of patients tend to fall toward the other end of the spectrum, worrying they might get cut off in the confusion.

Client considerations

Relocation is not limited to people in recommended, voluntary or mandatory evacuation zones, which typically denote high winds or a storm surge.

Just losing electric power can be a very big deal. Thanks to feeder bands, gusts and tornadoes, that can happen in places outside tidy cones or colored spaces on a forecast map.

No power almost certainly means the air conditioning goes out in sweltering conditions, except in a few places with powerful generators. It can also mean elevators don’t work, a serious issue for someone with limited mobility who may live, say, 15 stories up. Or it can be life threatening for someone relying on electrically powered medical equipment.

A big part of Glamoclija’s job involves staying in touch with patients’ families and loved ones, letting them know what is happening each step of the way during a relocation.

And once a storm has passed, the job is hardly wrapped up and done.

“We have the phone numbers for every building,” Glamoclija said. “Is your electricity back? Are your elevators working? Are there power lines down on the street?” 

The overarching goal remains the same.

“We’re trying to lift the worry and burden off them,” she said.

Larry Barszewski contributed to this story.

2025 hurricane details, forecast

• Season started June 1 and ends Nov. 30, with the heaviest storm activity expected from mid-August through October.

• Florida, the state with the highest risk, stands a 92% chance of encountering at least a tropical storm in 2025, and a 65% chance of a hurricane, according to experts from Colorado State University.

• AccuWeather predicts between 13 and 18 named storms in the Atlantic region. That includes seven to 10 hurricanes and three to five major hurricanes that reach Category 3 strength or higher (meaning wind speeds of at least 111 mph).

• The first storm names were Andrea and Barry (short-lived tropical storms that formed in June and have already  dissipated), to be followed by Chantal, Dexter and Erin.

Joy Howell of Delray Beach says many homebuyers new to the area are looking for larger, older homes that are move-in ready and have that something special about them. 'You don’t have a lot to pick from that are fully renovated, completely up to date, with tripped out designs, and yet, have character,' she says. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By John Pacenti

David Cooke, a real estate agent with Douglas Elliman, said for every billionaire who has moved operations to South Florida, there are highly paid professionals who followed in what he called the “tech migration.”

They are professionals with young children. They are sophisticated. And they are looking for unique homes that at least aesthetically capture the Old Florida charm and are renovated and are move-in ready, Cooke said, though in many cases Old Florida may be as young as the early 1980s.

“When I think of Delray and new construction, I think of white concrete houses with black windows. How many of those are going up right now?” Cooke said.

“There was a time when that was what everyone wanted. I feel we are in a place now where people appreciate the old and they want the character.”

This trend isn’t just in Delray Beach. It is being seen up and down Palm Beach County’s coast from Boca Raton to Jupiter, real estate professionals say.

“I am seeing buyers want more move-in ready homes as buyers are more price sensitive and don’t want to deal with renovations,” said Alex Mendel, the owner of Boca Raton’s Mendel Group.

“People still want new — but with character — and homes that still have that homey, you know, warm feeling. A lot of these new builds are ultra modern, a little bit of a colder side,” he said.

Cooke said Delray Beach’s Seagate neighborhood on the barrier island south of Casuarina Road is hot right now because the architecture and character of the homes eschew that bland monochrome aesthetic of brand new construction.

He pointed to a pristine home on Seagate Drive, built in 1950, that he said sold for $8.5 million. It has Mediterranean doorways and arched windows. He pointed to another Seagate Drive home on the market for $6.7 million that is fairly new but still has the aesthetic these buyers want.

“It was built in 2014, but if you look at that house, it could have been built in 1950 and updated,” Cooke said. “It’s full of charm.”

These buyers don’t want open floor plans, Cooke said. He said one client specifically said when he walks in the door he doesn’t want to see the kitchen.

They want walls.

“People who are moving here, they’ve got art collections. They want to hang that art. They don’t want to walk into their house and see dirty dishes, right?” he said.
Mendel concurred.

“I am also seeing walls coming back in style as we move away from a completely open floor plan and closed-off sections,” he said. “More so like a hybrid of open floor plans and closed-off sections.”

An example of this, he said, would be a kitchen separate from the living area or dining area — but still able to entertain or for a parent to keep an eye on the kids while preparing dinner.

Patrick and Kristen McCaughan are a perfect example of the type of prospective buyer that Cooke and Mendel are seeing more and more. The couple, who recently moved from Houston to North Palm Beach and have a toddler, are now looking at older homes in established neighborhoods.

“Florida real estate seems to like these big open spaces where the living, dining and kitchen are all together,” Kristen said. “I like to have walls.”

And the McCaughans are not looking for a fixer-upper.

“I’m willing to do some work if we need to do some bathrooms or this and that, but I’m not looking to have to rebuild a house,” she said. “Especially with, you know, with a young family and all of that.”

Cooke in May said he was encouraging the McCaughans to look at homes as far south as Delray Beach. “I would say they are open-minded,” he said.

Joy Howell, who is selling some Delray Beach properties she previously rented out, said she has seen the trend, as well, recalling one couple who said, “We want one that is not a big white box.”

“Let me say it this way: You don’t have a lot to pick from that are fully renovated, completely up to date, with tripped out designs, and yet, have character.”

They also need to have space, she said.

The homes in the Seagate neighborhood mentioned by Cooke sported as much as 5,000 square feet.

Ken Johnson, a former Florida Atlantic University professor who recently became the Christie Kirkland Walker Chair of Real Estate at the University of Mississippi, called the market a toss-up on whether it favors buyers or sellers. But he said there is a niche market for older homes.

“It doesn’t matter if it’s a 200-year-old property in Boston versus a 100-year-old property in Atlanta, Georgia, versus a 50-year-old property in Delray,” Johnson said.

“There are people who like that nostalgic look, and they’re going to have the old tortoise shell shutters on their windows when there’s a risk of a hurricane, and there’s going to be the bright colors and the hardwood floors or the terrazzo tile that’s huge in that area.” 

Readers selected Delray Beach as the ‘Best Beach in Florida’ for the second consecutive year in USA Today’s 2025 10 Best Readers’ Choice Awards. Photo provided 

By Christine Davis

Delray Beach was named for the second consecutive year as the “Best Beach in Florida” in USA Today’s 2025 10 Best Readers’ Choice Awards. 

To determine the winner, a panel selected a short list of Florida’s finest beaches, and the public was then invited to vote daily for their favorite destination, with voting concluding on May 19.

“We’re thrilled — but not surprised — that Delray Beach has earned this recognition again,” said Laura Simon, executive director of the Delray Beach Downtown Development Authority.

Added Stephanie Immelman, CEO of the Greater Delray Beach Chamber of Commerce: “In Delray Beach, the beach is just the beginning. Our internationally recognized Blue Flag beach is complemented by a walkable downtown full of unique restaurants, local boutiques and inspiring art galleries. With year-round events and a welcoming, engaged community, Delray Beach is the kind of place people fall in love with — and keep coming back to.”

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Two Florida cities were named All-America for 2025 — and Delray Beach is not one of them. 

The city, one of 20 finalists in the annual National Civic League competition, sent a delegation to Denver to present the city’s case over the June 28-29 weekend, led by Vice Mayor Rob Long and City Manager Terrence Moore.

Delray Beach lost out to Tallahassee and Port St. Lucie — and eight other cities across the country. Delray Beach had previously won the honor in 1993, 2001 and 2017. 

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1140 S Ocean LLC, managed by homebuilder Joseph G. Farrell Jr. of West Palm Beach-based Farrell Cos., sold the ocean-to-Intracoastal estate at 1140 S. Ocean Blvd., Manalapan, for $55.5 million to a company linked to WeatherTech founder and CEO David F. MacNeil.

Farrell bought the 1.6-acre property for $32.5 million in January 2024, then built the 13-bedroom, 23,400-square-foot home with a guesthouse, two pools, a pickleball court, a gym and a dock on the Intracoastal Waterway. It was listed for sale in August 2024 for $95 million. 

A note: In May 2024, MacNeil’s Whiskey Tango 1120 LLC bought the adjacent home at 1120 S. Ocean Blvd. for $38.5 million.

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The five-bedroom, 8,370-square-foot estate at 1788 Royal Palm Way in the Royal Palm Yacht & Country Club, Boca Raton, sold for $31.5 million. The Intracoastal Waterway property belonged to the late Barbara M. Voorhees, with Candace Clark as personal representative.

The new owner is listed as the 1788 Royal Palm Way Land Trust, with Jeffrey D. Fisher as trustee. Douglas Elliman agent Louise Buehler represented the seller, with David W. Roberts of Royal Palm Properties representing the buyer. 

The home, built on a 0.74-acre lot in 2014, last traded for $16.75 million in 2020.

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Andrew Charles Wilkins, a managing partner of Atlantic Street Capital Management LLC, sold his four-bedroom, 4,344-square-foot Bermuda-style estate at 3809 Bermuda Lane in Gulf Stream for $8.5 million in May.

The new owner is Jason K. Peterson, trustee of the Peterson Trust. The home sits on a 0.94-acre lot. Pascal Liguori Estate Group represented the seller and Cole Devitt of Premier Estate Properties represented the buyer.

Wilkins bought the property in 2018 for $3.6 million. The home was originally listed in October 2023 for $12 million. 

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The eight townhomes of Casa Avenida offer private elevators, second-floor terraces with pool/spa, and much more. Photo provided 

Casa Avenida, a collection of eight four-story townhomes at 102 SE Fifth Ave., Delray Beach, is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2027.

Developed by 4TRO Development and Kastelo Development and designed by RWB-Linares Architecture, the townhomes range in size from 2,804 to 3,336 square feet, with prices starting around $3 million. 

Each unit features a private elevator, two-car garage, second-floor terrace with a pool/spa and a fourth-floor terrace with an outdoor kitchen and bonus room. The townhomes are exclusively offered for sale by TJ Verdiglione and Nicole Melveney of the GVC Real Estate Team at Douglas Elliman.

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Delray Beach-based Festival Management Group named Jennifer Costello as its executive director in June. 

With more than 20 years of experience at the company, Costello started as a school group volunteer, moving up to ultimately serve as associate director assisting one of the founders, Nancy Stewart-Franczak, who died in April. 

Costello is also a retired neighborhood planner with the city of Delray Beach. 

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Boca Raton-based HairClub, a company that offers hair-loss products and treatments, appointed Boca Raton resident Ahmad M. Wardak as its new president and chief executive officer.

Wardak joined the company in September 2022 as chief sales and marketing officer. He later rose to chief financial officer, and then to president/chief operating officer. HairClub credits Wardak with returning the company to profitability after five consecutive years of operating losses.

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The Tinka Ellington Group recently joined Compass, operating out of the Compass office at 101 N. Federal Highway, Boca Raton. Tinka Ellington and her team of seven agents specialize in coastal and waterfront properties in areas that include Lighthouse Point, Boca Raton, Pompano Beach, Highland Beach, Delray Beach and Deerfield Beach. 

Previously at 444 E. Palmetto Park Road, Boca Raton, the team has garnered more than $254 million in sales volume and offers 25 years of combined experience. 

“The team structure Compass offers is most useful for our future growth plans in addition to the brokerage’s superior technology and innovative services, which will greatly benefit our clients,” Ellington said. 

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The League of Women Voters of Palm Beach County is hosting a free online discussion with Barbara Cheives titled “Backslide/Backlash: Where Do We Go from Here?” on July 16 from noon to 1 p.m. Cheives is president and CEO of Converge & Associates Consulting. The talk will assess the future of affirmative action and similar initiatives.

Her consulting expertise includes law enforcement and public safety, not-for-profit organizations, media, education and corporations. She served as the first executive director of Toward a More Perfect Union in Palm Beach County, and she is a past chair of the Palm Beach County Criminal Justice Commission. She also served on former West Palm Beach Mayor Jeri Muoio’s transition team. 

Register at lwvpbc.org.

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Several growing startups recently joined Global Ventures’ incubator program at the Research Park at Florida Atlantic University to expand their businesses in the United States. Global Ventures offers flexible work spaces, access to university resources, investor connections and expert guidance. 

The new startups are: MyWayv, an Israeli company that uses artificial intelligence to provide emotional and mental health support; Enetsec, a Brazilian-founded startup that uses digital forensics to fight cybercrime; PayPhone App, an Ecuadorian-founded financial tech firm that facilitates mobile payments; FocusSafe, a U.S. and Argentina company that uses education technology software to help schools improve classroom focus and campus safety; and Totaligent, an AI-powered digital marketing platform across email, text, social media and online ads.

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Delray Beach resident Linda Cavasini opened H2Oasis Shampoo Bed Spa, 1325 N. Federal Highway, Suite 122, Delray Beach. With nearly 40 years of hairdressing expertise from here and New York City, Cavasini offers her clients professional classic haircuts, blow-dries, and scalp treatments, all designed to be more than a standard salon visit. She can be reached at 561-389‑4750.

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Delray Beach Housing Authority’s Delray Housing Group Inc. won the Housing Leadership Council of Palm Beach County’s 2025 Nonprofit of the Year award for Island Cove, an affordable housing community. 

Island Cove, at 900 SW 12th Ave., consists of 60 apartments for eligible families earning below 70% of the median income in the area. The endeavor was a partnership among Smith & Henzy Group, the Delray Housing Group, and Delray Beach Housing Authority.

“The Island Cove project was an immense success in providing affordable housing for the residents we serve in Delray Beach,” said Shirley Erazo, president and CEO of Delray Beach Housing Authority/Delray Housing Group. “We continue to strive for more opportunities for housing. Our commitment is our mission to provide working families a place to call home by providing them with affordable housing opportunities.” 

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

By Mary Hladky

Boca Raton officials said they intended to make it quicker and simpler to park at three city beaches.

But their proposed changes caused widespread confusion and anger, prompting Mayor Scott Singer to pull the matter from the June 10 City Council agenda.

Delaying a council vote, he said on Facebook, would give city staff time to explain its recommendations and to provide additional information to residents.

The city simply is proposing to upgrade its parking technology, he said. Annual beach parking permits will remain and there will be no change to the cost of those permits or the daily parking rates paid by non-permit holders.

That’s not what residents thought when they learned about the changes. Many believed that the parking permits for Spanish River, Red Reef and South Beach parks were being eliminated.

Those permits cost $85 for city residents and those within the Greater Boca Raton Beach and Park District who live outside the city limits. The daily flat parking rate for non-permit holders driving cars, motorcycles and minivans is $35 on weekdays and $50 on weekends.

Many residents also complained that the changes would reduce their access to beach parking in favor of nonresidents by allowing for hourly parking. They said that would make the spaces more desirable to out-of-towners, who otherwise would have to pay the higher-priced daily rate. That is not the case, city officials said.

“We understand the importance of ensuring enough beach parking for residents,” Singer said in his Facebook post.

At the heart of the misunderstandings is a memo from City Manager George Brown to council members seeking their authorization to establish a parking meter zone — and to authorize the installation of parking meters — for the three beachside parks.

Residents inferred that meant parking meters would be installed and the parking permits would be eliminated.

They also thought they would not get a sticker each year showing they are permit-holders, prompting residents to plead for keeping the sticker system.

It is true that, if the changes are made, residents no longer will have to come to city offices each year to collect the sticker that they show when entering beach parking lots. But city officials see that as a convenience and say it will no longer be necessary to show one if the new parking system is installed.

The city is trying to make the system better by using modern parking technology, officials said. If the city’s plans proceed, meters that use license plate recognition technology will be installed. It would be akin to those used by parking apps such as ParkMobile.

Park users would no longer have to stop at a gatehouse. Instead, they would simply drive in and park. The technology would recognize who is a permit-holder and who is not.

Those without permits would be charged the daily parking rate, officials said.

The idea is to reduce the time beachgoers spend waiting in line at the gatehouses, improve convenience and allow gatehouse staff to be moved into other roles.

Establishing a parking meter zone would be an administrative first step that would allow the other changes to be made, although details are still being worked out.

But that’s on hold for now. The City Council will discuss the proposed changes at a meeting later this summer. 

Though it wasn’t yet July, Boca Helping Hands spent the final $40,000 it budgeted for food purchases in 2025 on 38,000 pounds of canned goods — about a six-day supply — to fill empty shelves at its warehouse.

The organization, like many similar nonprofits, is dealing with higher food prices, government cutbacks and fewer donations.

‘This food isn’t going to last long,’ Executive Director Andrew Hagen said. ‘This is an unusual circumstance because our normal food sources have dried up.’

Hagen hopes to encourage more donations from private groups and individuals.

ABOVE: Boca Helping Hands employees and volunteers unload the truck delivery from Pennsylvania.
Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Rich Pollack

Highland Beach leaders appear to be on track to keep the property tax rate for the coming fiscal year at the same level it has been for the last three years, even though they plan to spend more than $6.6 million on capital projects including a town-wide sewer lining initiative.

“This year’s theme is a focus on capital projects,” said Finance Director David DiLena.

The proposed budget for fiscal year 2026 that starts Oct. 1 will come in at just more than $32.5 million, an increase of about $4.5 million over the current year’s estimated $28 million.

About 75% of the town’s revenue will come from property tax dollars, an expected $14.1 million or a 6.8% increase over the current year. The town’s proposed budget holds its tax rate at a combined rate of $3.58 per $1,000 of assessed value.

If that rate is approved, a home with a taxable value of $500,000 would pay about $1,790 in property taxes to Highland Beach. The proposed tax rate includes an operating millage of $3.41 per $1,000 and a debt service millage of 17.1 cents per $1,000.

Overall property values in the town increased from about $3.8 billion last fiscal year to $4.1 billion, according to preliminary figures from the Palm Beach County Property Appraiser’s Office. That means that while the tax rate remains stable, most property owners could see an increase in the amount of tax money paid to the town.

To help cover the cost of the capital projects, which also include building a dock for the town’s police boat and reconstruction of the old fire station, the town is pledging more than $428,000 from reserves.

But Town Manager Marshall Labadie said he anticipates not having to take all of those funds from reserves and may even be able to cover all capital costs without taking any money from the reserves, depending on a few outstanding variables including health care costs.

The town’s overall reserve funds remain strong at more than $8.7 million, with an unassigned reserve fund of more than $2.8 million. Helping to bolster the reserves is the addition of $833,000 unspent from the current year’s budget.

The town’s general fund, which covers the cost of running the town’s departments including police and fire rescue, is expected to increase by about 5.6% in the next fiscal year, or about $1 million, and will come in at about $19.5 million.

Public safety makes up about 63% of the general fund expenses, with fire and police each costing just over $6 million.

The proposed budget also reflects an increase in water and sewer rates of about 5%, while the building department fund anticipates a reduction in permit fees of about 12%.

An estimated $675,000 from the water fund will be used for capital improvements while another $2.15 million from the sewer fund will be used for capital projects, including the sewer lining.

An estimated $706,000 from the building fund will cover capital projects including roof repairs.

Labadie said the proposed budget includes capital projects that the commission has identified as priorities during its strategic planning.

“It’s a true reflection of our values as a commission,” he said. 

Boca Raton will receive $32 million as the result of the nationwide settlement of a class-action lawsuit against the manufacturers of so-called “forever chemicals” that are in tap water.

The city was one of a number of cities in South Florida — Delray Beach is getting $15 million — and in other states that had sued manufacturers of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl, or PFAS, which are linked to a variety of health problems including thyroid disease, liver damage, some cancers, weakened immunity and reduced fertility in women.

In addition to tap water, the chemicals are in a wide variety of products, including non-stick pans, carpets, clothing, cosmetics and pizza boxes. They have been present for decades.

Boca Raton will receive $29 million from 3M and $3 million from DuPont. The city retained the Ferraro Law Firm of Miami in 2023 to join in the litigation.

The settlement funds will be used to help pay for the construction of a new $55 million water treatment system that will remove more of the chemicals from the water. The city’s current system already removes some of them.

Even so, the city says that tap water is safe to drink and complies with current federal standards.

The city does not anticipate a water rate increase after the construction is completed in about 2031.

— Mary Hladky

Aspiring lifeguards at the city of Boca Raton’s Junior Lifeguard Summer Camp wait out a passing storm by moving from the beach and competing to see who can hang onto the monkey bars the longest. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Mary Hladky

Peggy Gossett-Seidman calls it the “sad little orphan fountain.”

Lovely but modest, it sits within a roundabout on Camino Real in front of the main entrance to The Boca Raton.

The fountain came to the attention of Gossett-Seidman, a Republican state representative whose district includes Boca Raton, earlier this year when she was speaking with constituents who live nearby.

“Many, many dozens of people said, ‘What is happening with that fountain,’” she said. They thought it was in poor condition and needed attention.

So Gossett-Seidman made it her mission to find out what can be done to improve it.

“It is my new pet project because truly it can use an uplift and maybe renovations and repair,” she said.

Thousands of vehicles a day use the roundabout, which also opens to the Camino Real bridge to the barrier island and the Royal Palm Yacht and Country Club.

Gossett-Seidman’s efforts began with some sleuthing to find out who owns the fountain and is responsible for its upkeep.

Gossett-Seidman learned from Susan Gillis, curator at the Boca Raton Historical Society, that the fountain was in place in 1930. Gillis has photographs documenting that.

But famed architect Addison Mizner, who opened the Cloister Inn within what is now The Boca Raton in 1926, was not responsible for building it, Gillis said. Possibly the Cloister Inn’s second owner, Clarence Geist, built the fountain.

After ascertaining that Camino Real is a county road, Gossett-Seidman enlisted Palm Beach County Commissioner Marci Woodward, whose district includes Boca Raton, to help her find answers.

“It’s an interesting dig into history,” Woodward said.

Woodward learned that the resort has paid for the fountain’s water and electric usage for years. The reason for that is not yet clear.

She and Gossett-Seidman also have yet to learn who owns the fountain or who is responsible for its upkeep.

Even though facts are in short supply for now, Gossett-Seidman and Woodward are agreed that they should come up with a plan to improve the fountain and to find a source of funding for that project.

“Everyone wants to see it improved,” Gossett-Seidman said. “Marci and I are making sure we get all of the people together.”

“I think the appetite is there to make something better,” Woodward said.

The resort also is on board.

“We plan to participate in whatever is going to happen with the fountain,” said Sara Geen Hill, executive director of communications and brand management. “It is in front of our main entrance. We want to make sure it is beautiful.”

Now is the time to do that, Gossett-Seidman and Woodward said. That’s because the city is celebrating its 100th birthday this year. The resort’s centennial is next year.

“This fountain seems a good way to memorialize the whole era in Boca Raton,” Woodward said.

How much it will cost to do that depends on how extensive the renovation is.

Both agree that the fountain is not in terrible shape, so improvements may not cost a lot.

“I don’t think it would be a large project to fund,” Woodward said. “It is not like it is in disrepair. It could use a little love, sprucing up.”

The county and state might be willing to help, they said.

Gossett-Seidman said she may be able to get a state appropriation or grant funding since the project would involve historical preservation.

County funding also is possible because the County Commission designated Camino Real from the Intracoastal Waterway to Dixie Highway as a historic district in 1997, Gillis said.

Gossett-Seidman thinks the stars are aligned on the project.

“I have had nothing but positive response all around,” she said. “I am very grateful to everyone for helping me out.”

The fountain is a worthwhile cause, she added. “It is a little jewel.” 

Boca Raton is moving three historically notable homes from their location at 498 Crawford Blvd. The buildings are (l-r) Singing Pines, the Ricketts House and the Rickards House. Staff photo

By Mary Hladky

The historic Singing Pines Children’s Museum building soon will be moving to a new location.

The home, the second oldest in Boca Raton that still exists, will be relocated to Meadows Park in September.

Two other historically notable homes will be moved at that same time. The Rickards house also is going to Meadows Park, at 1300 NW Eighth St. The Ricketts house will go to the Boca Raton Cemetery and Mausoleum at 451 SW Fourth Ave.

The project will cost the city $4.2 million.

All three have been at 498 Crawford Blvd., on the city’s downtown government campus, for years. The city originally decided to move them to make way for a new building administration and code enforcement building.

Since then, the city has entered into a public-private partnership with Terra and Frisbie Group to redevelop the 30-acre downtown campus. Plans for the new city building now are on hold and the city will be moving some existing recreation facilities off-site to free up space for its new downtown campus vision.

The relocation of the now-closed children’s museum was controversial, with the city’s Historic Preservation Board saying the city should not “shove it in a park that nobody uses.”

The City Council overruled the board, after city staff said that when the city designated the building as historic in 1988, it was not because of its location. The current site is not the original one.

The museum building was built in 1913 or 1914 at 301 SE First Ave. by William Myrick on property purchased from Henry Flagler’s Model Land Co.

The museum opened in 1979 but closed in 2019 as operational costs increased. The COVID-19 pandemic stalled efforts to reopen it.

The Rickards house, built in the 1890s by the city’s first settler, Thomas Moore Rickards, looks like the original that was once located on Palmetto Park Road. But it was completely rebuilt and so has less historical importance.

The Ricketts house was built in 1940 and became the real estate office for developer Arvida Corp., founded by Arthur Vining Davis. It is planned to be placed on the southeast portion of the cemetery property along Southwest Third Avenue.

If no problems crop up, the relocation project, including landscaping, will be completed in January. 

By Mary Hladky

Eighty-one candidates have thrown their hats in the ring to become Boca Raton’s next city manager, with the recruitment firm hired by the city recommending that eight be considered semifinalists.

City Council members likely will decide on July 15 which ones they want to interview. The interviews will take place on Aug. 12 and they could select one that day.

The recruitment firm Mercer Group Associates had recommended the city speed up its selection process, concerned that high-quality candidates might accept other offers.

The successful candidate will replace George Brown, who has served for 43 years with city. He was promoted to the top job on Jan. 1, 2024, after 21 years as deputy city manager.

Two of the top candidates are high-ranking city employees.

Jorge Camejo is a former executive director of the Community Redevelopment Agency, which oversees the downtown, and director of development services who became executive director of the Hollywood CRA before rejoining the city earlier this year as a deputy city manager.

Jim Zervis was hired by the city in 2024 as chief financial officer. He was promoted to deputy city manager earlier this year but retained his financial title. He previously served as chief administrative officer for Kern County in central California, which at the time had a $3.5 billion budget. He also has held high-ranking roles in other cities and counties.

Two other candidates from Florida are Shaun Gayle, Miramar’s assistant city manager, who also has held other titles in that city since she was hired in 2014; and Treasa Brown Stubbs, Lauderdale Lakes’ city manager, who similarly held other titles with the city since joining it in 2004.

The others are:

• Sonia Alves-Viveiros, now city manager/business administrator for the township of Edison, New Jersey, and formerly city manager in Englewood and city manager for the township of Maplewood, both in New Jersey;
• Harry Black, currently a fellow at the National Academy of Public Administration in Washington, D.C., and formerly city manager of Stockton, California, founder and general manager of Maximus Management Group in Cincinnati, and Cincinnati city manager;
• Eric Brackins, assistant city manager of Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, and formerly city manager of Norris, Tennessee, and budget analyst for the Louisville, Kentucky, finance department;
• J. David Fraser, interim county manager of Adams County, Colorado, and formerly executive director of the Wyoming Association of Municipalities, city manager of Boulder, Colorado, and executive director of the Nevada League of Cities and Municipalities. 

By Mary Hladky

The Boca Raton City Council has rejected a special magistrate’s non-binding recommendation that would have cleared the way for a landowner to fill in largely submerged property along the Intracoastal Waterway so that it can be developed.

The case involves William Swaim, who has made many efforts in South Florida, including in Ocean Ridge, to reclaim submerged land. Such land has become attractive because almost all highly valuable waterfront property already has been developed.

Swaim acquired the 4-acre Boca Raton property at 3000 NE Eighth Ave. in 2019 and has said it would be worth $43 million if filled in for development.

In 2024, the city’s Public Works and Engineering director, Zachary Bihr, spotted a truck dumping fill material on the property — on the mainland side of the Intracoastal across from the south end of Spanish River Park — even though Swaim did not have permits to do so. He was issued a stop work order and a notice of city code violation.

Swaim then filed for permits to clear and fill in the property, according to case documents, but the city found many deficiencies in the permit applications.

Swaim asked for a special magistrate to hear the matter under the Florida Land Use and Environmental Dispute Resolution Act.

On May 16, Special Magistrate Mark Bentley, a Tampa attorney agreed to by both sides, concluded that the city had acted inappropriately. In two examples, the magistrate said the city had “effectively frustrated (Swaim’s) efforts” by not responding to his permit applications for more than 100 days after he filed for them and by “constant ‘moving the goalposts.’”

The magistrate determined that the city’s code enforcement order unreasonably burdened Swaim and recommended that the order be nullified, that the city issue the permits and, if it did not, that the city purchase the property at an amount based on the land being filled in.

In response, the city strenuously denied that it had done anything improper. The special magistrate’s conclusion that Swaim was unreasonably burdened was “based on numerous erroneous factual and legal conclusions,” its pleading states. In another instance, the city said the findings were “factually and legally incorrect.”

The matter landed before the City Council on June 10 when City Manager George Brown recommended that the city reject the special magistrate’s recommendation.

Swaim’s attorney, Hope Calhoun, argued against that action.

“This project owner just wants to get on developing his property and have the permits requested issued,” she said. “We are just trying to get this property to a space that can be developed as it should be.”

Swaim said the property was “high and dry” until the mid-1950s when the soil on it was illegally removed by a neighboring property owner.

Council member Andy Thomson suggested it might “make sense” to postpone the vote so that council members could meet in a closed-door executive session to discuss the matter and consider a settlement.

Council member Marc Wigder and Mayor Scott Singer were willing to hold an executive session, but wanted to proceed with a vote.

City Attorney Joshua Koehler said the council could vote and hold the executive session later.

The council rejected the special magistrate’s recommendation by a vote of 4-1, with Thomson dissenting.

Swaim and Calhoun did not respond to questions from The Coastal Star about what action Swaim might take in response.

By Steve Plunkett

The Florida Department of Transportation will add buffered bike lanes to 1.3 miles of Federal Highway in downtown Boca Raton and create a new mid-block pedestrian crossing by Mizner Park just south of Plaza Real.

In a June 4 informational meeting at the Downtown Library, state officials outlined their plans for the estimated $5.5 million project, which is scheduled to start next summer and finish in the fall of 2027.

Federal Highway will lose one traffic lane each way — from three lanes to two — from Camino Real to Southeast Fifth Street/Southeast Mizner Boulevard to make room for 11-foot-wide paved sidewalks and 5-foot-wide bike lanes. 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.

From Southeast Fifth to Northeast Eighth Street/Northeast Mizner Boulevard — already only two lanes in each direction — construction crews will widen the roadway into part of the median to make room for the buffered bike lanes on the outside. A concrete wall will separate bicycles and traffic. The vehicle lanes will shrink from 11 feet wide to 10 feet 11 inches on the outside lane and only 10 feet on the inside. Sidewalks will remain 6 feet wide.

“I’m very, very excited to see the city’s first [improved] sidewalk and bicycle lanes that are going to go in. That’s going to be monumental. And I appreciate it and hope to see more of that within the city,” said Deputy Mayor Fran Nachlas, who attended the meeting.

Also in the plan are milling and resurfacing Federal Highway, drainage modifications and replacing the mast arm that holds the traffic signals on the east side of the Camino Real intersection.

The northbound Federal Highway left turn at East Camino Real will be modified from a single left turn lane to dual left turn lanes.

Throughout the project, signs and pavement markings will be upgraded to meet current standards and increase reflectivity, and green pavement markings will be added to enhance safety at bicycle-vehicular conflict areas, FDOT officials said.

The new midblock crossing south of Plaza Real will get upgraded decorative light poles to increase illumination.

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

By John Pacenti

Accusations that rocked the Delray Beach apparatchik for weeks came to an end June 27 when an independent investigator found the claim by a recently hired director that her job was threatened by Vice Mayor Rob Long to be “unsubstantiated.”

Still, the investigator — attorney Brooke Ehrlich — found plenty of room for improvement, recommending City Manager Terrence Moore stop his practice of conference calls with city employees and individual commissioners. She also recommended that commissioners stop directly contacting city directors — and, if they do, ensure the city attorney or internal auditor is on the line.

In the meantime and before the investigation’s conclusion, the center of the storm — Rodney Mayo, lightning rod restaurant and coffee shop owner — decided to pour gasoline over the already raging fire by releasing a scathing email that blasted the director who leveled the complaint: Jeri Pryor, the neighborhood and community services director who also oversees code enforcement.

The report redacts Pryor’s name, but The Coastal Star previously identified her as the complainant, citing a leaked document.

Pryor accused City Manager Terrence Moore and Long of telling her in a Feb. 20 conference call to “stand down” on code enforcement for Mayo’s Subculture coffee shop and his restaurant Dada.  She said they “threatened her employment,” according to the report.

Moore and Long react

The 52-page report — obtained by The Coastal Star July 1 through a public records request — also found “unsubstantiated” Pryor’s complaint that Moore directed her to go soft on businesses represented by the Downtown Development Authority.

“With the conclusion of this investigation, the City remains committed to fostering a respectful and supportive work environment,” Moore said in a July 1 statement.

“We look forward to strengthening leadership within Neighborhood and Community Services and across all departments to ensure positive, productive relationships both internally and in service to our community.”

Long emailed a statement, saying the complaint called his integrity into question.

“The report also raises legitimate concerns about the reliability of the complainant’s account. She waited two months to raise her complaint, never brought her concerns to her direct supervisor, and acknowledged that her decision to file was shaped by prior trauma in a different workplace,” Long said.

“Those factors, combined with the absence of corroborating evidence and the consistent accounts of multiple witnesses, speak for themselves. I’m grateful that the facts are now on the record.”

Pryor, when she was working as chief of staff for Fort Lauderdale Commissioner Warren Sturman, filed a complaint against Commissioner Steve Glassman there for using an expletive in her presence on Jan. 9, 2024. Pryor accused Glassman of “violent, hostile and aggressive behavior.”

The investigator ended up recommending that the Fort Lauderdale City Commission adopt a code of conduct, but concluded that Glassman’s comments did not constitute harassment or bullying.

Pryor did not return a phone call for comment.

Not a whistleblower

At times, the report flies far afield from the central complaint to address Pryor’s numerous accusations.

There are pages delving into alleged bad behavior by a developer subject to a noise complaint and how Pryor felt undermined by Moore and Deputy City Manager Jeff Oris at the April 22 commission meeting when commissioners inquired about code violations by Subculture on Northeast Sixth Avenue.

The meandering report was released to The Coastal Star without any supportive documentation or addendums — such as Pryor’s original complaint and her supporting material.

It also made another significant finding: Pryor was not considered a whistleblower. Pryor had claimed protection under the state law, stating that Long and Moore violated the city’s charter by telling her to engage in “selective enforcement.”

“Whether or not (Pryor) engaged in a protected disclosure is unnecessary to examine in this matter, given that ultimately, no adverse employment action has been taken by the City against (Pryor) since the time her disclosure was made,” Ehrlich found.

The phone call

Pryor was hired in January and Moore said he felt the phone call was more of an introduction between her and Long.

Long said he felt the phone call was cordial.

Both men denied putting any pressure on Pryor to go easy on Mayo’s establishments but said the conversation may have addressed prioritizing “big” code violations, rather than “small” ones.

Dada had been cited for using an A-frame sign, which is prohibited by the city.

Pryor, though, said Long yelled at her and threatened her employment.

“I’m telling you right now, lay off of them, just lay off of them,” Pryor claimed Long said. “This person [Mr. Mayo] has been in business for 25 years. You need to leave them alone. This is just a small issue.”

Long disputes that, saying: “The conversation at the center of this investigation was described consistently by both myself and Mr. Moore as brief, professional, and focused on broader goals such as education, voluntary compliance, and rebuilding trust in Code Enforcement.”

Ehlrich’s report claims that Moore and Long contradict each other, but then goes off on an unrelated tangent. At most, the two men’s accounts have insignificant differences.

Commissioner Juli Casale said there had been at least one other incident of Long — her political nemesis on the dais — yelling at a city director.

“The report ignores the fact that this is not the only recent incident of this nature, involving the same city commissioner,” she said. “I am inclined to believe the city employee who had no reason to falsely report the incident and immediately documented it verbally and in writing.”

Long said he doesn't know of any other email from a director making a complaint about him. "I virtually never speak to our directors unless Terrence is present and I have absolutely never disrespected, bullied or given specific directions to them. Any aspersions to the contrary are more politically motivated lies," he said.

Mayo on the attack

Mayo certainly didn’t sit on the sidelines when his businesses were brought into the fray.

He unleashed a June 17 email — at 3:14 a.m., no less — to Delray Beach commissioners, blasting Pryor. Mayo entitled his email, “The Jeri Pryor Dossier — politics is ugly and inept!”

“Can anyone on the Commission or city staff justify the newly hired head of community services Jeri Pryor?” Mayo wrote. “Was there any due diligence, background checks or concern of Mrs. Pryor's past job performance and strange anomalies? Is this the best hire the city of Delray can offer its residents?”

Mayo attached documents that showed poor performance reviews and Pryor’s previous complaint against the Fort Lauderdale commissioner.

“Our staff work hard. They deserve to be protected from persistent offenders when they are merely doing their job,” Casale said at the June 17 meeting.

Moore and Mayor Tom Carney also criticized Mayo’s email as inappropriate.

Mayo said he is concerned his coffee shop has been unfairly targeted for having modest events.

“I had to cancel our chess club, comedy night, open mic night, poetry readings. Everything has been canceled in Delray because I was told I'm going to get another $3,500 violation if I do it.”

When asked why he went on the offensive with the email, Mayo said he is being singled out and targeted for political reasons.

He said Long was going to have his wedding reception at Dada because the commissioner met his fiancée there. But Long cancelled because of the uproar with Subculture and the whistleblower complaint. “He was going to pay full price, no discount,” Mayo said.

“The whole whistleblower thing was about Subculture and me and that started with Jeri and since then, I’ve had nonstop violations, inspections,” Mayo said. “I’ve been scrutinized to the nth degree.”

From storms to blazes to parades, this firefighter on wheels served community for much of a century

ABOVE: Old Betsy was new to Boca Raton in 1926 when the station was at Old Town Hall. Photo provided by the Boca Raton Historical Society 

BELOW: Betsy now resides at Fire Station No. 3 on State Road A1A near Palmetto Park Road. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Ron Hayes

Boca Raton’s oldest fire engine turns 100 next April, but it’s been “Old Betsy” from the day it was born.

On Oct. 21, 1925, the Boca Raton Town Council approved a check for $1,000, the down payment on a $12,500 engine to be built by the American LaFrance Fire Engine Co. of Elmira, New York.

It would be 20 feet 1 inch long, 6 feet 2½ inches wide, and 9 feet 1 inch tall.

It would weigh 9,050 pounds, minus the firemen, hose and water.

It would pump 750 gallons per minute.

It would be unloaded at the town’s railroad station on April 20, 1926, to the delight of elementary school children excused from class to watch.

And it would be called Old Betsy.

•

Why not Old Nancy? Old Mary? Old Sue?

“Old Betsy meant reliable,” says Thomas Wood, who retired in December 2021 after 15 years as the city’s eighth fire chief. “All fire engines are Old Betsy. 

“We know of at least 10 other departments that have an Old Betsy.”

Venice, Florida, has an Old Betsy, and so does Stockton, California.

Davy Crockett fans may wonder if the nickname was borrowed from that other Old Betsy, Crockett’s fabled rifle, but no connection has been established.

Except of course that both rifle and fire engine were famously reliable.

Old Betsy the fire engine was already 48 and retired from active duty when Wood joined the department in June 1974. Now in his own retirement, Wood has been studying the century-long history of Fire Engine No. 1, and on June 11, he shared that history with a full house at a Town Hall Talk in the Schmidt Boca Raton History Museum (the city’s Old Town Hall).

•

“Our first two fire chiefs were volunteers,” he said.

Guy Bender served from 1925 to 1934, and Clifford Purdom from 1934 to 1946.

In fact, the entire department consisted of volunteers, and they were paid more in respect and gratitude than money.

The chief was paid $150 a year, the assistant chief $8 a month, and the volunteer firemen $4 per fire and $2 for each drill they attended.

The first paid chief was John F. Loughery (1946-1964), who painted Old Betsy white to match his white hair.

During its almost 100 years, Old Betsy has been painted white, red, white, and finally red again, Wood said.

•

ABOVE: After the 1926 hurricane, Old Betsy responded to a hotel fire in Hollywood and pumped flood water for more than 100 hours. Photo provided by the Boca Raton Historical Society

The engine had been in service five months when it worked its first big job.

In September 1926, a Category 4 hurricane struck South Florida, killing more than 370 people in Miami and Moore Haven. Old Betsy responded to a hotel fire in Hollywood and pumped flood water for more than 100 hours.

It was not Old Betsy’s last encounter with a killer storm.

On Aug. 24, 1992, while Betsy was being restored in a barn down in Homestead, Hurricane Andrew roared through South Florida.

The man restoring the engine was able to move it to a warehouse in Florida City before the 165-mph winds hit.

“When we went down to see the damage later,” Wood recalled, “the tarpaper roof had been torn off the warehouse and the top panel of the garage door was blown in. We borrowed a ladder and looked over the top and were able to see Old Betsy was fine.”

Old Betsy fought its last major fire at 10:36 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 16, 1967, when hot tar set the roof of the San Remo’s Villa Verona ablaze, under construction at the time.

A workman was trapped on the roof when the city’s tallest ladder couldn’t reach the top of the five-story building. A smaller ladder had to be raised from a balcony below.

•

Old Betsy was more than 40 years old, and retired from active duty the following year, to be rewarded with the honor all Old Betsys receive: fire department competitions and holiday parades.
At the Tampa Fire Department’s 1995 centennial celebration, it won Best Restored To Original and first place in the balloon race for breaking balloons with its hose.
For the city’s residents, Old Betsy’s appearance at the holiday parade became an annual tradition — and for one in particular, a final bow.
Among the first volunteers to join the new department was Francis M. Thomason, only 19 when he volunteered in 1927. You can see him standing, third from the right, in a photo of Old Betsy taken that August.

•

He served as a firefighter until the early 1950s and, years later, when The Boca Raton News asked him to recall the most memorable fire he had ever fought, Thomason didn’t hesitate.

“My house!”

One evening when his house caught fire, he ran over to the City Hall, which also served as the fire station, and drove Old Betsy home to put out the fire.
Thomason rode one last time on Old Betsy in the city’s 1995 holiday parade and died on Sept. 4, 1997. He was 89, and Old Betsy was 71.

•

That 1995 parade was Old Betsy’s last appearance in the holiday parade.
On Nov. 1, 2001, Old Betsy was added to the National Register of Historic Places. In 2024, a state historic marker was unveiled outside Boca Raton Fire Rescue Station No. 3 — Old Betsy’s current home — on State Road A1A south of Palmetto Park Road. 

More than 60 people attended retired Fire Chief Thomas Wood’s talk about Betsy in June. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

Old Betsy is almost 100 years old, after all, and not the spry young firefighter that arrived in 1926, exciting the local school children.
“It’s missing a water pump, and has a cracked head,” Wood said, “so it hasn’t run in several years. We’ve found a company in Pennsylvania that manufactures the parts to either repair or replace the head.”
Repairs would cost less than $10,000, Wood estimated.
“I spoke with the chief earlier this week, and he spoke with the city manager, but the wheels of government do run slow.” 

The Junior League of Boca Raton has appointed Victoria Matthews as its president and has appointed a new board of directors.

The 2025-26 team was introduced at the league’s annual dinner meeting. Board members for 2025-26 include Debbie Abrams, Darina Bowerman, Daniele Jean, Kristin Martin, Jocelyn Mijares, Shannon Moriarity, Amanda O’Brien, Jackie Reeves, Lee Ann Ryan, Alexandra Scheiber, Christina Seamster, Christa Siciliano and Alex Welsh.

“The Junior League is more than service,” said Matthews, a league member for 18 years. “It’s about sisterhood, leadership and creating lasting change.”

For more information, call 561-620-2553 or visit jlbr.org

Nonprofit gives nurses gifts of gratitude 

In honor of National Nurses Day, Her 2nd Chance, a nonprofit social enterprise that empowers women in recovery, delivered more than 1,000 handcrafted mugs to Boca Raton Regional Hospital.

The mugs were made and packaged by women participating in Her 2nd Chance’s transitional-employment program, which provides job skills, workplace confidence, and healing through the process of creating.

“This is more than just a gift,” Her 2nd Chance board member Jim MacCutcheon said. “It’s a symbol of heartfelt appreciation for the incredible nurses who show up every day for others.”

For more information, call 561-405-6346 or visit her2ndchance.org

Financial adviser receives philanthropic designation

Doug Mithun, a Wells Fargo financial adviser, has earned the Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy title.

The title marks a significant milestone in Mithun’s commitment to helping clients leave lasting legacies.

“This achievement reflects his dedication to empowering individuals and families to align their financial goals with their personal values and philanthropic vision,” according to a press release. 

Grants enable 10 charities to advance their missions 

The Addison has announced the 10 nonprofit recipients of its “100 Years, $100K Giving Initiative” created to celebrate the venue’s centennial by giving back to the community.

The winners were celebrated at a cocktail reception in June.

“We were incredibly moved by the level of passion and purpose displayed by all the applicants,” said Zoe Lanham, The Addison’s vice president. “This initiative is a reflection of our century-long commitment to serving the community, and we look forward to helping these 10 deserving organizations advance their missions in meaningful ways.”

The following organizations received $10,000 grants to support a future fundraiser or awareness event at The Addison:

• Boca Raton Historical Society/The Schmidt Boca Raton History Museum

• Boca Raton Police Foundation

• EmpowHERto

• Florida Atlantic University Foundation

•  Friends of Foster Children

• Great Plains Foundation

• Impact 100 Palm Beach County

• JARC Florida

• Sweet Dream Makers

• Twin Palms Center for the Disabled

For more information, call 561-372-0568 or visit theaddisonofbocaraton.com/celebratingourlegacy

Send news and notes to Amy Woods at flamywoods@bellsouth.net

The Pap Corps Champions for Cancer Research presented a $3.4 million check to Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the corps’ annual breakfast meeting. The event brought together hundreds of enthusiastic volunteers, prominent sponsors and executive leaders and marked the culmination of a yearlong fundraising effort by the corps’ 20,000-plus members across nearly 50 South Florida chapters. ‘The tools at our disposal come from research, and The Pap Corps is our essential partner,’ said Dr. Antonio Iavarone, deputy director of the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center. ‘We could not survive without you.’ ABOVE: (l-r) Jayne Sylvester Malfitano, Susan Dinter, Sally Berenzweig and Dr. Iavarone. Photo provided by Kay Renz