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

Dogs and their human pals enjoy the sand and sea at Boca Raton’s Bark Beach. The beach, between lifeguard towers 18 and 20, is now open from 7 to 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. to sunset (5 p.m. to sunset during daylight saving time) seven days a week, up from two. Annual permits are $35 a dog for residents, $210 for nonresidents. Photo provided

The huge tree sits near the golf course clubhouse (at left). John Pacenti/The Coastal Star

“I think that I shall never see a poem lovely as a tree.”   

                  — Joyce Kilmer

“The canal shall remain clear of all construction. There shall be no trees, shrubs, etc. within the right-of-way.” 

— Lake Worth Drainage District

Related: Lantana/Hypoluxo Island: Out on a limb: Hypoluxo Island residents grapple with how to protect their tree canopy

Related: Lantana: Tales from a Tree City

Related: Editor's Note: With mature trees threatened, the answer isn’t more palms

By John Pacenti

Whenever a major municipal project commences, there is always a chance to find buried treasure — in this case, it was more than 70 years old and rose 50 feet into the sky. 

During work on a $28.5 million renovation project at the Delray Beach municipal golf course, crews discovered that what they thought was a large grove of trees was in fact a single, sprawling banyan tree — possibly the largest in southern Palm Beach County.

However, the tree — which is visible from the clubhouse’s ballroom — also significantly encroaches upon a nearby canal, and the Lake Worth Drainage District has asked for it to be removed. An engineering report found that if the tree fell during a tropical storm, significant flooding could occur.

What looked at first blush to be a feel-good story about saving a historic tree morphed into a clash of jurisdictions between Delray Beach and the drainage district — one defined by land, the other defined by water.

“I don’t want to say the heavy-handedness of the Lake Worth Drainage District,” Mayor Tom Carney said at a Feb. 18 special meeting of the City Commission called just on the tree. “But we were never really in the game, and they just really dictated terms. I don’t believe that that’s proper.”

But the banyan lives — at least for the time being — as the city lobbies the district to allow it to exist in some form. After deciding in February that the tree was a menace and needed to be removed, the district said it would allow Delray Beach officials to present a report on how both the canal and the tree can live in harmony.

It will be literally do or die for the tree at the drainage district hearing on March 11, where the city will make its case.

Commissioners at the Feb. 18 meeting chose to hire an arborist to produce a report to try to persuade the drainage district to reverse its decision. They did so despite knowing Delray Beach entered into a contract with the drainage district in 1994 to remove trees as directed by the district or face the legal — and costly — consequences. 

“The 78-year-old banyan tree is a part of the history of our golf course and needs to be protected,” Carney told The Coastal Star. “It has survived many hurricanes over the years and has the root system necessary to survive the storms to come. Protecting it is a fight worth having.”

A surprising discovery 

An arborist for the city found the tree — which is a Chinese banyan — in good health, with a robust canopy that could make it a candidate for Florida Forest Service champion tree recognition.

Public Works Director Missie Barletto told the commission at its Jan. 6 meeting that staffers thought at first it was just a grove of trees, but once the underbrush was cleared away, they realized it was all one tree covering about a half-acre.

As a banyan tree grows, its horizontal branches become longer and heavier, and it sprouts “aerial roots” that hang down like threads. Once these threads touch the ground, they take root and thicken into woody “accessory trunks.” 

Photos show that the tree with the brain-shaped canopy was already present in a 1953 image of the golf course, indicating the tree has stood on the property for generations.

The course designer and contractor support efforts to retain the banyan and are prepared to help mitigate any construction schedule impacts, Barletto said. The arborist who looked at it initially feels like it may be a candidate for a Florida Forest Service Champion Tree Award, she said. 

Delray Beach hopes to preserve this Chinese banyan tree, which was fully uncovered at the municipal golf course during its ongoing renovation. Officials with the Lake Worth Drainage District have asked it to be removed because it encroaches on an adjacent canal. Photo provided

A river runs through it

The E-4 canal runs north-south, separating the golf course from the residential neighborhoods and businesses to the east toward Congress Avenue. Its role is to remove heavy rainfall from neighborhoods. 

Lake Worth Drainage District officials have told city staff that the tree would need to be removed unless the city obtains a variance. 

The city told the drainage district it would take responsibility for the tree if it fell into the canal after a major storm and would add a codicil to the city’s debris‑removal contract to ensure the city can respond quickly to protect safety and navigation, Barletto said.

But a drainage district engineer’s report portrayed the banyan somewhat as the Al Capone of trees. 

There was even a dark AI-generated image of what would occur if it fell into the canal during a tropical tempest. Trees damaged during hurricanes past — like Category 5 Andrew — were shown as a grim reminder.

Of note is that the drainage district didn’t demand the tree be removed until the recent redo of the golf course. Tommy Strowd, the drainage district commission’s director, did not return a phone call seeking comment.

City’s ‘tree-mendous’ effort

Commissioner Tom Markert has been a champion of the tree, as well. “Save the tree. This is a no-brainer,” he said when it first came up at the commission’s Jan. 6 meeting. He and Barletto then spoke at the Lake Worth Drainage District’s Feb. 11 board meeting to no avail.

Carney called the Feb. 18 special commission meeting to discuss the tree, and, once again, bickering ensued.

Carney suggested seeking an injunction against the drainage district. But City Attorney Lynn Gelin said that, actually, the district’s request was indeed proper per the contract and that the city would have a hard time challenging it. 

Commissioner Juli Casale said the tree is 90% on property owned by the drainage district.

Markert, citing an emailed newsletter, accused Carney of saying he was a failure because the drainage district ruled against the city. Then a discussion ensued, not on the tree, but on whether the newsletter was sent from the mayor’s web address.

City Manager Terrence Moore aimed to turn the temperature down, knowing a fight with the drainage district does the city no good.

A consensus was finally reached to have an arborist do his own report to try to get the drainage district to reconsider. 

Jim Chard, chairman of the Historic Preservation Board, spoke during the public comments at the special meeting. He said removing the tree would actually damage the integrity of the canal bank since the roots go so deep. 

Moore said he would work on parallel tracks of continuing the effort to save the tree while preparing for its demise. He tempered expectations.

“If there’s any time an opportunity exists to preserve a tree, save whatever we can, we take every effort to do so,” Moore said. “This was an arduous consideration, an arduous request, because, as it turns out, Lake Worth Drainage District has never in known history granted such an authorization.”

There is a bit of good news for golfers, though, Barletto said in January.

The renovation of the municipal course has already made rapid progress since construction began in December. She said crews are moving at “an incredible pace” and that keeping the tree would be a priority. 

By Mary Hladky

The city’s Community Redevelopment Agency has consented to the transfer of long-term commercial ground leases in Mizner Park to four entities led by CP Group, the owner of the Boca Raton Innovation Campus.

Brookfield Properties, the current owner of Mizner Park, now holds those leases and also must approve the transfer. Brookfield owns most of the buildings in Mizner Park. The CRA owns the land underneath them.

Brookfield wants to sell the iconic retail, dining and cultural destination and has been in negotiations with a prospective buyer, widely believed to be CP Group, for about one year.

No deal has closed yet, and CP Group has not confirmed it is the buyer.

The Boca Raton CRA commissioners, who also are City Council members, unanimously consented to the transfer on Feb. 9. But they could withhold it only if they determined that the new lease holders do not have the financial ability to fulfill their obligations.

“I am excited” about the new lease holders, said CRA Chair Marc Wigder, adding that he hoped they would improve the 35-year-old property. Mizner Park has looked run down for several years.

In addition to CP Group, the new lease holders are subsidiaries of StepStone Group Real Estate, a global private markets investment firm; ACRE, a multifamily owner, operator and developer; and Georgetown, an owner and developer of office, residential, retail and recreational properties.

Deputy City Manager Jorge Camejo, who focuses on the CRA, noted in an interview that CP Group is the direct descendent of Crocker Partners, led by developer Tom Crocker, which built Mizner Park.

“From that standpoint, I am excited, because I think CP Group may have a better understanding and desire to move Mizner Park in a direction that will improve the conditions, and therefore improve the value,” he said.

The other companies joining with CP Group have “the knowledge and experience to make a center like Mizner Park more successful,” he said.

Camejo was Boca Raton’s CRA executive director until he left to take a similar position in Hollywood before returning last year and seeing Mizner Park’s current condition.

“I think we can do better, and I am looking forward to doing better,” he said.

Mizner Park was put up for sale in 2023, with at least three potential buyers wanting to acquire the property. The offers submitted were for as much as $290 million, The Real Deal reported. However, no deal was finalized.

It also went on the market in 2016 but was pulled off after pricing fell short of expectations, the Palm Beach Post reported at the time.

By Rich Pollack

With an eye to the future, Highland Beach leaders are finalizing a strategic priorities plan that puts an emphasis on continuing to maintain the town’s brand as “three miles of paradise.”

“The strategic priority process allows us to constantly recalibrate on where we’re going, how we are going to get there and how to plan for the resources needed to get there,” Town Manager Marshall Labadie said. “It’s a dynamic process.”

In all, town commissioners and town staff have identified 23 priorities placed into four categories: community safety; community enrichment and sustainability; public infrastructure and resiliency; and organizational excellence.

Integrated into the plan is a budgeting element where town leaders mesh the priorities with thought-out steps to ensure money is available to cover the costs.

Listed as the top priority in the coming year is continuing to work with Palm Beach County on the development of Milani Park, a hot topic since many residents opposed the county’s creating a park at the south end of town.

“We’re continuing to keep an eye on the project and advocating for the town’s position along the way,” Labadie said.

The Milani Park issue falls under the community enrichment and sustainability heading, where many of the projects are focused on maintaining the quality of life and livability of Highland Beach.

Another priority in that section — although not one of the top 10 overall issues — is continuing to educate the community on the importance of dune restoration, handing the lead of that project to the town’s Natural Resources Preservation Board.

Labadie said many of the priorities are improvements that have long been planned for.

“Our strategic priorities are more focused on capital improvements than they have been in the past,” he said. “We’ve been planning and saving for them over the last several years.”

Public safety continues to be a major focus. Six of the top 10 priorities fall under that category, with major facility improvements listed.

Among the priorities are the conversion of the town’s former post office to a real-time operations center for the Police Department, which will also serve as the public entrance for the department. The plans for the center, which is currently in design phase, call for it to focus on crime prevention.

Another public safety priority is the continuation of efforts to build a dock for the police marine unit, a process that is underway with the town hoping to get additional state funding.

The planned rehabilitation of the old fire station, which needs a major upgrade and will be used mainly to house apparatus and equipment, is also on the list.

Two issues that have been identified as concerns by Vice Mayor David Stern are also listed as priorities, although they are not high on the list. The town will be looking at what can be done to ensure pedestrian and bicyclist safety as e-bikes become more prevalent.

Another focus will be on electric vehicle protocol, with the fire department charged with working with condominiums to develop fire safety guidelines for vehicle charging and battery storage. Both those issues are priorities for state leaders as well.

Completion of the town’s sewer pipe lining project is also a priority, as are several steps designed to help the town be more efficient and effective. Those including strengthening communication with residents and working on creating a plan to get more state appropriations.

Labadie said that throughout the year he will be providing regular updates to the Town Commission on the status of many of the priorities to ensure adequate allocation of resources.

“We try and keep the process nimble and simple,” he said.

Caroline Baker overlooks the severely eroded beach at South Inlet Park in Boca Raton. Baker, of Pittsburgh, was visiting her parents in Boca Raton and spent mornings journaling at the park. Weather fronts and high tides carved out 12-foot sand cliffs. The erosion, which remained at the beginning of March, exposed the inlet’s dredge pipe, reduced dry beach area and limited public access, especially near the south jetty. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

A second, final layer of asphalt to roads in Gulf Stream’s Core area is “right around the corner,” according to Town Manager Trey Nazzaro.

Roadway Construction LLC had tentatively scheduled the asphalt work for Feb. 23, but Baxter & Woodman Consulting Engineers decided not to allow the contractor to do that until it had finished items on a punch list “to minimize damage to the new asphalt,” Nazzaro said.

The contractor now says it will reach “substantial completion” on March 17 and final completion on May 22.

Nazzaro also said new striping on Sea Road’s curve has made driving on the street more manageable, so the town will not widen that section. 

“I was coming around the corner after the lines had been painted in a … full-size sport utility and I had a full-size sport utility on the other end and we were able to navigate that very easily with the lines as a visual cue to understand the width of the road,” Nazzaro said.

— Steve Plunkett 

By Michael Cook

Boynton Beach wants to change the perception that it has three “nothing-to-see-there” exits on Interstate 95 by rebuilding its downtown and waterfront as destinations — places people will exit the highway to visit.

Officials are thinking big, with a range of redevelopment projects intended to put the city in the limelight, similar to efforts in nearby cities such as West Palm Beach, Delray Beach and Boca Raton. They are focusing on the downtown and along the Intracoastal Waterway while seeking $30 million in funding to bring these plans to life in the near future.

“We have a big appetite, and we have a big job to do,” said Christopher Brown, the new executive director of the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency, who laid out the long-range strategy at a Feb. 10 meeting of city commissioners serving as the CRA board. 

Brown, who has street cred from leading successful redevelopment efforts in Delray Beach and Pompano Beach, is now helping sketch out a plan that could give Boynton Beach more buzz to its name.

The CRA is considering securing a $30 million bond to help pay for the purchase of additional properties, which it will also have to clear for construction. Once that’s done, it will open the playing field to developers to implement the city’s vision. While the agency would be bank-financing this grand project, Brown said it will create long-term tax increment funds that will put money back into the city’s pockets. 

The plan to rescale Boynton Beach has been in effect since 2016, and officials now plan to update it for the next 10 or more years. The effort is in addition to multiple approved eight-story developments — including Ocean One, The Pierce and Town Square — that will have residential and commercial components but have yet to break ground, as well as other recent land purchases. To avoid delays, Brown said the agency should not buy property for all projects at once, but rather focus on a particular location until the development is up and running. 

No plans are set in stone, but officials expect to host workshops to brainstorm proposed projects. Part of the blueprint includes beautifying major streets, adding a downtown parking garage, and building a hotel. At the February meeting, Brown presented multiple potential opportunities for the CRA to purchase properties, including in or near the following prime spots for development:

On the waterfront

Along the Intracoastal, the CRA has taken the first steps to expand Harvey E. Oyer Jr. Park, primarily known for its boat ramps, at 2010 N. Federal Highway. The agency purchased a 1.24-acre neighboring lot for $6.8 million in February to support the expansion project. The exact plan has not been finalized, but the vision is to add waterfront dining, more docks and parking to create the feel of a waterway city.

“We need to continue to buy as much Intracoastal property that is available that we can,” Brown said, telling commissioners that an investment should be made to capitalize on the waterfront experience — not only to attract visitors but also to create hot spots for residents.

Marina neighborhood

The CRA is also keeping an eye on the Boynton Harbor Marina as part of its effort to bring more people to the waterfront. Officials are looking into a four-story condominium building that sits on the north side of Ocean Avenue, east of Federal Highway. The property is between the site of the delayed Ocean One project, which is planned to offer about 370 residential rental units, and Marina Village, an active condominium complex.

The agency is seeking a condominium developer to purchase the property from the current owners and construct a parking structure with ground-floor restaurants and retail. However, officials are firm in their stance that they want to avoid another multifamily rental development on the site, if possible.

“It’s not a surprise that a lot of people are sick of high-density residential projects,” Commissioner Thomas Turkin said at the meeting, referring to the 2023 Florida Live Local Act aimed at increasing affordable workforce housing. Turkin warned that the CRA board is “losing control” over what housing projects are built because of the state law. He stated that the redevelopment plan is an effort to counter that. 

The heart of downtown

Ocean Avenue, home to City Hall and a bridge to Ocean Ridge and other coastal communities, is viewed as downtown’s Main Street. The CRA wants the avenue to live up to that name, developing it into more of a restaurant-and-entertainment district. The vision is to build up the area similar to Delray Beach’s popular Atlantic Avenue with its gold mine of restaurants, shops and cultural attractions.

One goal along Ocean Avenue could be to restore the CRA-owned 1919 Oscar Magnuson House as part of a plan to create a large food hall operation. The street would showcase modern development alongside pieces of the city’s history, including the 1927 high school, now the Boynton Beach Arts & Cultural Center, and the 1913 elementary school, now the Schoolhouse Children’s Museum. 

The Pierce and Town Square, though delayed in construction, are expected to contribute to Ocean Avenue’s vibe. One project under the redevelopment plan is actively underway: The Villages at East Ocean Avenue, set for completion in 2027. The eight-story development, on the north side of the avenue to the west of the Florida East Coast Railway tracks, will include retail and residential space. A smaller second phase is planned across the street, where the 1907 Andrews House is to be restored into a cafe as part of the project’s retail area.

Making a new entryway

The CRA purchased the former Inn at Boynton Beach hotel property on Boynton Beach Boulevard, near I-95, for $8.1 million in October. The aging hotel, once considered an eyesore and crime hot spot, was demolished in December. The land has since been cleared, and the game plan is to have the property be the centerpiece of a redeveloped boulevard extending eastward to Seacrest Boulevard — creating a true gateway into downtown.

At the Feb. 10 CRA meeting, the agency approved two deals totaling $7.824 million to buy 14 additional properties next to the site where the hotel once stood, providing more land for development. Commissioners are now seeking input to determine what residents want to see happen on the Inn property, as it is one of the first landmarks visible from I-95 — a make-or-break effort to get nonresidents to take the exit and visit the city. 

By Rich Pollack

Driving through Highland Beach on State Road A1A has gotten easier thanks to the near-conclusion of the Florida Department of Transportation’s $8.3 million resurfacing and improvement project.

It’s not quite a perfectly uninterrupted scenic drive yet, however, thanks to a long- awaited sewer-lining project, construction of townhomes and houses at the south end of town and an expected installation of embedded lighting in Highland Beach’s eight A1A crosswalks.

The town will soon begin the second phase on A1A of its massive sewer-lining project — with a price tag between $1.35 million and $1.5 million. Sewer pipe work on the side-street neighborhoods has been completed, but the lining of pipes under A1A had to wait for the conclusion of the state’s road project.

Town Manager Marshall Labadie said that while the sewer-lining project will be far less disruptive than replacing all the aging pipes, there may be some minimal intermittent disruption.

“We expect to see some lane closures for maybe a day or two at a time,” he said.

While traditional sewer line repairs include excavating and replacing old pipe, lining the pipes will be less intrusive and less expensive, he said.

Mostly, contractors will be working “from manhole to manhole” and will be injecting a liner resin that will coat the interior of the pipes, some of which are more than 50 years old.

During an inspection a few years ago, crews discovered areas where the pipes were leaking and where they were subject to water from the outside getting in, meaning the town was paying to treat wastewater it didn’t need to treat. There is also a concern about leaking sewage contaminating ground water.

The sewer lining work on A1A is expected to be completed within a few months.

“This project moves quickly,” Labadie said.

To avoid disruption to residents in condominiums on A1A, contractors will be rerouting wastewater flow to pipes not simultaneously being lined.

The town will tap into reserves in its sewer fund to cover the cost of the project.

At the south end of town motorists were required to drive over a metal plate while workers installed a sanitary sewer connection from a site on the west side of A1A that will include seven townhouses to property on the east side of the road that is also being developed.

While the metal plate was removed last month after the installation of the sewer line, motorists were left having to drive over what one resident described as a “nasty bump.” Town officials say the bump should be repaired quickly.

While some residents initially believed that the work on that section of the road was related to development of Milani Park, that is not the case. Labadie said, however, that he expects sanitary sewer connections will be needed and traffic will be disrupted while the work on the park is being done.

County officials have said a start date for construction of the park has not been determined.

Labadie said there could also be minimal disruption to traffic when the town installs embedded lights at crosswalks on A1A.

The town is hoping to get a $300,000 appropriation from the state to cover the cost of installing the pedestrian-activated lights at eight crosswalks. Labadie said the town will cover the cost if the funding doesn’t come through.

He said that project will probably not begin until summer at the earliest.

Highland Beach currently has pedestrian-activated flashing yellow lights at crosswalks and flags available to those crossing the road. The embedded lights will just be one more feature to alert drivers of pedestrians in the walkways.

Related: Forbes recognizes The Boca Raton in star-studded fashion

By Mary Hladky

The Boca Raton has received initial city approval to build a luxury residential building on the resort property.

The most recent planned change to the resort comes as it is celebrating its 100th birthday this year, commemorating the 1926 opening of the Cloister Inn. A variety of events and programs are being offered to resort members and guests.

The new residential units are an extension of a $375 million upgrade of the entire resort property that began in 2019 under the ownership of MSD Partners and Northview Hotel Group.

The renovation was intended to create a “new golden era” for the resort, said President and CEO Daniel Hostettler in 2022 when the first phase of the project was completed.

The resort, he said then, was focused on reclaiming the five-star status that it lost in 1985 no later than its centennial year.

In February, Forbes Travel Guide announced the resort had received four five-star ratings for 2026 — one of only seven properties worldwide to attain that status.

“To achieve this distinction during our centennial year is especially meaningful,” Hostettler said in the announcement.

And now, the resort is adding residential.

The city’s Planning and Zoning Board on Feb. 5 passed measures, including a rezoning of a 1.8-acre parcel from recreational to multifamily residential, and site plan approval to build an eight-story, 76-unit building with one floor of underground parking.

A City Council vote is expected in April.

The building is planned to rise in the middle of the resort’s golf course, slightly north and west of the main hotel. Units will range in size from two to five bedrooms.

The resort also plans a three-story fitness center for resort members and guests, and the existing golf maintenance facility will be relocated.

The resort’s residential plans have changed over the past two years.

In 2024, it proposed two eight-story towers with a total of 80 units and a five-story parking garage. That was changed last year to one eight-story building with 60 units and underground parking.

JJ McDonough, here at his Leeward Staffing office in Boynton Beach, runs luxury hospitality businesses. He and his family, temporarily in Boynton Beach, are awaiting completion of a new home on Hypoluxo Island, where he has lived for almost 15 years. Tim Stepien/Coastal Star

JJ McDonough — JJ stands for John Joseph, and he’s the IV, but he never uses it — is a busy guy.

The Hypoluxo Island resident runs two companies, is vice president of  the Hypoluxo Island Property Owners Association, promotes Lantana’s growth and beautification, works out and exercises with Elizabeth, his wife of 20 years, and is a serious soccer dad with his two sons, Kane, 14, and Van, 10. 

“I just have a bit of an insatiable appetite to make things better, and if I can help, I’ll try to,” he explains. 

Oh, and his family is living in a home they bought as an investment in Boynton Beach, because he’s building a new home on the island.

“I’ve been on Hypoluxo Island almost 15 years now, and we have started to build a brand-new home there,” says McDonough, 53. “I have the first floor done and the second floor should be going up soon. I’m hoping by the end of the year we’ll be back there.” 

Considering his background, his hospitality businesses feel like a natural extension. He grew up in his grandparents Ken and Helen Withall’s east Boca Raton home. Ken, a tennis pro, taught in the Caribbean and Southern California before taking over Fred Perry’s job at what was then the Boca Raton Hotel and Club. 

“After my grandfather retired, he played tennis and golf there as he aged, and so my first job at about 8 years old was brushing and lining tennis courts at the Boca Resort,” McDonough says.

In his 20s, McDonough taught tennis and started a business placing specialty recreation staff, tennis pros and massage therapists locally. Currently, his two businesses are Leeward Staffing and Sanctuare. Leeward Staffing places domestic staffing to high-net-worth clientele. Sanctuare is a brokerage firm that represents ultra-luxury real estate for short-term rentals.

“Essentially, my demographic is the top echelon of wealth,” he says. “I have worked with some of the most interesting and wealthiest and iconic celebrities in the world.

“It all started with tennis, I think. I grew up as essentially an employee around this type of wealth. 

“The dream for me always was to work for myself, to be very engaged with communities, and to enjoy it along the way, to stay active physically and be challenged mentally. I’ve always loved to travel, and both of these businesses have afforded me travel to all types of very interesting spots.”

Regarding his family life, he says, “Both my wife and I are very active. Every morning, prior to being parents, we would probably do two cardiovascular activities per day and then go to the gym or do yoga. Now, that is limited to once a day. But anyway, we’re an active family. We like to bike. We like to surf.  We are playing padel, which is a fun racket sport, and we spend a lot of time on the soccer field. Both of my boys play at a very high level, so we play soccer six days a week.” 

Kane is a student at Oxbridge Academy in West Palm Beach and Van attends Unity School in Delray Beach. Soccer doesn’t end when soccer season is over.  

“My sons actually do quite a bit of training for soccer. They do soccer camps at a very high level,” McDonough says. “Last year, Van played in one of the biggest tournaments in Madrid, and the year before, we were all through England for several weeks doing soccer camps there.” 

— Christine Davis

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

A. I grew up in a multigenerational home with my grandparents Ken and Helen Withall, my mother, Robin Cox, and my aunt Lisa McCusker, directly across the street from the beach that borders Boca Raton and Deerfield Beach. 

At the time, the area was far less developed than it is today. Spending so much time with my grandparents in old east Boca, back when it was still an authentic beach town, deeply shaped my sense of place and values.  

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

A. After college, I started a couple hospitality businesses that didn’t succeed while trying to play professional tennis; I was also teaching tennis to a variety of ultra-wealthy and celebrity families. Those early experiences laid the groundwork for what followed. I have since owned and operated two luxury businesses for over 25 years and continue to make a positive impact in our industry, serving some of the world’s wealthiest families. 

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

A. I wish someone would have told me when I was young. … Pay attention to your energy and passion. Optimize learning, not prestige. Don’t confuse fear with intuition. There is no failure, only lessons. Your career journey will not be linear, and that’s OK. 

Q. How did you choose to live on Hypoluxo Island? 

A. I have traveled a lot international and domestically, and if I’m going to stay in the U.S., I don’t know of a better place in the winters than Palm Beach County. My wife and I are both from Palm Beach County, and with the exception of having ample land further west, there isn’t much better than Hypoluxo Island. The old Florida growth, the winding roads, non-gated, the community of neighbors on the island is amazing. Its non-pretentious rooted families provide an amazing sense of home.

Q. What is your favorite part about living on Hypoluxo Island? 

A. The community and the people in it, and the trees.

Q. What book are you reading now? 

A. Get A Grip: An Entrepreneurial Fable by Gino Wickman.

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

A. My grandfather was a jazz pianist and vocalist who loved the American Songbook, and my father was a blues harmonica and saxophone player; both genres greatly influenced my music tastes. I do listen to many different genres, but I tend to listen and lean more into a lot of jazz fusion — Yussef Dayes, Tanhai Collective, Jazzbois.

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

A. Always attempt to expand your knowledge and eliminate your limitations. 

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

A. I’ve had many mentors over the years, and while my current mentors are in business and parenting, my moral compass has always come from my grandfather. A World War II veteran, he was married 71 years and excelled as a businessman, athlete, community leader, musician and most importantly parent and grandparent. 

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

A. My wife seems to think Matthew McConaughey. He has such a great mix of effortless charisma, modernist philosophy, authentic humor … and is a great husband and father.

This proposed Mr. C Residences for downtown Boca would be the third Mr. C Residences in South Florida, joining those in West Palm Beach and Coconut Grove. Rendering provided

Yet another luxury condominium is coming to downtown Boca Raton.

Key International and Wexford Real Estate Investors announced the 12-story project at 41 SE Fourth St. in late January, saying it is branded as Mr. C Residences Boca Raton.

This would be the third Mr. C Residences in South Florida, joining those in West Palm Beach and Coconut Grove. The brand was founded by brothers Ignazio and Maggio Cipriani.

The tower will have 133 two- and three-bedroom units, ranging from 1,522 square feet to 2,869 square feet and priced from $1.7 million. It was designed by Arquitectonica with interiors by 1508 London.

Pending city approval, construction is expected to begin early next year. Sales will be handled by Douglas Elliman Development Marketing, and a sales office will be located near the building site.

A ground-floor Bellini restaurant will be open to the public. Other amenities, including a rooftop bar, infinity pool, cabanas and outdoor cinema, will be for residents.

The fourth floor will focus on lifestyle and wellness, including a spa, fitness center, steam room and sauna, cold and hot plunge pools, yoga studio and lounge.

Outdoor recreation areas will include courts for padel and pickleball, a golf simulator and a meditation lawn.

The project is a complete reworking of Wexford’s plans in 2022 to build a 12-story luxury apartment building with 190 units on the site.

— Mary Hladky and Christine Davis

By Rich Pollack

When Delray Beach needed water, lots of it and in a hurry, it turned to those it knew it could count on — its neighbors.

Those neighbors came through, providing the city with more than 30 million gallons of drinking water in all — and preventing city utility customers from experiencing any difference in the flow of water coming from their faucets.  

The need for that emergency water arose when contractors working on a facet of Delray Beach’s new water treatment plant inadvertently drilled into a 36-inch pipe that brings fresh water in for treatment. That triggered a reaction that invoked agreements with neighboring communities, the scope of which is rarely needed.

The break also set off a response from city workers that saved water customers from having to deal with low pressure and a boil water notice. 

Key to preventing the situation from being worse than it turned out to be was a series of water main interconnects with neighboring communities that are always available but not often used. 

Those interconnects come in handy when more water than needed is produced during maintenance and during smaller line breaks. It is not common for utilities to need backup for system-wide disruptions from multiple neighbors like Delray Beach did on Jan. 3, when it called on Boca Raton, Boynton Beach and Palm Beach County for help. 

“It doesn’t happen often but it happens,” said Delray Beach Utilities Director Hassan Hadjimiry, who added that the last time water from other communities was needed for a system-wide problem was five years ago. 

Interconnects, he said, are standard operating procedure for utilities as an insurance against major production problems.

“This is part of normal operations that you have in your back pocket,” he said. “When something happens with water supply, we have to use it. The last thing we want is for the city not to have water.” 

At no point was the city without water, nor did it face even a threat of that. Residents were asked to reduce unnecessary usage for irrigation, car washing and driveway cleaning during the emergency.

Because the main line that was damaged was just one of three that brings water into the city’s aging water treatment plant, the chance that the utility would fail to provide water to customers without the interconnects was not an issue. 

Without that water coming in, however, Delray Beach might not have had enough water pressure to fully reach all its customers, especially those at the far reaches of the system.

The interconnects — large pipes that transport already treated water — are located at city boundaries, thus ensuring all customers have adequate water pressure. 

While repairs were being done — which took about a week for the most part, although additional work was still needed going into February — about 20 million gallons of water came from Palm Beach County, 10.5 million gallons came from Boca Raton and about 1.5 million gallons came from Boynton Beach. 

An additional small amount of water from a county interconnect at Linton Boulevard near Jog Road was still being used as of the middle of February. 

Different municipalities charge different rates, with Boca Raton charging $3.17 per thousand gallons, Boynton Beach $2.19 per thousand gallons and Palm Beach County $1.61 per thousand gallons. 

The cost of the water from the municipalities as well as the cost of repairs are being passed along to the contractor whose crews caused the break, Youngquist Brothers, Hadjimiry said. 

Implementing the interconnects, which required representatives from other municipalities to be on site to open valves simultaneously, was complicated slightly because the break occurred on a Saturday morning. 

Hadjimiry said that he was notified at 7:30 a.m., and was on site within a half hour and there for a large part of the weekend. 

All of the interconnects were in place by the end of the day, he said, before there was any impactful drop in water pressure in the system.

The break came as Delray Beach is in the process of building the new plant, which is expected to cost about $287 million and open in mid-2028.

The Boca Raton City Council approved plans for a hotel in Royal Palm Place after the plans were revised from underground parking to building a seven-story parking garage, in addition to reducing the number of rooms from 144 to 137. Rendering provided

The Boca Raton City Council on Feb. 23 unanimously approved plans by Investments Limited to build a 12-story hotel in Royal Palm Place.

The revised project marks the third change by Investments Limited, the largest commercial property owner in the downtown, to its plans since it first proposed a hotel in 2019.

The latest version is similar to its 2022 iteration. The main change is that underground parking has been eliminated and a seven-story parking garage added.

Project attorney Ele Zachariades told council members, sitting as Community Redevelopment Agency commissioners, that the parking garage was added due to a sharply increased cost of building underground parking.

The current proposal calls for 137 hotel rooms, a reduction of seven rooms from 2022. As before, retail and restaurant space including outdoor dining will be included in the project.

Some existing Royal Palm Place surface parking that is scattered in several locations, and which no longer complies with current parking regulations, will be eliminated or improved.

The existing Garden of Humanity will remain.

The hotel will be connected to the parking garage with a second-floor pedestrian bridge.

The garage will be built first followed by the hotel, which would be completed in about 18 months.

James and Marta Batmasian, who lead Investments Limited, also have proposed a hotel and retail project on Northeast Second Street immediately north of the Tower 155 condo in the downtown.

That project, unveiled last summer, has drawn heated opposition from Tower 155 owners.

— Mary Hladky

By Steve Plunkett

A ban on leaving any type of hurricane shutters up year-round in Gulf Stream is coming.

The town already prohibited leaving plywood shutters up outside of hurricane season or when there is no unseasonal named storm threatening.

But Bryan Isackson noted at the Town Commission’s Feb. 13 meeting that at least six of his neighbors have metal shutters still covering their windows.

“There happens to be one in particular that does all of them. Some just do on the second floor, some do on the sides of the house, but all visible from the front of the street,” Isackson said. 

Mayor Scott Morgan said he confirmed Isackson’s observations himself.

“It’s not only a safety hazard, but it’s unsightly and not in keeping with the aesthetics that this town tries to maintain,” Morgan said.

The mayor suggested that new Town Manager Trey Nazzaro bring back a proposed ordinance at the commission’s March meeting.

“I totally agree with this,” Commissioner Joan Orthwein said.

“You don’t need me to say how ugly these things are year-round. They’re just inappropriate. It’s not that kind of neighborhood,” Isackson said. “We have people investing a lot of money in building new homes, substantial investments, and then next door you have one that looks like it could be a crack house.”

New LPR cameras

In response to another resident’s complaint, Gulf Stream will install two license plate cameras near the intersection of Pelican Lane and Andrews Avenue at the south end of town. 

Flock Safety will install the cameras for $900, half its usual price because the town already uses its automated license plate readers elsewhere, Police Chief Richard Jones said. The annual continuing cost is $3,500.

Thomas Murphy, the acting president of the Driftwood Landing community association, had complained about reckless drivers invading the neighborhood, Jones said.

“Although Driftwood Landing is a quiet and safe community, I believe that one crime is too many when affordable and efficient systems can be implemented to prevent them,” Jones said in a memo to Nazzaro. 

The Yacht Club at The Boca Raton is one of four resort venues that earned five-star ratings with Forbes Travel Guide. Photo provided

By Christine Davis

The Boca Raton received 24 stars in Forbes Travel Guide’s 2026 Star Awards. The Beach Club and Spa Palmera at the resort retained five-star ratings, with the Yacht Club and Flybridge restaurant also elevated to five-star status. Additionally, the Tower hotel was recognized with a four-star award.

Arriving as The Boca Raton commemorates its hundred-year anniversary, these distinctions place it among seven resorts worldwide to earn quadruple five-star status — and the only one outside Asia. The Four Seasons Resort Palm Beach also received awards. Its hotel and spa received five stars, with Florie’s restaurant receiving a four-star rating.

Forbes Travel Guide rates luxury hotels, restaurants, spas and cruise ships. This year marks Forbes Travel Guide’s 68th annual Star Awards list and spans more than 95 countries worldwide.

***

A trust in the name of David F. MacNeil, the founder and CEO of WeatherTech, paid $68.32 million for an ocean-to-Intracoastal Waterway estate at 1940 S. Ocean Blvd., Manalapan.

The sellers were Francis and Dolores Mennella. In 2018, the Mennellas bought the lot from a company controlled by Billy Joel, and built a new home. Francis Mennella is the president of Valley Tool & Plastics in Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania.

The six-bedroom residence, with 10,521 square feet, was built in 2022 by Frankel Estates Homes and designed by Affiniti Architects. It sits on 1.94 acres. It features a 1,200-square-foot cabana near the beach, and access under State Road A1A connecting the two sides of the property.

Philip Lyle Smith and Carla Ferreira-Smith of Luxury Resort Portfolio represented the seller in the deal, while Margit Brandt of Premier Estate Properties worked with the buyer.

In 2024, a company led by MacNeil paid $38 million for the oceanfront estate at 1120 S. Ocean Blvd. Then in 2025, his company paid $55.5 million for the neighboring home at 1140 S. Ocean Blvd. He has since demolished both homes and started building a larger estate.

***

Robert G. Fessler, chairman of aviation firm Magellan Group, sold his 9,614-square-foot homesteaded Manalapan residence at 880 S. Ocean Blvd. for $31.5 million. The buyer is MCBXVII LLC, a company led by John Barry and Daria Barry, chairman/CEO and head of administration, respectively, of New York-based Prospect Capital Corp.

The six-bedroom coquina-clad contemporary residence, built in 1988 and expanded in 2004, sits on a 1.6-acre lot with 150 feet of frontage on both the ocean and the Intracoastal Waterway. Fessler bought the property for $5.2 million in 2000. Pascal Liguori Estate Group at Premier Estate Properties brokered the transaction.

***

Biotech executive Robert J. Edwards Jr. and his wife, Kristine M. Edwards, sold their estate at 336 E. Key Palm Road in Boca Raton’s Royal Palm Yacht & Country Club for $17.25 million. The new owner is Candace Voorhees Clark.

The home last traded for $8.75 million in 2014. The 9,192-square-foot, six-bedroom residence is on a 0.55-acre lot along a canal leading to the Intracoastal. David W. Roberts of Royal Palm Properties represented the sellers in the deal, while Louise Buehler of Douglas Elliman worked with the buyer. Robert “Bob” Edwards is the CEO of e5 Pharma in Boca Raton and, with Kristine, owns e5 Racing Thoroughbreds.

***

Rex Grossman, a former quarterback for the Chicago Bears and Florida Gators, and his wife, Alison, sold their 4,087-square-foot home on the Intracoastal at 715 SE Eighth St., Delray Beach, for $7.55 million. The buyer is a trust in the name of Michael Manning. Chris Scoppettone of Douglas Elliman and Derek Barra of Coldwell Banker represented both sides in the deal. The Grossmans bought the home for $2.7 million in 2013. 

Grossman was a first-team All-America quarterback for the Florida Gators in 2001 and won SEC Player of the Year. He was second in Heisman Trophy balloting in 2001. He’s a member of the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame.

Grossman was a first-round draft pick by the Bears in 2003. In the 2006 season, he led the Bears to Super Bowl XLI, where they lost to Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts. After Chicago he had stints with the Houston Texans and Washington Redskins before retiring in 2015.

Grossman and his wife also founded Florida Medical Staffing, a Delray Beach-based nurse staffing company.

***

Craig Zinn, president and CEO of  Craig Zinn Automotive Group, was named the 2025 Business Leader of the Year by Florida Atlantic University’s College of Business at its 31st annual breakfast ceremony in January at Boca West Country Club. Zinn bought his first dealership in 1980 after working in every department. His group operates dealerships in Miami-Dade and Broward counties.

His philanthropic gifts include $2 million to Cleveland Clinic for the Cleveland Clinic Craig M. Zinn Concierge Medicine Suite in Weston and a $2 million gift to establish the Craig M. Zinn Distinguished Chair in Men’s Health. He also supports Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital, Cleveland Clinic Florida and the American Cancer Society.

***

Boynton Beach City Manager Dan Dugger received an honorary lifetime membership to the Boynton Beach Chamber of Industry & Commerce Government & Community Council.

This distinction recognized the city’s leadership and commitment to building partnerships that support local businesses, encourage investment and strengthen the city’s economy.

***

American Heritage Schools recently hosted a dedication ceremony for the naming of the tennis courts at its Delray Beach campus after tennis coach Brian Schleifer. Schleifer has worked with athletes at the schools since 1996, where he has also served as athletic director, bus driver, lunch server, PE teacher, summer camp counselor and coach, and director of the tennis program. He also coached girls’ softball, boys’ flag football, and boys’ and girls’ basketball.

Under his direction, the tennis program has won 43 boys’ and girls’ combined district titles, 22 state championships and the boys’ national title in 2023.

***

Lang Realty announced its 2025 Top Producer Award recipients. The highest-producing individual agents are Tripta Chawla and Shereen Randazza. Elisa Danielian, Ingrid Hewitt and Isabelle Pollock; Jim Pappas, Paul Bidva and Suzanne Block; and Amy Snook and Noreen Payne are the Diamond Star Award Team winners. Bruce Gaines, Ryan Greenblatt, Sheldon Jaffee, Ana Londono, Blake Morris, Jeannine Morris and Allyson Sullivan are the Diamond Award Individual winners.

Brian Bahn and Lisa Hindin; Morgan Sheres and Samantha Bender; and Steve Rosen, Robin Rosen and Erica Lipman are the Diamond Award Team winners.

***

Toby Douthwright was named the Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts’ new chief financial officer, following the retirement of Kyle Roberts.

Douthwright previously served as vice president for finance and chief financial officer at The Miami Foundation. His background also includes leadership roles at The Lord’s Place in Palm Beach County and at the Clinton Foundation.

***

Boca Raton City Council member Yvette Drucker was appointed to the National League of Cities 2026 Transportation and Infrastructure Services Federal Advocacy Committee for a one-year term. She will help guide the league’s federal advocacy priorities on local transportation programs including roads, safety, transit, rail and bridges.

***

The Delray Beach Downtown Development Authority’s Savor the Avenue will take place from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. March 23, spanning five blocks downtown.

Now in its 17th year, Savor the Avenue offers a four-course meal prepared and served by area restaurants.

Participating establishments include Avalon Beach House, Beach Club, Brulé/Rose’s Daughter, Campi, City Oyster, Elisabetta’s, Gabriella’s, Geronimo, Le Colonial, Lemongrass, Lulu’s, Rocco’s Tacos, Table 165, The Office, and Vic & Angelo’s. To make reservations, visit downtowndelraybeach.com/savortheave. Prices vary and are set by the restaurant.

Seating is limited, and each restaurant manages its own reservations and payment. 

Each participating restaurant will make a $500 donation to the Homeless Coalition of Palm Beach County, this year’s designated charity. More than $85,000 has been donated to local charities since Savor the Avenue began.

***

The League of Women Voters of Palm Beach County’s annual Gala Luncheon will take place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. March 11.

Speaker will be Dianna Wynn, the president of the League of Women Voters of the United States. Tickets are $150 per person and can be purchased online at LWVPBC.org or by calling 561-276-4898.

***

The Greater Lantana Chamber of Commerce’s 31st annual KDW (kingfish, dolphin, wahoo) Lantana Fishing Derby, to be held on June 6, has begun registration. To register visit lantanachamber.com/lantana-fishing-derby/. 

Early registration costs $250 through May 23; standard registration is $350 after that date.

***

Space of Mind, a coaching company, and its nonprofit Community Classroom Project have introduced a new residential program, Launch Pad, in Delray Beach. The program, for adults age 18-26, aims to help them obtain training in essential skills through workforce training, life coaching, life skills development, community building and parent coaching. For more information, visit  findspaceofmind.com or call 877-407-1122.

***

Construction of The Sanborn, a 44,000-square-foot, eight-story private members club, is officially underway at 100 NE First Ave., Boca Raton, with completion expected in April 2028. The project is led by general partner Steven Newman and developer Scott Kerner, with investor backing. 

Designed by HDA Architects Boca Raton, it will offer members-only amenities that include a restaurant, supper club, rooftop pool deck with a bar and grill, speakeasy, library, private dining rooms, wellness spa, fitness club, eight guest rooms and a card room.

***

The Delray Beach Housing Authority hosted a meet-and-greet with Delray Beach Chief of Police Darrell Hunter and his executive team to strengthen collaboration and communication. They discussed the Housing Authority’s operations and how the police can support its mission and improve resident safety.

***

The nonprofit Institute for Regional Conservation held an ecological restoration event at Red Reef Park in Boca Raton on Jan. 24. More than 50 volunteers participated. Another was held Feb. 7 at Atlantic Dunes Park in Delray Beach.  

More events are planned. The Institute, with the city of Boca Raton’s Office of Sustainability and volunteers, will install native plants on the beach dunes along Red Reef Park and

South Beach Park through September. To volunteer, contact Liz Dutra at ldutra@regionalconservation.org, or visit the Institute’s website regionalconservation.org and click on the events tab for info about upcoming events. 

Christine Davis writes business news and can be reached at cdavis9797@gmail.com.

By Jan Norris 

Food trucks have come a long way from the pizza and taco trucks of only a few years ago. They’re more like mobile restaurants with artisan foods and creative takes on cultural recipes.

They’re no longer run by mainly college kids doing part-time gigs, or by weekend grillmeisters.

Professional chefs who have owned brick-and-mortar eateries have traded in plates and tablecloths for takeout boxes and picnic tables.

William Mattiello had a restaurant in New York City for 25 years. “Business was great some nights; some nights, not so much,” he said.

William Mattiello takes an order at his lasagna truck in Delray Beach. Photos by Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

Now, his lasagna sells out nightly from the Mattiello’s House of Lasagna truck parked at 1601 N. Federal Highway in Delray Beach. He’s looking for a new space as he may be forced to move because the building at that site may soon undergo renovations. 

His food is authentic and made from scratch, with all the recipes from his hometown of Modena, Italy.

“People come to appreciate the craftsmanship,” he said. “This is exactly what you would eat in Modena, where it originally comes from.”

Even the noodles are handmade. “I mix the dough, I stretch the dough. I make the sauce and béchamel. Made fresh every day. It’s better than homemade because it’s all handmade.”

All except for the Caesar salad croutons, he said. “Everything else is made by me. It’s a long, laborious day.”

He starts at 8:30 a.m. and gets everything ready to open by 5 p.m. 

“But we have customers who are always there at 4 to pick up dinner.” He closes at 9 p.m., and takes Mondays off.

The best seller is his classic lasagna, with the white béchamel, followed by the Americana lasagna with a tomato-based meat sauce. 

Two other varieties — a short rib with brown gravy, mushrooms and shallots, and the vegetarian with spinach and mushrooms and béchamel — are popular. But he makes special ones now and then to add to the mix.

“Tonight is a blackened shrimp and zucchini with lemon zest and béchamel.”

All are served in single portions, $17 to $19.

The menu is limited, with garlic bread, salads and a couple of desserts — “when I have time to make them. Tiramisu and profiteroles from scratch: cream puffs filled with custard cream.”

All labor-intensive dishes.

Most customers come for takeout and dine at home. By 8 o’clock on a Friday night, he was sold out, and said it was usually all sold by 7.

Many fans buy the lasagna cold to take home and heat for dinner. Some stay, however, and order it served hot to eat in the small seating area next to the truck.

To entertain the patrons in the seating area, Mattiello shows sitcoms and movies — spaghetti Westerns — on a screen in the parking lot nightly. Few stay for the whole films that start at 7 p.m.

“But they really like The Love Boat.” He laughed about the 1977-86 series: “They stay around to watch it all when the weather is nice.”’

The truck’s a labor of love, Mattiello said. “It’s not a hot dog cart like before. It’s a mobile kitchen with a big, full menu.

“People come who wouldn’t usually stop at a food truck. Lasagna brings people together.”

***                             

At Ukelele, a food truck at 1402 N. Federal Highway in Delray Beach, another professional restaurant chef turned to his native Venezuelan culture to create an experience through food.

Ukelele in Delray Beach serves Venezuelan food from a truck, but the seating and staff give it more of a dining experience.

The line above the menu reads, “Travel to Venezuela without leaving Delray.”

Owner Josney Peroza wants to be the culinary ambassador to the South American country.

After several years of working as a caterer and as chef for a Peruvian restaurant in Broward County, he decided to get something of his own. 

Four years ago he began with only $3,000, renting a food trailer, and buying equipment over time. 

“All we had was our passion and intention,” Peroza said.

He works with his wife, Lucia, who brings along son Josney Jr., 18 months.

Cachapas, arepas, pabellon and other foods from his family’s culture are all made in-house and fresh daily.

“The only frozen food we have are French fries. A lot of the work is in the prep. We slow cook the meat, shred it, and cook it five hours to cook again,” he said. Peeling and grinding corn, squeezing the citrus for the lemonades and making the empanadas by hand are part of the labor. “We really care about the food.”

It’s a long day of work, starting at 10 a.m. and prepping, then cooking and serving. The Perozas close at 10:30 p.m., then must clean and get it all ready for the next day. 

“We get home at midnight.”

Recipes are authentic. “I used to work in tourism in Venezuela,” he said. “I traveled to many cities and small towns around the country and they have all these small restaurants with a grandmother or an older woman cooking her recipes.”

He’s replicating the experience, featuring favorite regional dishes and wanting his guests to have an emotional connection to the experience while eating at his truck.

“It’s a way to share Venezuelan culture. When you go to a tiny restaurant, it’s friendly. It feels personal and approachable.”

Delray Beach resident Garrett Golden and his friend Eric Hatton, of Boynton Beach, enjoy the shredded chicken patacon at Ukelele. 

The cachapas — griddled corn cakes — are similar to arepas but not as sweet. 

“They come from the plains areas. There is corn all around. Cachapas are made from yellow corn. Arepas, from white corn, are salty,” he said.

For vegans, he loads them with black beans and avocados. He’ll add cheese for lacto-ovo vegetarians, but has beef, chicken and pork options.

One of the most popular variations is the pabellon — a dish traditionally served over white rice, but instead served in an arepa. It’s filled with shredded beef, black beans, sweet plantains and white cheese for $13.50.

To compete with other trucks, he said, “You need to be in a high-traffic place. If you’re in a less high-traffic area, you’ve got to have something else. Roots, culture and a story behind the food. That’s hard.”

He’s planning special nights, but taking it all step by step.

“Some nights we pack the place, with good sales.” 

Catering and other events help, too.

The Perozas also work with delivery companies such as Door Dash and Uber Eats, and do takeout. A canopied area with lights and tables lets diners feel as though they’re at an outdoor cafe. Order at the truck and a server delivers the food. 

Open Tuesday through Saturday, 6-10:30 p.m.

“We don’t want to look at a restaurant,” Peroza said. “We’re more focused on this. It has to grow with soul. We are involved with this space. It’s part of a plan — keeping this intentional.”

***                             

A newer truck is Roka Turkish Cuisine, sitting in the Chevron gas station lot at Fourth Street and Northeast Fifth Avenue in Delray Beach. It’s been there for seven months and beginning to gain a following.

Kayhan Akin, a native of Istanbul, Turkey, runs it, selling food from his homeland.

He also is a restaurateur, having run three “real” restaurants in Turkey.

Kayhan Akin, who opened last year in Delray Beach, saw a truck as a better deal than a restaurant. Here he serves Jeff Fischer.

He and a friend serve up a dish of slow-cooked beef called kavurma. “It’s one of our best sellers,” he said.

The meat is braised slowly, then removed from juices, and cooked again with garlic and onion. After six or more hours, spices and pimento are added to cook another hour. The pan is sealed tightly and closed to rest. 

It’s served over rice, with an arugula salad with jalapeños and tzatziki sauce. It’s $19.

Hummus beef is the slow-cooked meat served over housemade hummus along with with crispy Turkish pita.

Akin smiles as he talks about another favorite. “It’s a grandmamma recipe,” he said.

The appetizer of dalma is dried eggplants and dried bell peppers stuffed with Turkish spiced rice.

“The second-best seller is kofte over crispy pita with tomato sauce and yogurt.”

It’s minced meat, formed as meatballs, served with Turkish spices and a little kick.

Other favorites include chicken shish kebabs, kokorec, or grilled lamb, and for dessert the Turkish burnt creamy pudding known as kazandibi. There’s also baklava. 

All the meats used are halal — processed according to Muslim laws and slaughtered humanely. The food is handmade “by me,” Akin said.

Vegetarian options are available throughout the menu.

Akin is in a food truck because, he said, “There’s not enough money for restaurants today. I see the food truck as a better opportunity.”

***                             

Neapolitan-style pizza is dished out from a truck called Rossano’s, adjacent to Ukelele at 1402 N. Federal in Delray Beach. The truck is the mobile arm of Rossano’s Pizza Lab at 1445 N. Congress Ave., Delray Beach, a restaurant owned by Marcelo Rossano. He started the truck during the pandemic to serve his Pizza Lab food. 

A wood-fired oven cooks  gourmet pizzas that require 48 hours to build. Served baked to order, on a fermented, crispy crust, the pies have ingredients such as mortadella, ricotta and pistachios (the Toto); arugula, fresh mozzarella, prosciutto and burrata (the Rossano); and hot Calabrian salami, Calabrian peppers and fresh mozzarella (the Diabolo). Vegetarian options include the Margherita and an eggplant, zucchini and peppers with cheese pizza.

The Neapolitan culture is here, too. A huge portrait of Napoli’s football son, Diego Maradona, adorns the truck. A brightly lit piazza-like patio with a screen of palms and plants encloses tables for dining in.

As for most of the trucks, prices are sometimes equal to a restaurant’s. The pizzas range from $21 for a Margherita to $27 for the Rossano. That’s for a four-slice personal-size pizza.

***                             

There’s a $19 burger at Cheffrey Eats, the food truck permanently parked at Barrel of Monks Brewing at 1141 S. Rogers Circle, in the Penn-Florida Commerce Center in Boca Raton.

Owner Jeffrey Lemmerman touts it as “the best burger in South Florida.”

He didn’t make up the claim — his My Boy Blue burger won the title two years ago in a Sun Sentinel poll.

“It’s made with bacon, blue cheese and caramelized onion jam that we make,” he said.

Right now, however, the French onion soup burger is considered the best, he said.

“We toast the bun with a garlic aioli and Gruyere, add a 7-ounce patty, melted Gruyere, caramelized onion jam and a side of onion soup to dip it in. It’s killer.”

Another favorite is a pastrami special using burnt-ends pastrami atop the burger patty. Also on the bun are relish, homemade pickles, cheese, onions and sauerkraut.

Appetizers and sides include truffle fries, Mongolian Brussels sprouts, and buttermilk fried housemade pickles. “Those are really big sellers. We go through 20 gallons of pickles a week,” he said.

Lemmerman, 36, is a South Florida native and comes from a culinary background. He studied culinary at Johnson & Wales University in North Miami after getting a business degree at the University of Central Florida. 

He worked in kitchens throughout college, then interned at the Addison Reserve Country Club in Delray Beach. After working in other restaurants, however, he decided to work for himself. 

“So I started the food truck.”

That was in 2016, and like most who launch trucks, Lemmerman went at it “driven by passion,” he said.

Having restaurant experience made a difference, although the truck is a totally different business.

“I went in pretty blind,” he said. “I kinda drove around, doing street events. I stopped those pretty quickly. They’re not good business.” 

“Then I started doing breweries consistently. I was the Tuesday truck at Barrel of Monks for 21/2 years, then started doing more elevated stuff, like beer pairings and other specials to match their beer.”

The owner asked him to be Monks institutional kitchen, and he agreed. 

“I’ve been here seven years, seven days a week.”

He loves the truck business, having found his niche and his place.

Place is key: “The thing I tell people looking at getting a truck is ‘get a spot — one location — don’t travel.’”

***                             

With new regulations and some confusing ones in certain cities, staying put may prove difficult.

For 3½ years, Dan Herrera set up his taco truck — Picnic — along the northern stretch of Federal Highway in Delray Beach, and for the last several months was at 3908 N. Federal Highway, over the Boynton Beach city border. 

In January, the truck was ordered off the property. Herrera was taken by surprise.

“We have the permits, the property owner’s permission — we did everything right,” he said.

Then a city worker came by and told him he’d have to close — because of city rules. He explained he had all his paperwork in order — health and fire inspections, food licenses and so on. All were up to date.

“The first lady was very nice,” he said. “But the next lady from Boynton Beach was extremely rude, and shouted that I had to leave now.”

He tried to explain the previous city worker had said everything was in order, but this worker would not yield.

“She called her boss. He came out and said the first lady made a mistake, and I had to leave. I still don’t know why.”

Boynton Beach cited the owner of the property — made up of adjacent parcels, one in the city and the other in unincorporated Palm Beach County — for not having the proper permit.

Picnic became a popular taco truck that gained its reputation after the coronavirus pandemic.

Herrera, a Colombian native, started his truck after the pandemic closings wiped him out in 2020 up North.

“I started saving money again, and moved from Connecticut to Florida to start a new business” — Picnic.

He made up his own recipes, focusing on a small menu of Mexican favorites. It hasn’t varied much.

“Every time, I try and make it better and better,” he said. 

The street food was a success. He found a spot on Federal Highway land, and set up a tent, with picnic tables and festive lights. “People liked to eat there,” he said.

Online reviews rave about the baked pork belly (chicharron) served several ways. “You can get it as a panini, burrito, taco, tostado, quesadilla — or in our custom-made ‘holy guacamole,’” he said.

All the fresh juices are natural. “No sugar added — they’re just pulp and water. Very healthy.”

He offers all dietary options, including gluten-free foods. “All our tacos are gluten-free.”

Now, he’s taking the truck to events around town, posting his schedule on Instagram. He’s serving lunch at the Delray Medical Center on the third Tuesdays of the month, and planned to be parked at the Boynton Beach City Hall for a festival March 6.

He also caters parties, weddings or corporate events in the Picnic truck. 

“We’re looking for another spot permanently,” Herrera said.

 ***                            

Former car salesman Sammy Hadid decided to get a food truck as a retirement gig, and is having fun running it.

The Taste of Thyme truck is on Old Dixie Highway north of Walmart in Delray Beach.

He had to move in January from his spot in Boynton Beach on Federal Highway near Picnic. “You’d think the city would want us workers, contributing to the city. Yet they give the trucks and the stores a hard time. They close and move away. 

“But it is what it is,” he said.

Hadid uses his wife’s family recipes to fill the menu at his truck with foods like falafel, homemade hummus and his “star recipe” — chicken shawarma. 

He’s true to the cuisine of his native city, Jerusalem. 

“We import all of our spices,” Hadid said.

He’s gaining customers who leave rave reviews online — the marketing method of this business. QR codes appear on all trucks for instant connections to the food trucks’ menus and sites.

“We have already 18 five-star reviews of the shawarma,” Hadid said.

The chicken shawarma is the best seller, but he’s switching things up with a shawarma taco — “but with our own spices. People are loving it.”

He also serves shawarma-loaded fries.

A melted cheese-beef bowl is another favorite special.

Dessert is a syrup-soaked basbousa, or semolina cake. 

More about trucks

Lemmerman at Cheffrey Eats thinks the trucks are a good way to start a career in food. “It’s an affordable entry point to restaurants. Restaurants cost so much money up front.”

But it’s not as easy as the hopefuls think, he said. “It’s also some of the hardest type of work around.” 

The responsibility of the entire business falls on the owner of the truck.

“People romanticize about a food truck, but there are so many hours people don’t think of that go into it.”

From obtaining several types of permits for each city they serve, to weather, to driving to pick up propane for stoves — “Companies don’t deliver,” he said — it’s a lot of driving. 

Then there are vehicle breakdowns that many mechanics won’t work on. “I changed my own transmission,” Lemmerman said. Add in all the prep and cooking ahead of time, supply and crew problems, and it’s a tough prospect, he said.

“There are only a couple of hours a day where you’re making money.”

But it affords a work-life balance, and money can’t buy that, he said.

“I’ve got a 5-year-old daughter. I don’t want to miss those life moments. I didn’t want to be a big, successful chef and sacrifice that.”

A brick-and-mortar restaurant isn’t off the table, however. It’s all about timing, he said.

“Right now, I’m smelling the roses.”

Schedules can be erratic, since most truck owners also do catering, special events, or “just move to a better location,” as one said. 

The owners depend on the internet, especially social media, to keep their fans informed. Find the schedules and full menus for each of the food trucks on Instagram, X or Facebook, or check out their websites.

All trucks have online ordering for pickup. Most pair with a delivery service such as Uber Eats or Door Dash as well. All take cards, cash or electronic payments.

Jan Norris is a food writer who can be reached at nativefla@gmail.com.