Nearly 1,000 guests converged for the nation’s largest drag brunch. The Pride Drag Brunch, presented by CAN Community Health, raised money for The Pride Center at Equality Park in Wilton Manors. The celebration included The Pride Center’s annual Icon Awards ceremony, honoring leaders whose work advances equality, advocacy and public service. The Icon Awards were presented to Kevin Jennings, CEO of Lambda Legal; Katie Phang, senior adviser for Democracy Defenders Fund; and William C. Schultz, chief of police for the City of Fort Lauderdale. Proceeds benefit The Pride Center’s mission to provide programs, services and support that empower and enrich for LGBTQ+ individuals and families throughout South Florida. ABOVE: (l-r) Tp Lords, Erika Norell, Erick Eldridge, FKA Twink (front), Christopher Peterson of Manalapan, Daisy DeadPetals, Jesse Hernandez, Quinn Zrenity, Fay What! and DJ Mark Rivera. Photo provided by Carina Mask

The Literacy Coalition of Palm Beach Country turned from page-turning to pars and raised more than $50,000 to support programs for adults and children during the 10th annual tournament. Coalition board members Caleb Bowser and Nancy Vera co-chaired the event, and committee members included Travis Foels, Nancy Haviland, Adam Hodges and Valrie Martin Buchanan. ABOVE: (l-r) Casey Syring, Leanne Adair, Brenda Medore and Janet Donovan. Photo provided by Tracey Benson Photography

The Girl Scouts of Southeast Florida recognized five women whose leadership and service are having an impact in the community. Ruby Rinker, CEO of Ruby S. Rinker Co., herself a former Girl Scout, received the Lifetime Achievement Award for Philanthropy in appreciation of her support for initiatives benefiting local families, including Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Palm Beach and the Rinker Playhouse at the Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts. Honorees also included Amy Angelo of Oceana Coffee, Nicole Cummings of L3Harris, Nellie King of the Law Offices of Nellie L. King, P.A., and Kelly Smallridge of the Business Development Board of Palm Beach County, each praised as a role model for the next generation of leaders. The event raised more than $160,000. ABOVE: (l-r) Rasika Deshmukh, Smallridge and George Elmore. Photo provided by Premier Photo Palm Beach

Highland Beach firefighter/paramedic Kristi Kemper and Sparky demonstrate some of the town’s pet rescue equipment. Photo provided

By Arden Moore

When you see or hear the words, “firefighters” and “dogs,” you may conjure an image of a happy Dalmatian inside a fire station.

But the sad reality is that each year, more than 40,000 dogs, cats and other household pets become injured or die in house fires across the country. 

And here’s another scary stat: Pets cause more than 1,000 house fires annually, according to the National Fire Protection Association and the American Veterinary Medical Association. 

July 15 is national Pet Fire Safety Day. In Palm Beach County, local fire departments are doing their part to rescue pets in house fires. Many rescuers have their own pets. 

“One of the biggest problems we encounter with house fires is that pets inside get scared and may be hard to find with the fire and smoke,” says Boca Raton Fire Rescue Lt. Karl Richards. “A big issue with house fires is smoke inhalation. It does not take a lot to be overcome by the carbon monoxide in the smoke. The more smoke pets inhale, the more lethal it becomes.”

Adds Tyeisha Knight, community resilience manager for the Delray Beach Fire Rescue Department: “In a house fire, frightened pets are likely to hide in places where they feel safe and protected. Common hiding spots include under beds, inside closets, behind furniture or in cabinets or other small, enclosed spaces. This can make it difficult for family members and firefighters to locate them quickly during an emergency.”

Highland Beach Fire Rescue Chief Glenn Joseph urges residents to not only have smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors and fire extinguishers inside their homes, but to test them regularly. Consider doing this twice a year, say when you need to change your clocks in the spring and the fall. 

He adds that the most common culprits are kitchen fires, space heaters tipped over, forgetting to clean chimney flues, plus electrical cord shorts.

“A dog or a cat can bump or paw a stovetop knob and accidentally turn it on. That can lead to a fire,” says Joseph. “Or a cat can paw or a dog’s tail can knock over a lit candle and start a fire quickly.” 

During a house fire, quickly escape and alert firefighters about what pets are in the home and where they tend to hide.

“Tell the responder that your dog usually hides under a table or under the bed or in the closet when scared,” says Joseph.

To reduce pet-caused house fires, local firefighters recommend that you:

• Have a family escape plan and practice evacuating the entire family, including the pets.

• Keep leashes and pet carriers close to an exit so you can use them to get your frightened pets out quickly. 

• Consider using flameless or LED candles in the home instead of flame-burning ones. 

• If possible, condition your dog or cat to the piercing sounds of a smoke detector. Reward them with treats when they come to you or go into a safe spot such as in the bathroom or in an open pet crate upon hearing the noise. 

• Install child-safety covers on stove knobs or remove the knobs when you’re not actively cooking.

• Secure electrical cords with covers to keep pets from checking the cords and causing sparks or fires.

Knight, who has been with Delray Beach Fire Rescue for four years, shares her home with Bella, her 8-year-old pit bull. 

“To help keep Bella safe while we are home, she has been trained to stay out of the kitchen,” she says. “When we are away from home, Bella stays in her own room with a safety gate in place.”

Make sure all your pets sport identification tags bearing your name and cellphone number so that your pets can be more easily reunited with you should they dart out during a house fire. 

Consider placing stickers on windows that indicate the type and number of pets you have in your home to alert firefighters.

In Highland Beach and many other municipalities in Florida, residents can place household information such as pet descriptions in a secure portal called Community Connect that can be quickly accessed by first responders during an emergency. Consult your city or town for more details on how to register. 

“If we get an emergency call to your address, that information immediately goes to the first responders heading to the scene,” says Joseph. “This is a great and safe program.”

Final good news: More fire departments are equipping their trucks with various sized pet oxygen masks and ensuring their staffs complete pet first aid/CPR classes.

Arden Moore is an author, pet podcast show host and master certified pet first aid instructor. Check out petfirstaid4u.com and ardenmoore.com.

Learn more

National Pet Fire Safety Day is July 15 and is sponsored by the American Kennel Club and ADT Security. To learn more, visit akcreunite.org/firesafety and adt.com/pet-safety. 

The former St. Mary’s Medical Center Foundation officially transitioned to The Foundation for Palm Beach Health Network, expanding its philanthropic reach to support all six hospitals within Palm Beach Health Network. The foundation now encompasses Delray Medical Center, Good Samaritan Medical Center, Palm Beach Children’s Hospital, Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center, St. Mary’s Medical Center and West Boca Medical Center. 

Also, the foundation has appointed Felicia B. Morton as its new executive director.

Biotechnology company raises $2.5M in financing

BioStem Technologies, a biotechnology company developing placental-derived tissue grafts for advanced wound care, raised $2.5 million in private financing from its first institutional investor. The capital will help the firm strengthen its balance sheet as it works to uplist to the Nasdaq stock exchange. The company trades on the OTC market under the ticker BSEM. It did not disclose the investor’s identity. 

BioStem purchased a 4-acre property within the Research Park at Florida Atlantic University last November, with plans to move its headquarters from Pompano Beach.

Medical practice celebrates grand opening in west Boca

BeninMed, a medical practice founded by Drs. Samantha Benin and Andrew Benin, celebrated its grand opening at 9250 Glades Road, No. 108, Boca Raton, in June. The couple’s practice combines traditional internal medicine and cardiology with a proactive approach to prevention, longevity and overall wellness. 

Samantha Benin specializes in cardiology and internal medicine with a focus on preventive cardiology and cardiovascular risk reduction. Co-founder Andrew Benin is an internal medicine physician focused on preventive care and the management of chronic conditions such as hypertension, diabetes and cardiovascular risk factors.

— Christine Davis

Rayna Rose Exelbierd’s life goal is to teach kindness to others, which she does through her two nonprofits. She has also written two children’s books (below) and is working on a third. Photos provided

By Jan Engoren

Every month in this column we talk about the health part of Health and Harmony. This month, we’re focusing on the harmony — through the work of Boynton Beach resident Rayna Rose Exelbierd, 34, whose nonprofit, Teen Tribe, and business The Rose Grows, along with her children’s books are inspiring young people to believe that one person’s actions can make a meaningful difference.

The granddaughter of Holocaust survivors, Exelbierd grew up in Memphis and moved to Florida for college. She graduated from FAU in 2015 with a degree in business. After several years of working in the nonprofit world mentoring students, she saw a growing need to teach leadership, self‑confidence, kindness, understanding and diversity to children.

Exelbierd’s work is part of a larger movement to teach kindness as a discipline. 

In June, the Boca Raton Museum of Art and Kindness Matters offered a four-part series titled “Practicing Kindness: Deepening Brain Regulation,” designed to support emotional well-being, self-awareness and meaningful connection through practicing kindness.

More than 55 participants signed up, and a second series is planned for the fall.

David Matteson, director of learning and engagement at the museum, believes that teaching kindness and art go hand in hand.

“Art can help us build stronger, more empathetic relationships with ourselves and one another,” he says. “Many people are feeling overwhelmed or divided, and there is a real need for spaces like museums that encourage respite and reflection.”

He hopes participants leave feeling more connected to themselves and to the museum and learn practical tools such as pausing before reacting, listening more generously, or noticing opportunities to express gratitude in everyday life.

It’s the same philosophy that drives Exelbierd’s work — that one person’s act of kindness can have ripple effects on a child’s or other person’s life.

“I came across a poem I wrote five years ago about my dad, who died when I was 27,” she said. “That poem inspired me to write my first book, The Girl Who Said Hello to Everyone: Teaching Kids Kindness, Conversation and Resilience.”

The book is dedicated to Delray Beach probate attorney Pamela Higer-Polani and her husband, Mark, both mentors to Exelbierd.

“Rayna lives up to the meaning of her name — queen,” says Higer-Polani, who founded the nonprofit Brain Bowl in 2014. The organization raises funds and awareness for Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. “She’s beyond brave and always wants to help others, especially to empower women.”

Since Exelbierd published her first book, children in more than 19 countries have read her stories — including her second title, The Girl Who Wore Two Different Shoes: Empowering Kids to Celebrate Standing Out Instead of Trying to Fit In. It teaches empathy and the importance of embracing individuality. Both books are illustrated by her childhood friend, Allyn Chapman Fraser.

This year, Exelbierd’s nonprofit The Rose Grows (“Where One Grows, We All Grow”) distributed 8,000 books to public elementary school students from underserved backgrounds. She estimates she has spoken to more than a quarter million youth around the world over the last decade about leadership and understanding differences.

Exelbierd is also helping 96‑year‑old Holocaust survivor Anya Baum write her memoir and is at work on her third children’s book, tentatively titled The Girl Who Said I Can’t Run.

Locally, she has provided copies of her books to the Education Foundation of Palm Beach County, which distributes backpacks of school supplies to children. And she is partners with Junior Achievement of the Palm Beaches & Treasure Coast.  

Erica Eggerman, director of elementary programs for the local Junior Achievement, says, “Rayna’s partnership has been invaluable in helping us create experiences that are not only educational, but truly transformational.”

At StandWithUs, an international organization that combats antisemitism, Exelbierd met and mentored Miami native Danielle Yablonka, 25, who was immediately struck by her energy and presence.

“The minute I met Rayna and saw the way she sparkled in a room, I knew I had to meet her,” Yablonka says. “She was wearing a neon pink dress, basketball sneakers and a floppy hat — and her speech was so inspiring.

“Rayna gave me my first public speaking opportunity and encouraged me to tell my story,” adds Yablonka, who graduated from FAU in 2023 with a degree in communications and Jewish studies. “I wouldn’t be where I am without her.”

Exelbierd says she is inspired most by women who champion other women, such as Spanx creator Sara Blakely for being real, vulnerable, funny and hardworking, as well as by Blakely’s husband, Jesse Itzler, an author and entrepreneur. They motivated her to “chase my dreams.”

Exelbierd believes that when people bring their diverse talents and backgrounds together, they can support one another in reaching goals and overcoming challenges. She signs all her books, “You are just a hello away from new friends and adventures.”

Her personal motto — “Never dimmer your shimmer” — reflects the resilience she considers her greatest accomplishment. Not giving up, she says, is what allows her to keep helping children discover their self‑confidence and their voice.

“I’m so blessed if I can inspire even one child to think bigger in their own life,” she says.

Jan Engoren writes about health and healthy living. Send column ideas to jengoren@hotmail.com.

Follow Rayna Rose Exelbierd on Instagram or visit therosegrows.com or teen-tribe.com.

To learn about the Boca Raton Museum of Art, visit BocaMuseum.org.

Nikole Heath, Force-E training director, shows a lobster she caught during a mini-season. Photos provided

By Steve Waters

For most Palm Beach County scuba divers, the annual two-day lobster mini-season is the highlight of their year.

Not only is it the first opportunity to catch lobsters since the regular season closed on April 1, but it also allows underwater hunters to keep 12 of the tasty crustaceans a day, which is twice the regular season daily bag limit of six per person.

That will have local divers, as well as visiting divers from everywhere, heading to the coral reefs spanning from Boca Raton to Jupiter in search of a lobster dinner during the mini-season, which is July 29-30.

Steven Constantiner, the owner of Force-E Scuba Centers, calls it the “World Cup of lobstering,” a timely reference to the excitement that soccer fans are currently experiencing during that sport’s biggest event.

That makes July the busiest month for Constantiner’s dive shops, which are in Boca Raton, Boynton Beach, Riviera Beach, Pompano Beach and Fort Lauderdale, with a sixth scheduled to open this month in Jupiter, as divers get their air tanks filled and scuba gear checked in time for opening day. 

If you’ve never caught lobsters during mini-season, whether it’s because you haven’t tried it before or because you stink at it, Force-E’s training director Nikole Heath said the stores not only can get you prepared and book dives on local charter boats, they also can guide you to a successful mini-season.

“We have certified diving professionals, instructors that teach underwater hunting,” Heath said, noting that Force-E (www.force-e.com) also has lobster-hunting guides to help you catch lobsters just as fishing guides help you catch fish.

“You can actually just hire them to come out for the day for your mini-season and you’ll catch everything together. That’s something pretty different. So instead of an instructor teaching you how to dive, they actually take you out hunting for lobsters.”

Heath, who also handles marketing and social media for Force-E — the YouTube channel @ForceEDivers has an abundance of videos on everything from scuba gear and travel destinations to spearfishing and sea turtles — said the company has professionals who can help set up your boat for mini-season. That could include checking safety items such as first aid and oxygen kits to securing air tanks, so they don’t roll around or fall over in choppy seas.

Force-E Scuba Centers staffers inspect air tanks, a process fill stations require annually. Lobster mini-season is July 29-30. Speaking of air tanks, Heath said all the Force-E stores will have extended hours both days of mini-season to fill tanks. It’s wise to bring in your tanks well in advance of mini-season to get them inspected and filled, or replaced if they’re unsafe.

“Any fill station requires a visual inspection of tanks once a year,” Heath said, explaining that tanks need to be checked for pitting, rust, cracks and even insects such as spiders that crawl into them. She added that for mini-season, Force-E will inspect two tanks for the price of one inspection.

If you haven’t dived since last year’s mini-season or longer, you also need to have your dive gear inspected. Something as simple as a worn-out O-ring in a regulator can keep you from diving. Air hoses that have leaks can be deadly — you might not be able to breathe underwater or get back to the water’s surface.

Heath said if your diving skills are a little rusty, it’s a good idea to dive with an instructor, whether it’s off a boat or from the beach.

“We get a lot of people who come out for mini-season and they’re like, ‘My last dive was 10 years ago.’ We really try and emphasize that people do refresher dives with us before mini-season or even get their rescue diver certification so that they’re a more well-rounded diver,” Heath said. “We want you to get your lobsters and we want you to be safe.”

Outdoors writer Steve Waters can be reached at steve33324@aol.com.

Rumi Ota Borgese dons white gloves to examine the kimonos found outside the Jewish Community Center resale store. Miwako Patton, the Morikami’s marketing and public relations manager, looks on. The white wedding kimono possibly dates to the 1940s. The black formal kimono would have been worn during traditional ceremonies. Photo provided

By Janis Fontaine

In an act of cultural compassion, eagle-eyed Eric Goldman, vice president of retail services at the Levis Jewish Community Center’s Resale Boutique, rescued two kimonos left in a plain, unmarked cardboard box by the back door of the store in east Boca Raton. 

Goldman’s experience told him these garments might have real cultural significance, so he reached out to James Rodgers, the collection manager at the Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens in Delray Beach, who invited Goldman to meet. Jennifer Giacone, the Levis JCC’s chief marketing and communications officer, was there. 

“When I saw what Eric presented and how it was handled, it was really extraordinary. We watched the staff at Morikami put on white cotton gloves so caringly, almost reverently, and then look at these two artifacts, really examining them and trying to point out where historically they belonged. It was a very special moment.”

On initial examination, Rodgers said, they knew little about the pieces. The black kimono was a kurotomesode, “a very formal type of kimono typically worn at weddings by the mother or grandmother of the bride or groom. This one is particularly formal,” he said.

Kimonos are deeply symbolic, reflecting artistry, tradition and critical life moments, Rodgers said. This kimono probably belonged to an important family because of the presence of five “mon,” the family’s emblem or symbol, that were included. 

“In Japanese it’s called maruni tachi omodaka, which in English translates to standing arrowhead in a circle. It denotes that they might have come from a samurai family. They were probably middle class to wealthy.”  

Rodgers thinks the family may have had to sell the kimono during or after the war. “When the U.S. military was occupying Japan after World War II, a lot of families, particularly those in areas that were bombed or destroyed, found themselves on really hard times and ended up having to sell their precious family belongings to U.S. soldiers just to survive. The soldiers brought them back to the United States as souvenirs,” he said.

The museum has gotten kimonos before that were carried home by servicemen. 

“We’ve been collecting kimonos from the very beginning, since 1976,” Rodgers said. “We get kimonos fairly often, but because our collection is fairly large, we don’t put too many into the collection.” 

The second kimono was an uchikake, or wedding kimono, which have great history, Rodgers said. “Daughters in samurai families would have a very formal kimono that they would wear when they get married. You’ll see the sleeves are very long, which indicates that the woman who wore it was unmarried. This one is quite colorful with a four seasons theme, so you have spring, fall and summer colors, different flowers and plants that give it that year-round, very seasonal motif,” he said. “In our collection, we have about 25 or so more modern uchikake; this is a good example of one of the older ones.”

This was the JCC’s first interaction with the Morikami, but it has already opened doors between the two groups. 

“I’m delighted to say that as an outgrowth of that experience, we’re in contact with Miwako Patton to pursue some opportunities through our Sandler Center for Arts, Culture and Learning,” Giacone said. “We’re brainstorming ideas; maybe a JCC series at Morikami or guided tours of the museum and gardens.”

A shared history and intersections of the cultures can be explored, Giacone said. “Years ago, we had a film festival that screened a film about a courageous Japanese diplomat who saved thousands of Jews in Lithuania. He was an unsung hero who understood this is not OK and helped save people who were running for their lives.” 

The film, 2015’s Persona Non Grata, tells the story of Japanese diplomat Chiune Sugihara, who defied orders and issued more than 2,000 transit visas to Jewish refugees, allowing them to travel through Japanese territory. He risked his career and his family to save people fleeing Poland and Lithuania. Experts estimate he saved more than 6,000 lives before the Nazis invaded Lithuania a year later in 1941.

“They were very interested in screening that film with us. I think that there’s a lot of opportunity for us to partner on, to present our community with opportunities to learn about different cultures and the intersections between them,” Giacone said.  

Rodgers agrees it’s important to foster local relationships. “We took the kimono because we wanted to build a relationship with the JCC,” he said. “It’s always good when museums and nonprofit organizations work together. With that in mind, we took this into the collection.”

Giacone agrees. “South Palm Beach County is an extremely culturally rich area. We have such amazing cultural and educational opportunities here. I think cultivating that is going to go a long way to really fostering better understanding of one another. 

“I think people sometimes are afraid of what they don’t understand, and so by opening these doors to understanding, we learn more about one another and we appreciate each other’s cultures. It makes us a better community.” 

Of course, Giacone can’t help but see divine intervention at work. “Everything lined up the way it was supposed to. Eric saw something special. He reached out. We connected. All the stars aligned for that.” 

The Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens currently has an exhibition of uchikake called “Threads of Silver and Gold,”which runs until Sept. 20. Five uchikake, each with a different motif, are on display. Around mid-July, the museum will switch them out and display five more. Visit the museum at 4000 Morikami Park Road, Delray Beach. For more info on the exhibit, visit morikami.org/current-exhibitions/.

Janis Fontaine writes about people of faith, their congregations, causes and community events. Contact her at fontaine423@outlook.com.

Rabbi Howard Shub speaks to the audience at Holocaust Survivor Day. Photo courtesy of Jeffrey Tholl

The Ferd & Gladys Alpert Jewish Family Service honored nearly 100 Holocaust survivors from Palm Beach County during its sixth annual Holocaust Survivor Day, held June 4 at Temple Beth Tikvah in Lake Worth Beach. 

Established in 2021 to recognize and lift up Holocaust survivors with a day of celebration and appreciation, the event featured a tribute to the significance of Holocaust Survivor Day and a presentation of proclamations by Palm Beach County and the state of Florida. But the highlight of the event was the recognition of the survivors in attendance. It included a musical performance by Gyorgy Lakatos. More than 150 guests attended. 

The Alpert JFS is one of Palm Beach County’s leading providers of mental health and social services, serving more than 12,000 people annually. Find out more about the work at www.AlpertJFS.org or call 561-684-1991.   

To learn more about Holocaust Survivor Day, visit holocaustsurvivorday.com.

Study shows prayer calms patients, lessens pain 

There’s scientific evidence of the power of prayer.  

A randomized controlled trial conducted at the University of Maryland School of Medicine has found that a five-minute session of proximal intercessory prayer (PIP) — in-person prayer offered by a trained volunteer — significantly reduced pain and anxiety in primary care patients. The study published in the May/June 2026 issue of The Annals of Family Medicine is among the first randomized controlled trials of PIP conducted in a standard primary care setting. 

Prayer is the most common form of complementary medicine used in the United States. About 43% of people report using prayer to lessen pain or relieve anxiety. But it’s hard to show it works.

This study said positive results were reported by both the pain and anxiety groups. The pain group reported significantly greater pain reductions immediately after the session and at the two-week follow-up. The anxiety group participants showed significantly greater reductions in anxiety scores immediately after their treatment. This effect persisted at two- and six-week follow-ups, suggesting durable effects lasting at least a month and a half for the anxiety group. 

According to the study, prayer worked regardless of the patient’s faith — or lack of faith. Research suggests that prayer influences the brain in several ways: It strengthens neural pathways of peace and gratitude and lowers stress by calming the parasympathetic nervous system, which lowers levels of cortisol, the body’s primary stress hormone. It also promotes empathy and social connection because we often pray for others’ needs as well as our own. 

So, a quick, drug-free, cost-effective answer to pain and anxiety might be as close as a friend who knows how to pray. And you can help. Many church ministries are devoted to this work. At Spanish River Church in Boca Raton, the Visitation Team is starting a new ministry that visits homebound and hospitalized people who need a bit of prayer. Learn about the vision and opportunities to serve at an interest meeting at 10:15-10:45 a.m. July 12 in Connect Center Room 1 at the church, 2400 Yamato Road, Boca Raton. For more info, call 561-994-5000 or visit spanishriver.com.

New prayer circle forms at St. Gregory’s 

Join the Center for Spiritual Formation at St. Gregory’s in Boca Raton for a new contemplative prayer experience.

The Lectio Divina Prayer Circle facilitated by Rose Sandoval takes place at 10 a.m. July 11 in St. Mary’s Chapel and features 40 minutes of Lectio Divina, the ancient Christian practice of using Holy Scripture to center prayer. Participants focus on a short piece of scripture to concentrate their prayers.

This circle will meet on the first Saturdays of succeeding months at 10 a.m. Beginners are welcome. For more information, contact Sandoval at Rose@rose-sandoval.com.

Also continuing in July: At 4 p.m. July 16, Yoga and Sacred Movement mixes gentle stretching movements and breath work with reflection on scripture and prayer. 

Then, at 4 p.m. July 25, YogaMass is held in St. Mary’s Chapel. This is a time for graceful yoga, words of faith and contemplative meditation. Bring your yoga mat and water for both events. 

Call 561-395-8285 or email rneville@st-gregorys.com. 

St. Gregory’s Episcopal Church is at 100 NE Mizner Blvd., Boca Raton.

Exploring Christianity class at Spanish River Church

Spanish River Church will hold a seven-week class beginning July 16 for people who have decided to follow Jesus and are asking, “What’s next?” 

This introduction to Jesus through the Gospel of Mark features short films and guided discussions where questions are encouraged. 

The course is designed for people who are new to the faith, but anyone looking to grow deeper in their understanding of Christianity will benefit. 

The class meets 6:30-7:45 p.m. Thursdays beginning July 16 through Aug. 27 in the Education Building, Room 620 on the East Campus, 2350 Yamato Road, Boca Raton. Info: 561-994-5000 or spanishriver.com/.

Boca Community Church catches World Cup fever 

At 7-9 p.m. July 17 and 31, Boca Raton Community Church will host a little friendly soccer competition, open to men and women of all ages and levels of experience. The best news is that it takes place indoors in the gym at the church, 470 NW Fourth Ave., Boca Raton. Info: bocacommunity.org or 561-395-2400. 

First Presbyterian to host a church picnic 

The Deacons of First Presbyterian Church of Delray Beach are hosting a classic summer potluck picnic on July 26 beginning at 11 a.m. following worship services. This fellowship event connects the church family via a shared meal with plenty of food and conversation. Bring your favorite picnic dish to share.

Reservations are encouraged at firstdelray.com/upcoming-events/summer-picnic-rsvp/ to help with planning. First Presbyterian Church is at 33 Gleason St., Delray Beach. For more info, call 561-276-6338. 

Temple Beth El’s Giving Tree gets own space 

The Giving Tree, Temple Beth El of Boca Raton’s charitable program that grants holiday wishes to thousands of local children and provides backpacks and school supplies to hundreds of students, is finally getting a space to call its own. After operating out of people’s garages and donated space for 30 years, the group now has a dedicated 2,400-square-foot area for its exclusive use. They certainly earned it! See my story about the work they do here: thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/list/tag/giving+tree.

— Janis Fontaine

The Coastal Star won seven first-place awards and 15 overall at the Florida Press Association award ceremony held June 5. Staff photo

Staff report

The Coastal Star received 15 awards June 5 from the Florida Press Association for coverage it provided during 2025, including seven first-place prizes.

In one of the most prestigious awards, the paper also placed second in general excellence, coming after a first-place finish in that category last year.

"I hope the recognition shows our readers that we are continuously striving to give them the best community newspaper possible," Editor Larry Barszewski said.

The awards were presented during the annual Florida Media Conference, held this year at Disney Springs in Lake Buena Vista. The paper competed in the weekly and monthly newspaper category with papers having a circulation exceeding 15,000.

The Coastal Star awards winners are:

First Place

Rich Pollack; Roads & Transportation:  Along the Coast: Crosswalk Confusion

Ron Hayes; Sports Feature Story:  Along the Coast: From Player to Piper

Janis Fontaine; Agricultural & Environmental Reporting: Boca Raton: FAU’s mascot faces a familiar foe — the university itself

Tim Stepien; Spot News Photo: Above photo showing a family on State Road A1A literally putting their lives in their hands as they raise them to alert drivers to their presence so they can cross safely. There had been a recent fatality involving a pedestrian who had been struck and killed by a car while in the same Delray Beach crosswalk.  

Staff; Online Breaking News Coverage: Delray Beach (update): City drops fight against state over Pride intersection|Delray Beach: Scrubbing out Pride, Sept. 9-10

John Pacenti; The Gwen Stevenson Memorial Award, for General News Story: Along the Coast: Submerged lands buyer faces choppy legal seas

John Pacenti; Outdoor & Recreation: Delray Beach: Rental chairs and erosion combine to make prime beach space scarce

Second Place

Staff; General Excellence

Jan Norris; Arts, Entertainment & Review Reporting: Dining: Is that kosher?

Faran Fagen; Outdoor & Recreation: Field of dreams: Miracle League gives kids with disabilities a chance to play ball

Ron Hayes; Faith & Family Reporting: Philanthropy Season Preview: CROS Ministries has a hunger to help

Steve Plunkett, Tim Stepien, Jerry Lower; Hurricane Coverage, General News Story: Along the Coast: Hurricane adds to heaps of trouble for sea turtle babies

Third Place

Steve Plunkett; Breaking News Story: Along the Coast: Gumbo Limbo loses its sea turtle hospital

Rich Pollack; Roads & Transportation: Along the Coast: Family matriarch in A1A crosswalk fatally struck by cars|Along the Coast: Calls for sharing road, knowing rules amplify with crashes weighing on A1A bicyclists’ minds

Ron Hayes; Community History: Boca Raton: 'Old Betsy'

Christian Joseph Ippolito, 24, of Lantana, was arrested June 3 and charged with two counts of second-degree attempted murder in the Memorial Day shooting outside The Standard Cuisine & Cocktails in Boca Raton. Photo provided

By Larry Barszewski

A 24-year-old Lantana man — a former Olympic Heights High School football player — was arrested June 3 in the Memorial Day shooting of two people near The Standard Cuisine & Cocktails establishment at Royal Palm Place in Boca Raton, according to police records.

Police said they charged Christian Joseph Ippolito with two counts of  second-degree attempted murder with a firearm and one count of shooting into an occupied dwelling. Ippolito is being held without bond at the Palm Beach County Jail.

The shooting occurred about 12:35 a.m. May 25 after a verbal altercation between Ippolito and one of the victims outside the restaurant, witnesses told police. The two knew each other, police said.

The restaurant’s manager, seeing the confrontation building on The Standard’s patio, directed nearby patrons into The Standard and away from the scene, police said.

A witness who also saw that a confrontation was imminent, tried to keep the two apart before the shooting, police said. However, the witness was unsuccessful as “Ippolito retrieved a firearm from his waistband area and shot two rounds in the direction of the victim,” a police statement said. Two 9mm shell casings were recovered at the scene, police said.

At least one of the bullets shattered a window next to the main entrance, police said.

The witness, who knew Ippolito because they were football teammates at Olympic Heights, showed police he also was grazed in the arm by one of the shots, but he declined to report it, police said.

The victim in the shouting match, identified as Nicholas Thomas, 43, sustained a chest wound and was taken to Delray Medical Center, where he was in stable condition as of June 4, police said.

A second victim, identified as Michael Francis Bogdan, 48, was in the restaurant when the shots were fired and was struck in his right leg. He also was taken to Delray Medical Center and was later released from the hospital, police said.

Bogdan told police he hadn’t been aware of the altercation and only realized he had been shot while standing in the restaurant, according to the police report.

Ippolito worked at nearby Patsy's Pizzeria in Plaza Real although he drove to the scene of the shooting, police said.

‘Major’ sargassum buildup could also put crimp in turtle season‘s fast start

Beachgoers in Lantana struggle to find seaweed-free spots to set up chairs or put down blankets in late May. Piles of sargassum washed ashore in South County, with a record amount forecast by summer. Photos by Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Jane Musgrave

Mother Nature isn’t kind to baby sea turtles.

In a year that is poised to produce a record number of the tiny marine creatures, nature has also sent a bumper crop of seaweed that threatens their survival.

“If the seaweed is piled up a foot or two above the nest, it could make it hard for them to get out,” said Kaleigh Gucker, outreach coordinator for Sea Turtle Adventures, which monitors turtle nests along a three-mile stretch of beach in Gulf Stream, Briny Breezes and southern Ocean Ridge.

The seaweed — technically called sargassum — has confounded beach-lovers for weeks. And it’s going to get worse, according to marine scientists at the University of South Florida, who are monitoring the ever-moving mass that in late May stretched some 4,000 miles, from the Gulf coast of Louisiana to the northern coast of Brazil in the Atlantic Ocean.

“The year of 2026 is set to be another major sargassum year and likely to be a record year by summer 2026,” they wrote in a bulletin on April 30.

Turtle-watchers, who are celebrating what may be a record number of turtle nests along most beaches in southern Palm Beach County and beyond, say they are hoping the predictions are wrong.

“It comes and goes,” said David Anderson, who, as sea turtle conservation coordinator at the Gumbo Limbo Nature Center in Boca Raton, knows such dire forecasts can fizzle. “We may see some relief in a few weeks when the winds change direction and keep it offshore.”

But, like Gucker, he acknowledged that if sargassum keeps washing ashore, it will do more than simply ruin a day at the beach for people trying to beat the heat.

“Little baby hatchlings struggle to get through it,” he said. “The longer they are out there the greater chance they will get exhausted or get picked off by predators.”

Even without having to navigate through deep, tight-knit mounds of sargassum, the odds are against the hatchlings. Only about 1 in 1,000 make it to adulthood, according to the World Wildlife Federation.

Oddly, sargassum is both their curse and their salvation. A clump of sargassum provides them shelter and food as it carries them on their treacherous journey to the open ocean. Recent research spearheaded by scientists at the University of Central Florida suggest the hatchlings are headed to the Sargasso Sea.

The only sea in the world not bordered by land, the 2 million-square-mile area east of Bermuda is a haven for many sea animals, including turtles, who feed off its sargassum until they are old enough to return to land to lay eggs. It is considered a sea because it is ecologically unique from the rest of the Atlantic Ocean and is contained by four massive ocean currents — the Gulf Stream and the North Atlantic, Canary, and North Equatorial currents. 

A sea turtle nest is marked off at South Inlet Park in Boca. If the sargassum gets too deep, hatchlings will find it difficult to reach the ocean.

Turtle nesting up

With more nests along Boca Raton’s five-mile stretch of beach than in 2012, when the city’s existing records were set, Anderson said he is hoping the inundation of sargassum abates soon. The peak hatching season typically runs from late July to September.

While crews in Delray Beach, Boca Raton and other municipalities, or private landowners along the coast, rake the seaweed daily, it still piles up, he said.

As of May 21, Anderson’s crews had logged 239 nests, mostly loggerheads. That is up substantially from last year when numbers were down statewide.

Most telling, Anderson said, is that crews had found 41 leatherback nests. In 2012, when records were set, only 33 were found in the entire season which runs from March 1 to Oct. 31.

Gucker said the counts are similar in Sea Turtle Adventures’ stretch of beach. As of May 21, a whopping 213 nests had been located, she said. As in Boca, the majority are loggerheads. 

But, the number of leatherback nests — 43 — has already shattered records, she said. The previous record was set when 19 were found during an entire season, she said.

Highland Beach is also on pace to have a record-breaking year at least for loggerhead and leatherback turtles, said Joanne Ryan, manager of the all-volunteer Highland Beach Sea Turtle Team. 

By May 26, the team had logged 232 loggerhead and 18 leatherback nests. At the same time last year, the volunteers had recorded 148 loggerhead and just seven leatherback nests. 

Still, she said, the number of green turtle nests is far off the record of 22 that were discovered in 2023. By May 27, only one had been recorded compared to two found last year by the same time.

But, Ryan said, green turtles typically nest later and often skip a year, which makes predictions difficult.

“This year should be interesting to see what we get,” she said.

A lone beachgoer is dwarfed by the piles of sargassum in late May as he walks along the south jetty wall at the Boca Raton Inlet.

Delray’s numbers down

The exception to the big-year scenario for loggerheads and leatherbacks is Delray Beach. As of the last week in May, city turtle watchers had logged 54 loggerhead and 10 leatherback nests. That is down slightly from the 60 loggerheads and 16 leatherback nests that were recorded last year by the same time.

While the deluge of sargassum is a factor, a bigger reason for the reduced numbers is Delray Beach’s recently completed $19.2 million beach renourishment project, said Cynthia Buisson, the city’s assistant public works director.

Crews have documented an abnormally high 149 “false crawls,” which means sea turtles approached the beach to nest but turned away. That isn’t unusual after a renourishment project, Buisson said. “Nesting success tends to drop the first year following construction,” she said.

In addition to encountering heavy mats of sargassum, would-be nesting turtles were also faced with a wall of sand that had formed as the new sand settled along the shore. The wall, known as an escarpment, was leveled off in mid-May.

Buisson said she is hopeful that nesting will pick up. “It is still early and things can change,” she said.

But statewide, Delray Beach is an anomaly, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

“The 2026 sea turtle nesting season is officially off and with a strong start!” it wrote in a May 13 Facebook post. “Loggerheads and leatherbacks are both currently outpacing their recent record-breaking years.” 

Both Anderson and Gucker said they can only hope that the abundance of nests produces an abundance of hatchlings that make it to the water.

“Obviously, I’m hoping a busy turtle season isn’t paired with a heavy seaweed season,” Gucker said. 

Coral Springs residents Sonia Pekrol and her four-year-old daughter, Claire, look for a seaweed-free spot to set up their chairs at South Inlet Park in Boca Raton. The sargassum seaweed has invaded local beaches, leaving sparse open areas for visitors to relax.

The statue of two pelicans (far right) has gone missing from the George Bush Boulevard bridge. It had been visible to westbound travelers approaching the bridge since 1989. Google Map photo

Related: Bridge closure planned to last until July 20

By Larry Barszewski

A pair of pelicans that perched for decades atop two concrete pilings next to the George Bush Boulevard bridge — going back to the days when the road was called Northeast Eighth Street — are gone.

The pelicans, a bronze sculpture placed alongside the road and dedicated to Delray Beach in 1989, have been visible to westbound travelers approaching the boulevard’s bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway ever since — well, that is, at least until they disappeared.

While there are no plans to place a picture of the 37-year-old sculpture on the side of milk cartons under a “Have you seen me” label, some city residents would like to know what happened to the pelicans.

“Perhaps the birds were in need of a cleaning. Perhaps they were stolen in the largest public art heist in Delray Beach history,” Steve Leveen wrote to The Coastal Star, telling the newspaper that the pelicans “have apparently flown the coop” from their pilings near the bridge.

“Whatever the story, we would deeply appreciate some answers from your investigative news team,” Leveen wrote. 

Bronze pelicans on the west side of the George Bush Boulevard bridge have greeted travelers for decades. They‘re gone. Photo provided

The paper picked up the gauntlet but, sad to say, couldn’t find anyone who would even acknowledge the missing pelicans belonged to them.

Police have not put out an APB — an All-Pelicans Bulletin in this case — and say they can find no record of anyone filing a complaint reporting the statue as missing.

The city, for its part, suggested contacting the Florida Department of Transportation.

“I checked with our staff. This is a county owned and maintained bridge,” responded Guillermo Canedo, FDOT’s District 4 communications manager. He directed inquiries to Palm Beach County’s bridge superintendent.

Success! Sort of. …

“The missing statue was noticed in early March. The statue belongs to city of Delray,” came the county reply from Superintendent Thomas Coppini Jr. “I believe my secretary reported it to the city in March. However, I cannot confirm as she has since retired.”

There’s a plaque on the pilings, supporting the city’s ownership. It says: “Presented to the Town of Delray Beach in memory of William L. and Beth Newcome Christenson, who made these roads possible.” The plaque mentions the bronze statue was donated by the couple’s son and daughter-in-law, Dr. and Mrs. William Newcome Christenson, and sculpted by Edward R. Grove.

The written tribute notwithstanding, Delray Beach officials say the bridge “and presumably the pelicans” belong to the county.

“The city has no permits for or records of installation for the statue, and we also do not maintain or repair the work,” city spokeswoman Gina Carter said in an email. “I’m sorry this isn’t more helpful, but I’m afraid your hunt may have to continue.”

Enter Kayleigh Howald, archivist for the Delray Beach Historical Society, who scoured her files and came up with a short 1989 Palm Beach Post story about the statue’s unveiling, along with William L. Christenson’s 1961 obituary in the Delray Beach News Journal.

The senior Christenson, it turns out, “owned considerable property” along the east side of the Intracoastal in the area and earlier was a key player in putting together the land that would become the town of Gulf Stream. The obituary said his “long-time hope” was the bridge's construction, “and towards that end he donated to the county approximately 970 feet of road right-of-way east of the Waterway.”

In the 1989 story, his son told the paper that his parents once had a dock within a few hundred yards of where the statue was placed. The son said his parents were fond of the ever-present pelicans, regularly feeding them stale bread. They even named their street a block north of the bridge Pelican Lane — the street’s homes split between Delray Beach and Gulf Stream — to honor the waterbirds (the name stuck).

Former City Commissioner Mary McCarty, who was in office at the time, remembers attending the pelican statue’s unveiling, “but I don’t remember anything other than it was unveiled as a gift to the city.”

Her take: “If the city doesn’t know anything about it, then it must have been stolen and it is probably anybody’s guess as to when that even happened.”

The pelicans weren’t known to be snowbirds, so it is unlikely that the statue is just gone for the summer.

The Christensons lived at the home on the Intracoastal where Pelican Lane dead-ends, said Tom Murphy, who lives in the neighborhood and dabbles in the history of the area. He said the Christensons could see the bridge — which was built in 1949 — from their dock.

“They could look right at the bridge,” Murphy said. “There used to be an Australian pine near there where the pelicans would roost at night.”

Grove, the artist whose résumé included being a sculptor engraver for the U.S. Mint, had previously sculpted the golden Bicentennial Eagle on Royal Poinciana Way at the entrance to the town of Palm Beach. Unlike the pelicans, the eagle has not disappeared (The Coastal Star checked).

Anyone with information about the whereabouts of the pelicans is not being asked to contact anyone (at least not yet) — and there is no reward being offered — but please do leave a message with larry@thecoastalstar.com. 

A view of the proposed two-story clubhouse from State Road A1A. Rendering provided

By Jane Musgrave

For the first time in its 64-year history, the Ocean Club of Florida is getting a new clubhouse.

In a unanimous decision on June 1, Ocean Ridge town commissioners gave the club the go-ahead to tear down its existing clubhouse and build another one in its place.

The estimated $35 million clubhouse will be slightly larger than the one that was built in 1962 when town pioneers decided residents needed a private club for dining, swimming and other activities. But it will seat fewer people.

To comply with parking requirements, the new two-story, 22,500-square-foot clubhouse will seat 180 people, 12 fewer than it does today. The existing clubhouse, which was renovated in 2006 at a cost of $4 million, is 17,240 square feet, according to the Palm Beach County Property Appraiser.

Town commissioners lauded the club for designing a building, described by its architect as a mix of “island classical and Bermuda colonial,” that captures the town’s character.

“It doesn’t look futuristic. It fits in with the town’s image and fits in with the image of the Ocean Club,” Vice Mayor Steve Coz said.

Commissioner Carolyn Cassidy agreed. “I think it’s clearly going to be an enhancement to the community and to the club itself,” she said.

Resident Terry Brown wasn’t so certain. Born and raised in Florida, he graduated from high school the year the original Ocean Cub was built. “I take a neutral position because I have nostalgia for the old Florida; this is the new Florida,” he said.

The project has been in the works for about three years, said Bryan Donahue, a principal with Insite, a Palm Beach Gardens firm that handled the site and landscaping plans. In 2023, a team was hired to look into the feasibility of a new clubhouse, he said.

Earlier this year, the recommendation to replace the aging clubhouse was put to a vote of club members. With the vast majority of members casting ballots, 88% backed the plan.

Some of those voting are on the planning and zoning and town commissions. Four of the five planning board members who approved the plans for the new clubhouse said they were members of the club.

One was Ken Kaleel, vice chair of the planning board. He said the town attorney advised him that club members could vote as long as they weren’t on the governing body of the club.

At the Town Commission meeting, Commissioner Ainar Aijala Jr. abstained from voting because he’s on the club’s governing board. 

The commission’s decision is just the latest step in what is expected to be a months-long process. The club next must get its building plans approved. Construction isn’t expected to begin until next spring, with completion anticipated in October 2028.

There are no plans to close the club while the new clubhouse is built, Donahue said. The oceanfront kiddie and adult pools, deckside bar and cabanas will remain open and a tent will be erected temporarily for dining.

While the Ocean Club is a storied club in Ocean Ridge, it is far from the oldest along the county’s southern coast. That distinction belongs to the Gulf Stream Golf Club. It officially opened for play in 1924, featuring a course designed by legendary designer Donald Ross and a clubhouse by the famed architect Addison Mizner. 

 — Sephora Charles contributed to this story.

It has been 50 years this month since I began my newspaper career here in Palm Beach County, a wet-behind-the-ears Jimmy Olsen hired as a reporter for the weekly Delray Beach and Boynton Beach News Journal. 

Back then, Delray Beach was known among us locals as Dullray. Downtown Atlantic Avenue thrived during the day, but was empty at night — with dark stores and sidewalks you could roll a bowling ball down.  

It wasn’t that long ago that you could walk downtown and almost inevitably run into someone you knew for decades. Over the years that’s changed, and one element of that was the demise of the News Journal. 

Let me explain: 

Community newspapers help build communities, and when we lose those newspapers our sense of community gradually erodes. 

For years before it ceased publication in 1986, the News Journal was the definition of a community newspaper. You could thumb through the pages and find out who the new Eagle Scout from Troop 301 was. You could find out who won the weekly ladies golf tournament at the city golf course.

Reporters went to Kiwanis meetings and reluctantly sang old-timey songs with Delray Beach business leaders. We sat through chamber breakfasts and even an occasional Rotary or Lions Club meeting.  

I covered Atlantic High School sports and the Delray Rocks like a blanket and penned pieces about Little League, too. 

The News Journal was a great place to work. We made lifelong friends while doing everything from covering commission meetings to delivering papers before daylight on Thursday mornings.

The News Journal was a conduit connecting us all — and in doing so, strengthening our sense of community. 

It wasn’t the only community newspaper in those days. Boca Raton had the Boca News, a daily that focused on very local news, and there was also the Monday-Thursday Papers, a weekly serving mostly Boca Raton. Farther north, there was the Lake Worth Herald.

Sadly, most newspapers today no longer build communities. More and more people get their news from their phone or computer, reading only what an algorithm sends them. 

Daily newspapers are so thinly staffed that there’s no one left to do the type of local news that we used to call “refrigerator journalism” — a reference to a story that you would cut out and tape to your refrigerator. 

Yes, you can still get some of that news, but you won’t stumble upon it just thumbing through pages. You have to go searching online. 

The result, in many instances, is that our sense of community is like a shadow that fades in the sunset. We are no longer as tight and, too often, no longer caring about each other like we used to. 

There is, however, reason to be hopeful. 

A new generation of community newspapers like The Coastal Star is surviving and even thriving, in some areas, in large part because they are helping to create communities. They are “our little newspaper” that we look to when we want to know what’s happening in our corner of the world. 

Rebuilding that sense of community here on the barrier islands could start simply by reading the “Meet Your Neighbor” and “Coastal Star” features that highlight people living along the coast. 

Also, sending in story ideas would help The Coastal Star better tap into the communities it serves. And the paper always welcomes local events to feature on its “Celebrations” pages. 

You might even consider supporting its advertisers, who are part of that larger fabric, too.When you support The Coastal Star and others with a similar mission, you do more than just read a newspaper. You help strengthen our communities. 

— Rich Pollack, 

reporter

Thoghi Louis (in polo shirt) had surgery on each eye thanks to Aker Kasten Eye Center in Boca Raton. From left are Ann Kasten, Alan Aker and their son Jonathan Aker. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Rich Pollack

Born legally blind some 40 years ago and forced to see only close images through Coke-bottle thick glasses, Thoghi Louis always hoped that a God-inspired miracle would help him see an all-but-hidden world.

He likely never thought that the genesis of that miracle would come during a chance meeting with a shopper at the Boynton Beach Publix where he worked. 

It wasn’t just any shopper, however. The customer who stopped Louis and quickly examined his glasses was Ann Kasten, an eye surgeon and co-founder — along with her husband, Alan Aker — of the Aker Kasten Eye Center in Boca Raton. 

“It was clear that he was very impaired with his vision,” said Kasten. “I asked do you have an eye problem and he said, ‘Oh yes, I’ve been praying for years but no one could help me.’”

Before the surgeries, Louis wore thick glasses because his vision was so impaired. Photo provided

Now, a year after that first meeting among shopping carts, Louis’ life has dramatically changed for the better.

His vision, he said, was like looking through the wrong end of a telescope. But because of surgery, Lewis now has near normal eyesight — to the point where he no longer needs glasses at all. 

That wouldn’t have happened without the generosity, kindness and compassion of Kasten and her husband and their son Jonathan Aker — as well as Dr. Anup Kubal and the team at their eye center. 

“To me, they are the best doctors because they allowed God to work through them to make something impossible, possible,” said Louis, who didn’t have to pay for the life-altering surgery. “It was a miracle.”

For the three doctors in the Aker Kasten family — all residents of either Gulf Stream or Ocean Ridge — helping others is a big part of why they do what they do. Over the years, the Aker Kasten Eye Center, and the doctors individually, have helped thousands of financially struggling patients receive eye care at no cost. 

That includes frequent mission trips outside the United States and even a program where they provide free cataract surgery to members of Amish communities in Florida and elsewhere. 

Among all those surgeries, however, the two done for Louis stand out. 

“You’re taking someone who is legally blind and the next day they’re almost legal to drive,” says Jonathan Aker, who performed the surgery on Louis’ left eye, while Kubal operated on the right eye. 

There was yet another element that separated Louis’ treatment from others — uncertainty. 

“It was even more special because we didn’t know what to expect,” Kasten said. 

That uncertainty was one reason why Louis’ vision hadn’t been corrected earlier, he said, and why it almost didn’t happen this time.  

Several doctors whom he had visited before, Louis said, had told him that surgery to remove the very old cataracts — and to repair retina damage — could end up with his losing what little vision he had. 

With that in mind, Louis was initially reluctant to follow up after the chance meeting with Kasten in Publix.

“When they first called to schedule an appointment, I didn’t go,” Louis said. 

It was a second interaction at Publix — this time with Alan Aker — and a prayer for guidance that changed his mind. 

“Saying yes meant taking a chance to see if a miracle could happen,” he said. “It happened.” 

The results were clear soon after the first surgery, which included special-order replacement lenses.

“He could see immediately,” said Kubal, who met with Louis a short time later and heard the patient tell him that the results were far beyond what he had expected. 

The success of the surgery was greeted with tears of joy from some members of the Aker Kasten Eye Center team. 

Louis says that with improved eyesight he can now do more at his job, including going outside to help customers bring groceries to their cars and to help stock shelves. 

“When we see someone like this that we know we can help, we get excited,” Alan Aker said. “That’s what drives us.” 

For Kasten, who could have easily walked past Louis in the Publix lobby just feet from the front door, helping someone close to home takes on a bit more meaning. 

“To be able to help someone locally in your community is really special,” she said. 

Service providers see change afoot in reaction to complaints about increasingly visible situation

A man sleeps in Sanborn Square on a recent Saturday afternoon; some say this keeps other park visitors away. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Rich Pollack

It’s 8 a.m. on a Saturday and homeless people are gathering outside the First United Methodist Church of Boca Raton.

Soon those who came by bicycle and those who came after a long walk will filter inside to a room where hot food is in abundance, where clean clothes are available for the asking and where people can wash up in a shower if they want one.

There is a quiet camaraderie in the room, where if you listen carefully, you can hear one person offering advice on how to fix a broken bicycle derailleur or others talking about how they helped get a homeless troublemaker out of the area.

There is no one yelling, no one harassing anyone else and no one judging anyone, at least not openly.

It is a far cry from what Glenn Gromann sees when he looks at a collection of people without homes in Sanborn Square, Wildflower Park or Silver Palm Park — oftentimes including individuals with mental health or substance abuse issues.

“People are afraid to go to the parks because they’re constantly being accosted by the homeless,” he says. “There’s a huge fear factor and people don’t want to be near them because they don’t know what to expect.”

Homeless people like 42-year-old Billy, who has been unhoused in Boca Raton for 20 years, are essentially flying under the radar. But now, Gromann says, something needs to be done.

“The homeless issue is out of control,” he says. “Part of the problem is because the city hasn’t previously implemented a plan to address it.”

That appears to be changing as the new city manager, Mark Sohaney, has stepped in to take on an issue that some advocates for those without real homes say has been essentially swept under the rug for years.

“We haven’t been all in, even saying we have a homeless issue in Boca,” says Gena Vallee, the director of outreach at St. Gregory’s Episcopal Church who runs the church’s Meals with Meaning Program. “Now the mayor and the city manager are identifying that we have a real concern that needs to be addressed.”

Recognizing that there is a problem is one thing. Finding solutions, as Sohaney is realizing, is quite another.

“The goal is to protect the citizens from being harassed, accosted and threatened in public spaces,” says Gromann, a former chair of the city’s Downtown Boca Raton Advisory Committee and a former Planning and Zoning Board member who has lived in the city for 35 years.

Those familiar with the homeless issues say city-driven solutions could involve creating a task force of members with diverse interests, increasing contact with the homeless through designated civilian advocates, and identifying those who might have ties to other areas they’d like to get back to. The city could also enforce rules designed to keep city parks and streets a pleasant experience for all, while determining if additional financial resources are needed.

As the primary venue for the weekly Changing Lives initiative, First United Methodist Church in Boca Raton provides essential resources such as hot showers, clean clothing, toiletries, meals and haircuts, mostly to the homeless. Here, people browse the selection of clothes.

Homeless in Boca Raton
Boca Raton’s core homeless population is estimated by those who provide services to be fewer than 100 people. Among them are tight-knit groups with members who look after one another, who communicate with one another, frequently letting each other know what park they might be in at a certain time.

Although there are some who will come to Boca Raton for a short while, the population appears to remain steady.

Andrew Hagen, the CEO of Boca Helping Hands, which provides hot meals to homeless and others six days a week, says that the organization serves between 85 and 120 meals a day to a constant group of people, some of whom have been coming for years.

“The concern in the community is not in numbers but in perception,” he says. “It’s not that there are more people, it’s that we’re seeing them in public parks.”

During a recent City Council meeting, one resident expressed concerns about the number of homeless people she sees near downtown.

“There are homeless people everywhere, everywhere,” Paige Hunter said. “It’s completely unacceptable.”

Those who are homeless understand the perception but don’t agree with it.

“People think that the homeless are going to hurt them, but they’re not,” says Billy, who has been here so long he even had “BOCA” tattooed on his arm. He says he likes being on the streets, though he also says he’s hoping to get into a shelter.

Another common misperception is that those without a home in the city are penniless. That may be the case for quite a few, but others receive veterans benefits or Social Security benefits or even a pension, thanks in part to efforts of nonprofit organizations that help them access those benefits.

While mental health and substance abuse issues do exist among some who live without four walls, others say they fell on hard times after the death of a parent or loved one and have no family left to help them.

Members of the homeless community will also tell you that they don’t want homeless bad actors in Boca Raton any more than other residents do and will call the police on them or find other ways to drive them out.

When homeless folks from Broward or Miami-Dade counties or even West Palm Beach make their way to Boca Raton, those who provide services will help connect them back to agencies in the areas where they’ve been living.

“When someone is in need, how can you turn them away,” says Jerry Pagan, the executive director of Changing Lives, a nonprofit founded by local real estate leader and the largest commercial property owner downtown, James Batmasian. Changing Lives provides a wide range of services and runs the Saturday program at the First United Methodist Church.

Pagan says he will find out who has been serving the person and will make sure they are in contact, so the service can be provided in the person’s own community. “We try to be a bridge,” he says.

Policing alone won’t work
In the short term, the city has taken steps to limit adverse activity in Boca Raton parks, including adopting a trespassing ordinance and bringing the park rangers under the Police Department.

Some who are homeless say they are rousted out of the parks by police after 11 p.m. and forced to find other places to sleep — places generally where they won’t be easily seen.

The city will implement a process to enforce the trespassing ordinance, which is now proclaimed on signs at six parks, within a few weeks, according to Sohaney.

For his part, Gromann thinks putting fences around some parks would also help.

During brief comments at the May 26 City Council meeting, Sohaney acknowledged that an enforcement effort alone is not the solution.

“This is a very complex problem,” he said. “We can’t police our way out of it; we can’t arrest our way out of this. This is going to take an entire community effort and a community initiative to understand how to manage the homeless population in Boca Raton. ...

“It’s a lot more than the city can do,” he said. “It requires everybody in the city to come together.”

Delray Beach model
In his quest for a long-term solution, Sohaney has visited Delray Beach, which has been somewhat successful in managing homeless-related issues. Its Police Department program, which includes a community outreach team, is seen as a model for others, while a coordinated community effort — the Delray Beach Initiative to End Homelessness — has led to increased services.

Police Chief Darrell Hunter says the key to Delray Beach’s success has been a strong buy-in throughout the community and the coordinated effort that comes as a result.

“While there is no single ‘secret sauce,’ I do believe our success comes from strong collaboration between the Police Department, city leadership, social service providers and community partners,” he says. “Equally important is having intentional buy-in and support from the police chief and city leadership to ensure these efforts remain a priority and are approached with both accountability and compassion.”

The Police Department’s community outreach team, which includes Service Population Advocate Manager Ariana Ciancio, reaches out to members of the homeless community on a daily basis to help provide services if needed.

“They know there are people in the department who care about them,” Hunter says.

Ciancio, a civilian, manages a team that includes another population advocate and a paid intern. Also part of the outreach team are three police officers who report to a sergeant assigned to the team.

While working with homeless people is a large part of the team’s responsibility, it also focuses on mental health issues, substance abuse issues and homelessness prevention.

Hunter says that his goal is to continue to grow the unit to address increasing needs.

“This city has made a commitment,” he says. “It takes money, it takes time and it takes resources.”

Changing Lives volunteer ‘Coach Nile’ gives a haircut to Dee Wills.

Boca model emerging
The Boca Raton Police Department, like Delray Beach’s, has officers assigned to work with homeless — two officers currently — and members of the homeless community know they can reach those officers to help connect them to services.

The department does not yet have a civilian assigned to help the homeless but that may be something Sohaney will address.

Recently, Hagen from Boca Helping Hands, Pagan from Changing Lives and Vallee from Meals with Meaning have been getting together with members of the Police Department in what may be the genesis of a larger coordinated effort similar to the Delray Beach task force’s structure.

“We’re looking at a low-key approach with a cooperative spirit,” Hagen says. “Each of us knows what we can offer.”

Pagan sees the effort moving in the right direction.

“We’re coming together to be better equipped to help these individuals and be on the same page,” he says.

Vallee, who is hoping a task force will be formed, believes a focus on three areas — housing, financial education and long-term mental health care — will go a long way in helping those in the homeless community.

“If the city can pull us together, then I think the solution to less homelessness in Boca Raton is near,” she says.

Mayor Andy Thomson also provides some hope to those who are optimistic that Boca Raton’s issues with homelessness are coming out of the shadows.

“The situation as it addresses homelessness is a tricky one,” he says. “But we’re working with our nearby partners and regional partners to make sure we address it.”

Related: Pelican puzzler: Even the owner of missing bridge statue is not clear-cut

By Larry Barszewski

The George Bush Boulevard bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway is closed to vehicle and pedestrian traffic until July 20 so that essential deck repairs can be made.

The closure, which started June 1, is not expected to affect maritime traffic on the Intracoastal.

The recommended detour for travelers seeking to cross the Intracoastal in the area is to use the nearest bridge, on Atlantic Avenue in Delray Beach to the south, either via Federal Highway or State Road A1A. The next bridge to the north is on Woolbright Road in Boynton Beach.

Officials said the needed work had been anticipated on the bridge, which was built in 1949. Temporary measures were implemented to keep the bridge operating safely until the current work started and the bridge was closed to traffic.

Palm Beach County Engineering and Public Works, which is overseeing the maintenance work, considered alternatives to the complete shutdown, but officials said they found no ability to safely reopen the bridge at any time while the work is being done.

The closure may provide a taste of things to come. The county is currently studying what to do with the 77-year-old bascule bridge, which “has surpassed its useful life and is considered functionally obsolete due to the substandard roadway width,” according to the county’s description of the study.

Public hearings on the study are anticipated in 2028, with the study’s expected completion targeted for 2029. A wider or taller bridge could impact access to nearby streets and properties. 

“Palm Beach County is considering repair, rehabilitation, and replacement alternatives to improve the bridge’s capacity, reliability, and overall safety while maintaining its critical role as a designated hurricane evacuation route,” according to the project’s online site. “Alternatives include a new bascule bridge with enhanced facilities for vehicles, pedestrians, cyclists, and transit users, designed in accordance with Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) requirements. Wider shoulders, sidewalks separated by raised barriers, and traffic operation enhancements along the corridor will also be evaluated as part of the study.”

The bridge closed for a week in 2025 for an earlier round of essential repairs, and the aging structure was shut down for repairs for almost two months in 2022 after it stopped working because of damage to a main shaft and gear system.

Bridge replacement costs have likely risen since a 2024 county study put a $75 million estimate on the design and construction of a new bridge — which itself was up from a $45 million estimate in 2022.

Information about the current study is available at georgebushblvdbridge.com.

Anyone with questions about the study, or wanting to be added to the project mailing list, can contact Michael Sileno, the consultant project manager, at 954-495-0566, or by email at msileno@hardestyhanover.com. 

By Steve Plunkett

What Police Officer Todd Sutton expected to be “a very uneventful” shift turned into a dramatic early-morning rescue at the Gulf Stream School.

Assigned to school detail on April 16 and working the front-gate area, Sutton “heard some commotion in the vehicle line, and he thought maybe two kids were just arguing, but it was holding up the line,” Chief Richard Jones recounted for Gulf Stream town commissioners at their May 8 meeting.

“So he started in that direction, and as he reached the vehicle, he realized that a child was choking inside the car,” Jones continued. “And without hesitation he performed the Heimlich maneuver several times until he was able to dislodge that object from that 11-year-old’s throat.

“Ended up being some string cheese.”

Sutton’s actions impressed his boss and his colleagues, who sat in on the commission meeting to watch him receive the department’s Lifesaving Award.

“We don’t know what the outcome would have been if the officer wasn’t present,” Jones said. “Obviously in a situation like that, even as parents we sometimes freeze up when it’s our own children, but it was, in my opinion, a heroic action, even though he doesn’t see it that way.

“You know, he didn’t want recognition because that’s the kind of man he is, but he deserves it and he’s going to be honored today,” the chief said.

After receiving the crystal award, Sutton was also a man of few words about the school detail he has done “countless times over the years.”

“It’s usually a very uneventful thing to do. This day was a little different,” Sutton said of the 8:10 a.m. encounter. “But I’m just happy that the child is OK and I was in the right place at the right time. That’s all I can say.”

Mayor Scott Morgan took a moment to praise Sutton’s heroism.

“On behalf of the town, we want to congratulate you for your courage, your sense of duty and for the honor that you bring not only to the Police Department of Gulf Stream but to our town,” the mayor said. “Congratulations and thank you very much.”

A veteran officer, Sutton joined the Gulf Stream Police Department in May 2013. He first became an officer in October 2005 and spent time on the police forces in South Palm Beach and Boynton Beach. 

Longtime Ocean Ridge resident and former town Commissioner Betty Bingham was honored for her consistent efforts to improve the community. Mayor Geoff Pugh (left) recounted, during the dedication of the already existing park, of how Bingham’s efforts were instrumental in the creation of the park that gives all residents canoe and kayak access to the Intracoastal Waterway. Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star