Related election information

Election overview: Downtown campus, council lineup, police HQ up to voters

Mayor's Race: Trio running for mayor includes two council incumbents | Mayoral candidate profiles (Nachlas, Thomson, Liebelson)

Council Seat A: Council race features accountant, attorney and real estate broker | Seat A candidate profiles (Grau, Korn, Ritchey)

 Council Seat B:  Incumbent faces off against founder and supporter of Save Boca | Seat B candidate profiles (Madsen, Pearlmen, Wigder)

 Council Seat D: Seat D candidate profiles (Cellon, Sipple, Weinroth)

By Mary Hladky

Former Boca Raton City Council member Robert Weinroth is seeking a return to his former job, saying what he brings to the table is the experience he gained as both a council member and county commissioner.

He won a special election to the council in 2014 and then a three-year term without opposition in 2015. In 2018, he was elected to the Palm Beach County Commission and became county mayor.

After Weinroth lost re-election in 2022, he filed to run for the Palm Beach County School Board, but withdrew from that race and ran unsuccessfully for Congress in 2024 in the Republican primary.

“I feel coming back to the City Council, especially now, with talk of redeveloping the downtown campus and Mizner Park, there is a lot of opportunity to help guide our city for the next 100 years,” he said of his candidacy.

Weinroth, a downtown resident, agrees with current council members that a new City Hall and Community Center are needed and that “it is important to focus on those needs.”

Now that the redevelopment plan has been downsized, Weinroth said it is “much closer” to what he thinks is needed, but “it is not completely at a point where I would say it is ready for prime time.”

He is supportive of enhancing Memorial Park on the west side of the downtown campus and transforming it into a true commemoration of those who served in the armed forces.

The project became controversial, he said, because the “City Council didn’t bring the residents into the conversation early enough.” Save Boca came into being because “residents felt they were not part of the original plans.”

While he is not endorsing Save Boca’s contention that the city should back away from a public-private partnership with Terra/Frisbie, he does agree that the city has the financial strength to finance a new City Hall and Community Center on its own.

One of his main priorities is building more workforce housing so that people have access to affordable places to live. “Workforce housing is important to me,” he said.
He also supports “balanced” growth that maintains Boca’s character, strengthening police, fire and emergency services and improving transportation infrastructure.

***

Larry Cellon has a formidable record of service to the city as a member of the Community Appearance Board for 27 years and the Planning and Zoning Board for 10 years.

He gained expertise in development and construction as a former partner with JMW Construction.

He is a founding member of Workshop 344+, formed by a group of influential residents who want to improve a five-block section of East Palmetto Park Road.

Frustrated because that effort hasn’t gained traction with city officials, he resigned from the planning board so he could run for a City Council seat.

While the city does many things very well, “the rub comes from development,” he said. “That is creating all the strife. I am uniquely positioned with my knowledge and experience in development to help guide the city forward in a reasonable and sustainable manner.”

Although he is not a member of Save Boca, he agrees with that group that the city does not need a developer partner to rebuild the City Hall and Community Center and make other improvements to the west side of the government campus.

The city already is willing to pay $175 million for a new police station, and will ask voters to approve financing it with a 30-year, tax-exempt general obligation bond in the March 10 election, he noted. Residents will pay for it through a tax increase.

And the city has purchased for $17.4 million a building that will house many City Hall functions, with a much smaller City Hall to be built on the government campus.

And yet the city is asking voters to approve spending $201 million up front for improvements to the west side of the government campus. It will take many years for the city to recoup that money from payments it will get from Terra/Frisbie for land it is leasing from the city on the campus’ east side, he said.

Taken together, Cellon argues that this makes no sense.

Cellon’s priorities are for the city to offer free wi-fi in the downtown, which he said other cities have done at minimal cost. He wants to install artificial reefs in Red Reef Park to protect the shoreline and to create a snorkel trail there.

He also wants the turtle rehabilitation program at Gumbo Limbo to be reinstated and the gift shop reopened. And like some of the other candidates, he wants to use artificial intelligence to control traffic lights and improve traffic flow.

***

Save Boca member Stacy Sipple is a clinical oncology pharmacist who believes the current City Council is not listening to residents’ concerns about overdevelopment, increased traffic and reduction in open spaces.

“I have had enough,” she states in campaign literature, “and… I know I am in no way the minority.”

While not anti-development, she said, “I am pro-common sense.”

She agrees a new City Hall and Community Center are needed, but opposes the public-private partnership with Terra/Frisbie and the 99-year land lease.

“Who knows what is going to happen in 99 years,” she said. “That is a long time to sign a lease over to somebody.”

Rather, she would have the city improve the city’s downtown campus land on its own. “The area needs to be fixed up,” she said. “I think we can do it better on the city’s money. … Then we control the land.”

She wants more transparency and better communication with residents when development projects come before the city for approval. “A lot of residents are finding out after the fact that (a project) is already approved,” she said.

Traffic congestion is another problem that needs to be addressed, she said. “People are avoiding going downtown because of the traffic and the parking situation with having to pay at meters,” she said.

Sipple also thinks one city priority should be getting sustainable workforce housing. “A few CEOs can afford to live in this area, but the worker bees can’t afford to live here,” she said.

Sipple says in her campaign literature that she is not a politician, but is a “resident’s voice.”

“I am running to restore trust, preserve what makes Boca special, and ensure our community has a seat at THEIR table.” 

Boca Raton city election
Election day: March 10
Last day to register to vote: Feb. 9
Last day to request mail-in ballot: Feb. 26
The mayor and council races are citywide for three-year terms, except the Council D race, which is for an unexpired one-year term.

Also on the ballot
Voters will decide two other issues:
Whether to approve moving forward with the proposed redevelopment of the city’s downtown campus.
Whether to approve the city’s issuing bonds of up to $175 million to build a new police headquarters, relocated from downtown to a site adjacent to the Spanish River Library.

Related: Three first-time candidates square off in commission race |Commission candidate Q & A

Candidate profiles were compiled via telephone interviews. Candidates were asked to supply personal information regarding their age, education, marital status and number of years residing in their municipalities. They were also asked to provide a brief history of their professional life and experience, if any, in holding public office. Finally, they were asked about their positions on issues facing their communities and to provide an overarching quote detailing the reasons they believe they should be elected (or reelected), along with a current photograph.

Delray Beach city election

Election day: March 10

Last day to register to vote: Feb. 9

Last day to request mail-in ballot: Feb. 26

Related election information

Election overview: Downtown campus, council lineup, police HQ up to voters

Mayor's Race: Trio running for mayor includes two council incumbents | Mayoral candidate profiles (Nachlas, Thomson, Liebelson)

 Council Seat A: Council race features accountant, attorney and real estate broker | Seat A candidate profiles (Grau, Korn, Ritchey)

 Council Seat B: Incumbent faces off against founder and supporter of Save Boca | Seat B candidate profiles (Madsen, Pearlmen, Wigder)

 Council Seat D: Ex-county mayor battles city board stalwart, Save Boca member 

Candidate profiles were compiled via telephone interviews. Candidates were asked to supply personal information regarding their age, education, marital status and number of years residing in their municipalities. They were also asked to provide a brief history of their professional life and experience, if any, in holding public office. Finally, they were asked about their positions on issues facing their communities and to provide an overarching quote detailing the reasons they believe they should be elected (or reelected), along with a current photograph.

Candidate profiles compiled by Steven J. Smith

Boca Raton city election
Election day: March 10
Last day to register to vote: Feb. 9
Last day to request mail-in ballot: Feb. 26
The mayor and council races are citywide for three-year terms, except the Council D race, which is for an unexpired one-year term.

Also on the ballot
Voters will decide two other issues:
Whether to approve moving forward with the proposed redevelopment of the city’s downtown campus.
Whether to approve the city’s issuing bonds of up to $175 million to build a new police headquarters, relocated from downtown to a site adjacent to the Spanish River Library.

Shoppers stroll the newly built Mizner Park in 1991. The park celebrated its 35th birthday Jan. 11. Photo provided by Boca Raton Historical Society

Related: Arts festival celebrates 20th season of show business and more

By Mary Hladky

Residents jam city meetings to protest. The subject consumes hours of debate. Recriminations fly. City leaders are faced with controversial votes.

Does this sound like today’s furor over the planned redevelopment of Boca Raton’s downtown campus? Yes, but it also describes the creation of Mizner Park.

Mizner Park celebrated its 35th birthday on Jan. 11. City leaders say no one can imagine life in Boca Raton without it.

“This is 1988 revisited,” architect Derek Vander Ploeg said of the downtown campus saga. “It is almost exactly the same.”

“It was controversial,” said attorney Wendy Larsen, who was one of a group of five key people who got Mizner Park off the ground. “It was the first new thing that happened downtown. Anytime you are doing a first, it is bound to be hard.”

Asked how complicated the task was, she said, “On a scale of 1 to 10, it was probably a 10.”

Mizner Park was what Larsen described as “really the first of its kind in Florida” — a combination of residential, office, retail and restaurants.

It was to replace the dilapidated Boca Raton Mall and its frequently flooded parking lots that residents had no use for.

That’s generally what developers Terra and Frisbie Group and city officials have in mind for the 31.7-acre downtown campus, although that project as now envisioned would also have a hotel and city buildings.

In both cases, the central idea was to create a popular destination.

Asked about the parallels between opposition then and now, Larsen said, “There is always a group out there who is against progress. Whether or not it is the current design of the downtown campus, something has to be done. I hope it is soon. We have needed a new City Hall for 20 years.”

Deputy City Manager Jorge Camejo headed up the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency when the Mizner Park concept came into being.

“In the early 1980s, there was absolutely no reason to want to be in downtown Boca Raton,” he said in a July episode of Boca Raton Untold, a video series created in partnership with Lynn University’s College of Communication and Design.

“The idea behind Mizner Park was to create a catalyst that would be a great public space and also spur investment throughout the balance of the downtown,” he said.

After the Town Center mall opened in 1980, “something had to be done to save the downtown. The commerce was now going west,” he said. “With Mizner Park, we changed that significantly.”

Its design was inspired by the Piazza Navona in Rome, and that was one of the reasons it was controversial.

The buildings faced a central space with their backs to Federal Highway.

“Back then, that was blasphemous,” Camejo said. “People were outraged.”

At the time, there were almost no residential units in the downtown, but many people panned the idea of including them in Mizner Park. They were proved wrong.

“When we opened Phase 1 in 1990, there were 136 residential units available …” Camejo said. “They went like hotcakes. It was occupied almost instantly.”

Now, Mizner Park is looking bedraggled and could use a refresh. That might be coming.

Brookfield Properties, Mizner Park’s owner, put the property up for sale a year ago, and negotiations with a suitor are underway. 

Reconstruction of the Delray Beach Pavilion is ongoing as the iconic structure needed a complete rebuild because the wrong fasteners were used to hold it together when it was last refurbished in 2013. As a result, it began falling apart when salt air corroded the fasteners. Officials expect the $817,400 project to wrap up in March. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Steve Plunkett

Alderwoman Holly Reitnauer may not be leaving the Briny Breezes dais in March after all.

Reitnauer, who was appointed in December 2024 to replace Kathy Gross in Seat 2, did not file papers in November to run for election in March.

But things have changed, she now says, and she would like to remain on the Town Council.

“I have given it a lot of thought, and my health situation has improved. So therefore I would like to remain in my seat, helping to move Briny forward,” she wrote in a letter to the council received Jan. 13.

She is the first person to officially express interest in filling the position.

Alderman Jeff Duncan was the only one of three incumbents in November to file qualifying papers for the March 10 election. Reitnauer — who is married to Alderman Bill Birch — and Mayor Ted Gross, Kathy’s husband, did not.

That meant Duncan was automatically elected to his Seat 4 position for a second two-year term and that there would be no election in Briny Breezes. Duncan originally was appointed as an alderman in December 2023 when no one filed to run for then-Council President Christina Adams’ seat.

According to the town’s charter, the council will appoint someone to fill Mayor Seat 6 and Reitnauer’s seat in March.

Gross in December said he was not seeking another term, citing his dissatisfaction with Briny’s weak-mayor form of government, the effect of the state’s Sunshine Law on his personal relationships and his desire to spend more time supporting people affected by sex trafficking and abuse. 

Festival of the Arts Boca crowd totals are more than 15,000 annually at Mizner Park, organizers say. Photo provided

Related:  Downtown campus controversy reminds some of Mizner Park’s birth

By Michael Cook 

Fresh acts and returning favorites are set to hit the stage at Festival of the Arts Boca, which kicks off Feb. 27 for its 20th season. 

From a ballet performance to a screening of Jurassic Park accompanied by a live orchestra, the annual cultural arts festival will run daily through March 8 at the Mizner Park Amphitheater, with a keynote performance or talk each evening. More than 15,000 people attend the festival each year to experience the culture that fills the air. 

“Culture is part of life. If you don’t participate in culture, then you’re not really living,” said festival co-founder Wendy Larsen, who launched the event in 2007 with the late Charlie Siemon. Both were visionaries of Mizner Park, helping create a “heart for the downtown.”

Larsen said Festival of the Arts Boca began with a simple vision to turn the city into a “cultural capital,” showcasing world-class performances ranging from classical musicians and ballet dancers to educational talks by authors. 

Artists such as violinist Itzhak Perlman have performed at Festival of the Arts Boca. Photo provided

While there are no returning acts from the first festival, Larsen reflected on the inaugural event in 2007, recalling violinist Itzhak Perlman performing with the Russian National Orchestra. Since then, she said the festival has continued to grow with its core focus on the performing arts.

Looking back at the festival’s early days, Joanna Marie Kaye, who has served as executive director since 2014, said it primarily featured classical musicians. She said the festival has branched out over the years, offering contemporary art forms and “pure exhilaration” experiences, such as film screenings with an orchestra playing the score.

Kaye said this year’s most anticipated performances are those of Postmodern Jukebox, which will do live covers of modern hits with a vintage twist on opening night, Feb. 27, and of Broadway singer Patti LuPone, who will close out the festival on March 8. 

The festival is not just about performances but includes educational outreach, exposing students to festival artists through master classes and open rehearsals, Kaye said. “In order for the arts to thrive, we need to encourage the next generation to participate and be part of that,” she added.

Another effort is an annual virtual music competition for students. It is open to musicians aged 18 or younger who reside in Broward County or Palm Beach County. In 2021, the festival went fully virtual due to the pandemic. That same year, Kaye said, the festival launched the competition as an educational incentive after students lacked performance opportunities. 

The competition has focused on a different instrument each year, with this year’s focus on piano. In 2025, it focused on winds and brass, and the first-place winner was Thomas “Aidan” Gardner, a freshman at the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music who submitted a video of himself playing the flute.

As part of winning first place, Gardner this year will perform part of the “A Rhapsodic Evening with Conrad Tao” festival show on March 6. He will join the featured pianist, Tao, who has performed at the festival since 2008, when he was 13.

Gardner said Festival of the Arts Boca exposed him to the music industry and allowed him to network. He said sharing his art with an audience is a form of expression, and he is looking forward to performing with a live orchestra.

“Music has been a way for me to really put myself out there, to let that extroverted side that has kind of been buried shine. There’s something rewarding about it, even just playing with other musicians,” Gardner said.

Festival of the Arts Boca schedule
Feb. 27, 7:30 p.m.: Postmodern Jukebox Returns!
Feb. 28, 7:30 p.m.: ‘Jurassic Park’ with Live Orchestra
March 1, 7 p.m.: From Swan Lake to the Stones: A Night at the Ballet
March 2, 7 p.m.: Doris Kearns Goodwin: The Enduring Significance of the American Revolution
March 3, 7 p.m.: Walter Mosley: The Only True Race is the Human Race
March 4, 7 p.m.: Arthur Caplan: In Defense of Science
March 5, 7 p.m.: Dr. Danielle Gilbert: Life Lessons from Hostage Negotiation
March 6, 7:30 p.m.: A Rhapsodic Evening with Conrad Tao
March 7, 7:30 p.m.: A Third Time for Three concert
March 8, 7 p.m.: Patti LuPone: Matters of the Heart concert
Location: Mizner Park Amphitheater, 590 Plaza Real, Boca Raton
For more information or tickets: Visit festivalboca.org

Town officials make pitch to legislators — Lantana Town Council members and Town Manager Brian Raducci made a short visit to Tallahassee on Jan. 13-14 for Palm Beach County Day at the state capitol.

Raducci said the outing provided local leaders a chance to observe the legislative process in person, meet with lobbyists, and network with other municipalities and organizations that attended the event.

Lantana lawmakers met with Sen. Mack Bernard and Rep. Peggy Gossett-Seidman and discussed gaining their support to fund the town’s 2026-27 requests for $4.57 million worth of state appropriation, which include:

• Rehabilitation for four lift stations; 

• Improvements for the water treatment plant instrumentation and controls; 

• Improvements to the North Fourth Street gravity sewer and drainage; 

• ADA walkway improvements at Maddock Park; 

• Renovation of the Police Department’s emergency operation center.

Raducci says that while these requests have been submitted, grants to fund them are not guaranteed.

Bonefish Cove habitat restoration update — Work continues at Bonefish Cove, a project that’s creating a chain of two mangrove islands and oyster reefs in the central Lake Worth Lagoon.

Palm Beach County’s Department of Environmental Resources Management has given the latest update on the habitat restoration project. The location is just north of Hypoluxo Island. 

ERM reports that no additional work has been completed in the north island since December. 

The contractor still needs to complete the finishing touches on the final portion of the rock wave break structure around the island and is assessing the success of the red mangroves planted a month ago, according to the report.

For the south island, the contractor continues delivering, stockpiling and grading sand to form the oyster reefs and a submerged sea grass shelf. Seven of the 10 oyster reefs are complete in the north portion of this section.

In coming weeks, the contractor will continue building additional oyster reefs and shaping the intertidal island.

Barge traffic during weekdays has been reauthorized, with barges permitted to travel from Peanut Island to Bonefish Cove from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays, in addition to weekends and holidays.

Working hours at the Bonefish Cove project site are from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. 

For more information, go online to discover.pbc.gov/erm/Pages/Lake-Worth-Lagoon.aspx

Tree City designation — For the 35th consecutive year, Lantana has been recognized as a Tree City USA community by the Arbor Day Foundation.

The recognition honors the town’s long-standing commitment to urban forestry, environmental stewardship and community pride.

An Arbor Day celebration, which will include a tree planting, will be held in April. The time, date and location have yet to be announced.

— Mary Thurwachter

By John Pacenti

Delray Beach Mayor Tom Carney has turned over communications between himself and Mary McCarty, a former city and county commissioner still heavily involved in local politics.

The Coastal Star requested text messages, emails and other communications through a public records request after reports that McCarty was directing Carney from the gallery of the commission chambers during meetings.

The messages turned over do not show communications during a meeting, but they do show McCarty advising the mayor on controversial issues. The messages are also not under McCarty’s name — but a pseudonym that the mayor says is a long-standing joke between them.

A commissioner who sits right next to the mayor on the dais, though, said he has seen messages come into the mayor’s phone with McCarty’s given name during commission meetings. McCarty told the newspaper in December that her gesturing during meetings is due to frustration with commissioners’ lack of decorum.

City Attorney Lynn Gelin said the messages turned over completely fulfill the public records request made by the newspaper.

Carney told The Coastal Star that no one person has special access to him, and he speaks to any number of concerned citizens about issues.

“I have an open-door policy, I talk to a lot of people about all sorts of issues,” Carney said. “I reach out to people for ideas. People call me. I take the calls.”

He said McCarty appears as “Martin Davis” on his phone — the fiery former head of Paramount studios — as a joke between them.

“She’s been listed in my phone that way for 20 years. Why should I change it?” the mayor said. 

The communications — emails and texts — were turned over seven weeks after the public records request was made on Dec. 8. One of the delays, according to Gelin, was due to the mayor's catching the flu in the first week of January.

“I would hope that you would show grace to someone who is dealing with a particularly harsh strain of the flu,” Gelin said when asked about the delay.

The requested text messages were provided to The Coastal Star as a series of screen shots cut-and-pasted into a document. 

On one thread, McCarty was upset that the city had decided to sue the state over erasing its LGBTQ Pride rainbow intersection.

“There are X cities in Florida that are not subjecting their taxpayers to this. Why are we? This commission should not be used as a political pawn to advance a social agenda,” McCarty wrote on Sept. 10.

Carney had unsuccessfully opposed the city's joining the lawsuit at a commission meeting the day before her text. Carney then convened a special meeting of the commission — his email to the city manager for the special meeting was sent prior to his receiving McCarty’s text message — where he successfully urged the commission to reverse its decision to be part of the litigation. He called for the unscheduled meeting specifically for that purpose.

McCarty also had strong opinions for the mayor in August on a controversial renovation proposal for a historic home at 46 Marine Way in the Marina Historic District.

“Just tell them to redesign and be done with it,” McCarty told Carney on Aug. 18.

And indeed, that is what Carney suggested at the Aug. 19 meeting. The commission ended up rejecting the variances that would allow the home to be elevated by 14 feet, among other things. McCarty, in the text thread, referred to the city’s Historic Preservation Board, which supported the variances, as “corrupted.”

In another text thread, on Dec. 7, McCarty appeared to try to influence who would be the designated vice mayor after Rob Long left the commission to run for the state house. She told Carney to make a motion to make Commissioner Angela Burns vice mayor. "That was my plan," Carney texted her back, though he never made the motion at the next day's commission meeting and the vice mayor position was never filled.

Commissioner Tom Markert told The Coastal Star in December that he saw Carney’s phone and that the mayor was texting with McCarty under her given name at a meeting “in the last two months.” He also was informed that the text messages turned over to the newspaper were under the “Martin Davis” moniker.

“Yes, that is just lovely,” Markert said with a laugh.

Carney disputed the allegation. “It’s frustrating to have Commissioner Markert say he sees me texting someone whose name never appears in my phone. Therefore, it would be impossible for him to see me texting Mary McCarty,” he said.

He said the only person he texts during meetings is his wife.

A few emails were also turned over. In one, dated Sept. 25, McCarty — a fellow Republican — advised the mayor: “Understand you have a democratic, hostile board, so when you get all of the info, see if it is something that will be acceptable.” 

Correction and clarification: An earlier online version (and the February 2026 print version) of this story incorrectly reported Mayor Carney’s stance on Deputy Vice Mayor Angela Burns being promoted to vice mayor. Although in a text message reply to McCarty he wrote “That was my plan” to nominate Burns for the position, no motion was ever made. The vice mayor position has been left unfilled.

Carney has provided additional information regarding his calling a second special meeting to deal with the Pride intersection. He provided an email showing he requested the special meeting prior to McCarty texting him in opposition to the commission’s prior action.

By Rich Pollack

The clearing of an almost-acre lot bordering the Intracoastal Waterway has once again sparked concerns of nearby residents who wonder what the future holds for one of the last vacant parcels in Highland Beach.

Late last year, residents of nearby condominiums noticed that trees — mostly federally protected mangroves on the 0.8-acre parcel in the middle of town owned by Miami-based Golden City Highland Beach LLC — had been taken down.

That sparked a flood of calls to town officials who, after doing some ground work, discovered that the property owner had obtained permits from the South Florida Water Management District and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to clear the land.

No approvals from the town were required to clear the property, Town Manager Marshall Labadie said.

“The town was preempted from stopping clearing of the land,” he said.

What happens next to the property, on the west side of State Road A1A south of the Toscana community, most likely will require the town to sign off.

“He has no authorization from the town to develop the property,” Labadie said. “He can’t just fill it and he can’t just put in a sea wall without permits.”

The clearing of the land without a permit, while permissible, is unusual, according to the town manager.

“Traditionally you get all the permits first before your clear the land,” Labadie said.

What will become of the parcel is still up in the air, but the developer appears to have proposed a nine-unit townhome community to the state in his request to take down mangroves, Labadie said.

That is a significant reduction from the 38-unit multi-family community proposed to the federal government in 2019.

That same year, leaders of Golden City and the town butted heads over clearing the parcel of trees that had fallen during Hurricane Irma in 2017.

It wasn’t the clearing of the downed trees that caused a problem, according to town officials, but what followed.

“He took it a step further and cleared the land and began filling it without permits,” Labadie said.

Lawyers for the developer argued at the time that no permit was needed because the town knew what was being done with downed trees and had no problem with the removal of trees and the addition of fill.

In the end, work on filling the property stopped.

Labadie said the town has not received any requests for permits on the Golden City property since the most recent clearing work began.

Ted Hoskinson of Delray Beach keeps busy with programs that educate Palm Beach County children and reward teachers through his Roots and Wings nonprofit, which is based in Boca Raton. Tim Stepien/Coastal Star

Ted Hoskinson started out as a teacher but ended up creating his living, first by making a business around balloons and then by owning and operating Party ’N Paper, a card and gift store chain in Washington, D.C. After retiring — and following the death of his wife, Anne, in 2016 — he turned his attention back to education and founded a literacy intervention program and teacher recognition nonprofit, Roots and Wings. 

This year, Roots and Wings marks its 10th anniversary with a Feb. 24 fundraising event, “Roots and Wings Goes to Hollywood,” which celebrates filmmaking. 

Hoskinson, 78, of coastal Delray Beach, expects to host 180 guests and raise $100,000. In 2024, funding and donations brought in $1.3 million to cover costs of about $750,000, and the organization continues to grow. 

Roots and Wings’ two programs are implemented in 20 Title 1 public elementary schools in Palm Beach County. The nonprofit’s teacher appreciation program is called Above and Beyond Awards, and this year Hoskinson foresees that 200 teachers and staff will receive awards. They will each receive a check for $200, gift cards and gifts from local businesses, and a framed certificate.

Roots and Wings’ Project Uplift program provides after-school instruction to 1,500 children needing help with reading. 

“We have two ceremonies a year where we honor students’ progress,” Hoskinson explained. “At midyear, if they have already met their growth goal for the year, they receive a free bike and helmet courtesy of Boca West Children’s Foundation.

“The second ceremony is at the end of the year. We give certificates and we give Olympic-style medals for reaching their growth goals and stretch goals.

“We gave away 272 bikes last year, 900 certificates for making gains on their test scores, and 1,200 medals,” he said. “Many got both medals for growth goals and stretch goals. We also gave away 711 T-shirts for perfect attendance.”

Hoskinson hopes to expand the program to additional schools and, in time, he hopes to give out college scholarships.

More about the upcoming February event at Good Night John Boy in Delray Beach: “We are featuring 20 movies and we’re asking people to dress as their favorite character from one of those movies and we’re giving away prizes.” 

Also, Hoskinson said, “All of our 20 schools will make different centerpieces. Each school had to pick one of the movies. Our judges will vote on the centerpieces and we’ll give prizes to the schools for the three best centerpieces.”

                      — 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 Washington, D.C., and attended Sheridan School for grades 2 and 3 and then St. Albans School for Boys for grades 4-12. I then attended Tulane University in New Orleans where I graduated with a BA in history. 

Washington was a wonderful place to grow up, as it had small-town, old-town charm. St. Albans was an incredible school with great teachers and competitive students. That school environment taught me that I was not the smartest guy by far in the class, and that  I had to work hard if I wanted     to be successful.

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

A. I was lucky to become the senior class president at Tulane. I graduated in 1969 and I began a teaching career in New Orleans at a small private school called Metairie Park Country Day. I taught second grade. I loved the kids and they taught me as much as I taught them. They were inquisitive and kind and caring to one another. I was like their surrogate father since most of them were asleep by the time their fathers arrived at home. 

I got a call from St. Albans in early April of that year, asking me to return and teach fourth grade there. I loved Washington and St. Albans so I said yes. Teachers don’t make a lot of money (my salary was $8,500 that first year), so I started a business to help me survive financially. It was a college marketing company. After a couple of years, I started a balloon delivery and decorating business. I taught for 15 years, but the school eventually had me establish their Summer Programs Office when they saw my business abilities. 

That change in position at the school took me away from the students and the teaching that I loved. I decided to leave to pursue my business interests. The business ventures became successful, and I ultimately sold them to retire and spend time playing tennis in Florida and traveling. 

When my wife passed away in 2016, I established with two friends a charity called Roots and Wings which my wife, Anne, had named. It has grown from a small charity to one that is in 20 Title 1 public elementary schools, honoring teachers and staff chosen by their peers … and providing funding to help teach literacy skills to more than 1,500 students. I am most proud of being honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award by President Biden in 2022 and the Catalyst Award by the Carl Angus DeSantis Foundation in 2025.

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

A. Follow what you love and are passionate about.

Q. How did you and Anne choose to make your home in Delray Beach?

A. Two good friends who were also avid tennis players had a place in Delray. There were only a few places to play tennis in the winter in D.C., so most of us either played squash or paddle tennis. I loved paddle but playing tennis outdoors in the winter was wonderful. And there were direct flights from D.C. to either Palm Beach or Fort Lauderdale. We started coming and spending weekends until we decided to buy a condo.

Q. What is your favorite part about living in Delray Beach?

A. The relaxed atmosphere and its small-town charm. Great restaurants and a wide variety of choices. Tennis and the beach.

Q. What book are you reading now?

A. Passion Isn’t Enough, by David Rhode. 

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

A. I love good jazz … and Frank Sinatra … and the oldies. 

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

A. “When you seek happiness for yourself it will always elude you. When you seek happiness for others you will find it yourself.” 

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

A. Charlie Spicer, the fourth grade “master-teacher” at St. Albans, who taught me what to teach so that I could teach it my way … and Steve Potts, a true man of integrity, who showed me what that word really meant. 

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

A. Robert De Niro.

If You Go   

What: Roots and Wings Goes to Hollywood

Where: Good Night John Boy, 33 SE Third Ave., Delray Beach

When: 6:30-9:30 p.m. Feb. 24

Admission: Tickets are $150 (barstool seating), $250 (general seating at a table) and $300 (VIP seating by dance floor).

Info: 561-516-1957 or sherry@rootsandwingsinc.org

Tickets: secure.qgiv.com/event/rootsandwings or rootsandwingsinc.org/event/roots-and-wings-goes-hollywood-10th-anniversary-gala

Plans call for the 119-year-old Andrews House (bottom left in foreground) to be moved, restored and converted into a cafe, rather than be demolished, as part of the second phase of The Villages mixed-use project that will rise beside it. Rendering provided

By Michael Cook

A Miami-based developer once planned to tear down the historic Andrews House in Boynton Beach. After local preservationists stepped in, the developer changed course and now plans to restore the faded yellow, two-story house as a cafe. 

Developer Edgewater Capital Investments still plans to demolish all other buildings on the land it owns surrounding the city’s oldest residence to make way for a mixed-use development along East Ocean Avenue downtown. Some affected business owners are beginning to plan to relocate ahead of construction, with the development expected to rise within a two-year horizon.

“Everything except for the Andrews House will be demolished,” said Manny Mato, principal of Edgewater Capital Investments, referring to the south parcel of land it bought in 2022 on Ocean Avenue. Across the street on the north parcel, the same developer is currently constructing The Villages at East Ocean, an eight-story residential and commercial complex expected to open in 2027.

Mato said the property where the Andrews House sits will be part of Phase Two of The Villages project. He described the plan for residential units and retail space as a smaller and more affordable version of the main project. The timeline for the south parcel depends on city approvals, but Mato hopes construction will break ground and be completed within the next few years.

What’s there now

On the south side of Ocean Avenue, west of the Florida East Coast Railway tracks, there is life in the aging, mostly single-story buildings: from two homes and warehouses to retail. Businesses line the avenue, from East Ocean Cafe and The Blossom Shoppe Florist to the Original Barber Shop. Some will be asked to join the new development, Mato said.

One of the businesses is ArtSea Living, an art and pottery studio. Owner Barbi Lentz said the business had been in that storefront for about five years, which was intended to be a temporary spot. She is now in the process of packing up shop.

ArtSea Living is relocating across the train tracks east to the 500 Ocean apartment and retail complex. The studio is set to open in late February with upgraded ground-floor retail space. The studio, which originally opened in 2003, has moved several times locally due to similar issues, and Lentz mentioned that operating in a mixed-use space gives her business a sense of security.

Donald Karney of Broward Properties Inc., which manages the buildings on The Villages’ southern parcel and other properties for the same developer, said each tenant would have at least six months to vacate once the project receives final city approval. 

“We’re not in the business to bum-rush people out or be ogres or unreasonable,” Karney said, indicating that his company would accommodate everyone as best it can. He said the same process used at the start of the main project is being followed, with about five buildings knocked down in that portion.

Kevin Fischer, Boynton Beach’s division director of planning and zoning, said that tenants now in the commercial buildings on site will go through a process with the property owner to terminate their leases to allow for demolition.

Warehouse shop objects 

Mato made clear that the businesses will have the option to rent space in the new retail area once it is completed. However, he said that warehouse businesses, such as local painters, carpenters, and machinists, might not be the best fit for a storefront setting.

On a warehouse-lined road on the lot leading to the Andrews House, one of the warehouse shops is Ibis Painting, a painting contracting business. The owner, Alissa Beerthuis, has occupied the garage-like space for about 11 years. 

For the past several years, Beerthuis said, there had been a lingering rumor that the buildings might be torn down, so the news did not come as a complete surprise. She said that if she is forced to move, she will be left “high and dry,” since any available workspace elsewhere likely would cost twice as much. 

“I understand that these aren’t the prettiest of businesses, but they’re essential for the community,” said Beerthuis. As for the Andrews House, she said that the aging house is not the most “attractive” and will not blend well with newly constructed buildings.

Edgewater Capital Investments obtained a demolition permit for the Andrews House in November 2024, but after residents raised concerns, the developer agreed to halt the demolition. “The Andrews House itself is not historic from a legal sense,” Mato said. “It’s not a designated historic property, so we could demolish it tomorrow if we wanted to.”

Yet, after conversations with city officials, Mato and his team decided to preserve the house. It was a gesture of “goodwill” for the community and a project that makes sense for the company, he said, so that “everyone wins.” As for the restoration of the house itself, which was built in 1907, Mato said site approval will dictate the exact plan to comply with building codes.

Fischer stated that if the Andrews House is restored, a commercial kitchen or cafe could be permitted within the house, as such uses are allowed in the city’s zoning district.

The game plan is to refurbish the exterior and return it to its previous state, Mato said, while the interior will depend on factors that may change, including the cafe’s layout. He added that the inspiration comes from across the train tracks, where the historic Ruth Jones Cottage — a relocated 1920s home —  has been restored and is now Nicholson Muir, a gourmet butcher shop and restaurant.

Mato said the Ocean Avenue corridor has the potential to match other successful downtowns in surrounding cities, thanks to its proximity to the beach and other attractions. He added that the larger mixed-use project — and the ongoing collaboration with the Community Redevelopment Agency and the city — will play a role in shaping that vision.

A ‘historic street’

Janet DeVries Naughton, a past president of the Boynton Beach Historical Society, said that since the city is attempting to rebuild downtown as a destination, the house will serve as an asset and an “anchor” for the city’s history. She said visitors can enjoy coffee while learning from this type of historical attraction.

“But the fact is that there are only a few of these that exist. And in order for people to learn about the past, they need to be able to see and feel history,” Naughton said, referencing the vernacular frame of the home.

Naughton painted a picture of Ocean Avenue as a “historic street,” saying there will be modern growth paired with reminders of the past, such as the 1927 high school, now the Boynton Beach Arts & Cultural Center, and the 1913 Boynton School, now the Schoolhouse Children’s Museum.

While Mato has decided not to wreck the Andrews House, and to give it a second life right along Ocean Avenue, that’s not quite the outcome some preservationists desired.

The Save Andrews House Committee, formed after the building’s near destruction, prefers using funds to relocate the house next to another nearby historic structure, the CRA-owned 1919 Oscar Magnuson House on the north side of Ocean Avenue.

The current Boynton Beach Historical Society president, Barbara Ready, said she was taken aback when the developer had simply wanted the house removed from his property to create more space for development. 

Ready added that if the adaptive reuse architecture is not executed well, it could compromise the house’s historic value and original layout, including features such as the existing Dade County pine wood.

“We were pretty disappointed that he didn’t want to just give it to us. We figured that, being in our custody, it would be a lot safer,” she said. “But who knows where it’s going to be 20 years from now, when this developer moves on.” 

Boca Raton resident and FAU student David Morris, 22, catches a beautiful wave thanks to a cold front that brought decent-size swells to the Atlantic. Surfers could not resist the temptation, even with temperatures in the 40s on this particular morning. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Sandra Schulman

BOCA RATON — In an art career that spanned 40 years and major cities, Kathleen Goncharov served for 14 of those years as the senior curator at the Boca Raton Museum of Art, where she curated more than 30 exhibitions featuring notable artists of national and international acclaim.

Ms. Goncharov died Dec. 31 at her home in Boca Raton, family members said. She was 73.

She retired from the museum in 2025. Irvin Lippman, former executive director of the Boca Raton Museum, said in a prepared statement:

“Kathy Goncharov was instrumental in installing galleries that were welcoming, as though you were entering an engaging conversation among artworks. It was her ability as a curator, and as a talented artist herself, that created this lively rapport.”

Lippman said Ms. Goncharov’s legacy “remains in the acquisition of many keystone artworks that remain on view at the museum, such as the 140-foot mural by Odili Donald Odita in the museum’s Ohnell Sculpture Garden, the monumental painting by Charles McGill (the last work the artist created before his untimely death), and the 30-foot tall cloud mural on the west side of the building by the Fluxus artist Geoffrey Hendricks that thousands of people drive by every day on Federal Highway.”

“In recent years, collectors, such as the late Agnes Gund, recognized her friendship and profound respect for Kathy by donating in her honor several artworks for the community to enjoy and pay tribute to Kathy Goncharov,” Lippman said.

A native of Michigan who held degrees from Central Michigan University and the University of Michigan, Ms. Goncharov began her career in New York City in 1980 as the curator at Linda Goode Bryant’s Just Above Midtown (JAM) Gallery. At JAM, she organized performances and exhibitions. She went on to serve as director of exhibitions at Creative Time, bringing art beyond the walls of traditional institutions and into the colorful fabric of New York.

She organized multiple exhibits of Art on the Beach, Art in the Anchorage, and projects staged in unusual spaces in the city — initiatives that have become the hallmark of Creative Time to make contemporary art both public and experimental.

From 1987 to 2000, Ms. Goncharov was curator of The New School Art Collection, where she operated at the intersection of art and education. She later served as public art curator at the MIT List Visual Arts Center, overseeing MIT’s Percent-for-Art Program and commissioning permanent works to integrate contemporary art into the holdings of a major research university. She also served as adjunct curator at the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University, where she curated the museum’s first contemporary exhibition in its new building.

Ms. Goncharov was executive director/artistic director of the Brodsky Center for Innovative Editions at Rutgers University from 2007-2011. She was responsible for selecting international artists to work in collaboration with the center’s master printers and papermakers to create new editions. She led the center’s advisory committee and guided outreach through exhibitions and educational collaborations; she placed editions and artists’ books in major collections including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art.

A major highlight of her 40-year career was in 2002, when she was appointed United States Commissioner for the 50th Venice Biennale, for which she selected artist Fred Wilson to represent the U.S. This was a solid recognition of her international stature, and her commitment to artists whose work interrogates history, power, and institutional structures. She curated and organized exhibitions and projects internationally, including in Cairo, Rio de Janeiro, New Delhi, Bologna, Venice, and Rome, extending her commitment to global dialogue and cross-cultural exchange.

Gracie Mansion, pioneer of the 1980s East Village art scene, art consultant, curator, and adviser to individuals, museums, and corporations worldwide, was a longtime friend of Ms. Goncharov, who also was an artist herself.

“Kathy Goncharov was a loyal friend and a generous spirit who freely shared her friends and her knowledge. When we stayed together in Venice at the offices of the Emily Harvey Foundation, it would inevitably end up with someone sleeping on the couch and another sharing a bed. She never said no to anyone and at some point in the stay, she would cook a fantastic meal for the ‘extended family,’” Mansion wrote in a prepared statement.

“Kathy Goncharov was a visionary. She recognized talent early and went against the norms. A contemporary curator, she built on a depth of knowledge of the past. This duality informed her curatorial vision, making it accessible to many levels of viewers. She worked quietly, and in the future, historians will come face to face with an indisputable mountain of truth and beauty that is her legacy.”

News reports said Ms. Goncharov is survived by her longtime partner, Charles Doria, and numerous family members.

VILLAGE OF GOLF — Nance Price Bernet died Jan. 7 surrounded by family at her home. She was 94.

She was born on March 9, 1931, in Dearborn, Michigan, to Martin and Eleanore Price. Her family then moved to the Cleveland, Ohio, area. Miss Price was raised in Cleveland Heights and graduated from St. Ann School, Beaumont School and Ursuline College. A gifted artist, she also studied at Parsons School of Design in New York.

Returning to Cleveland, she fell in love with Philip Bernet after he courted her in his family’s 1955 Corvette (one of the first to be built). They married in September 1955 and enjoyed a honeymoon tour to Europe on the Queen Mary.

Upon return, they settled in Shaker Heights and Pepper Pike, Ohio, building a life centered on family, friends and community. Philip and Nance welcomed their son, Marty, in 1964, and daughters Molly in 1966 and Mia in 1968.

After vacationing in Delray Beach, since 1955, they moved the family permanently in 1968.

Looking for things to do in their new hometown, the couple purchased two hotels on the ocean, The Barrington and The Breakers on the Ocean, places they and their parents had stayed at when they vacationed here. They sold The Barrington, now Berkshire on the Ocean, in 1978 and continued to run The Breakers on the Ocean until 2012.

In 1978, the pair opened HyPa HyMa. Started as a gift shop, art gallery and candy store, with just a few pieces of women’s clothing, it gradually evolved into a boutique destination for ladies in the area to be outfitted for all occasions.

After her husband died in 1990, Mrs. Bernet stepped into entrepreneurship to manage the family businesses, juggling the roles of mother, grandmother and business owner. Even in her later years, running the businesses brought her much delight and pride in her accomplishments.

Volunteering and service were very important to Mrs. Bernet. She served in officer roles with the Junior League of Cleveland, remaining a member until her death. She volunteered with Catholic Charities in Cleveland and in Palm Beach, serving on the board and chairing several elder affair fundraisers. She volunteered with the Red Cross and the Christ Child Society.

She supported Gulf Stream School and St. Vincent Ferrer School, which her children and grandchildren attended. She was a member of The Country Club of Florida, The Delray Beach Club, and a former member of The Country Club in Cleveland.

A woman of many hats, literally and figuratively, Nance juggled several roles — with many different names: Nance, Skippy, Mrs. B, Hyma and Mom. Each name held a special role and those who knew her by those names were all welcomed into her heart equally.

Nance, a loving and true friend. Skippy, a cherished and lively daughter, sister and aunt and the hostess and center of family celebrations. Mrs. B, an employer who treated all with respect and loyalty, supporting them and their families along the way.

In 1995, Nance became a grandmother and thus became Hyma. Hyma was loved beyond words by her grandchildren, and she loved them so dearly and supported them in every aspect of life.

And, of course, she was Mom. Her children were most fortunate to have her as a role model of love and devotion to family, faith and fun.

Mrs. Bernet had boundless energy, a wonderful sense of humor, a desire to learn something new every day, and to live life to its fullest. Getting in a daily swim, reading three newspapers a day, running her businesses, engaging in a lively yet friendly debate about current affairs, watching Mass on television every morning, or texting at all hours to her friends and family — Nance continued these activities until just a few days before she died.

The family would like to especially thank her loving companion, Nancy Smith, whose uplifting energy and devotion to her made her final years upbeat and positive. They would also like to thank the compassionate nurses at Trustbridge Hospice who provided gentle care and dignity for Mrs. Bernet in her final days. Mrs. Bernet was predeceased by her husband, Philip, her beloved parents, Martin and Eleanore Price, and her loving and devoted sister, Maryruth Pfeiffer.

She is survived by her children Price Martin “Marty” Bernet (Beth) of Boynton Beach, Mary Ruth “Molly” Balunek (Peter) of Chagrin Falls, Ohio, and Anna Maria “Mia” Bernet of Delray Beach; grandchildren Erin Bernet McKean (Corey), Susie Bernet, Andrew Bernet, Ellie Bernet, Jennifer Bennett, Emma Balunek and Sophia Balunek, and her precious great-grandchildren, Owen and Milo McKean.

She is survived by devoted and cherished nieces and nephews, who were her “second children” with whom she held a special bond.

A funeral Mass at St. Vincent Ferrer Church, with a celebration of Nance’s life following at The Delray Beach Club, took place Jan. 21. Interment was private.

In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory may be made to Beaumont School, 3301 N. Park Blvd., Cleveland Heights, OH 44118, or Trustbridge Hospice Foundation, 5300 East Ave., West Palm Beach, FL 33407.

— Submitted by the family

OCEAN RIDGE — Marilyn Ireland, known for her one-of-a-kind charisma, died Jan. 7. She was 95.

Mrs. Ireland — beloved as Meem, Mimi and Mema — was bubbly and colorful, possessed of a magnetic personality. She loved getting to know people and their stories, and everyone loved her in return.

Born Dec. 4, 1930, Marilyn spent her childhood in Almont, Michigan, where she loved riding horses on her parents’ farm. After graduating from Almont High School, she entered Stephens College in Missouri, studying aviation to be a flight attendant.

Mrs. Ireland was meant to be on the stage and she had her opportunity as a model for General Motors, being crowned as Miss Apple Queen, participating in local parades — driving her red convertible Corvette with the grandkids sitting on top waving to the crowds. She repeatedly took honors at Mitzenfeld Department Store for being top salesperson.

She also liked to give back to the community, volunteering as a candy striper for Beaumont Hospital, and at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in the resale shop.

Soon after graduating from college, she met the love of her life, Hugh Ireland. They married and raised three children — Jeff, Lisa and Craig. Life was full of adventure in the homes they made, mostly in Michigan (Bloomfield Hills, Ludington, Metamora, Rochester and Torch Lake) and in Ocean Ridge.

As much as Marilyn will be missed, her family is grateful for all the wonderful memories.

She is survived by her children Jeff Ireland, Lisa (Kim) Hubert, and Craig (Paula) Ireland; grandchildren Stacie Ireland, Cameron (Emily) Ireland, Christen (Dan) Kirsammer, Catherine Ireland, Cail (Kaila) Hubert, and Kalyn (Colton) Walters; and great-grandchildren Mia Chapman, Ella Chapman, Paxson Walters, Freya Ireland and Louisa Kirsammer.

She was predeceased by her parents, Ross and Marion Lawrence; husband, Hugh Ireland; sister, Sharon Kirk; and grandsons Jeffrey Ireland and Logan Hubert.

Mrs. Ireland was buried at the Metamora Cemetery in Metamora, Michigan. Memorial donations may be made to St. Jude’s Children Research or Tunnels to Towers. Please consider leaving a memory or condolence on the online guestbook, at https://www.wintfuneralhome.com/obituary/marilyn-ireland.

— Submitted by the family

LANTANA — Dr. Leonard Clark Griff died on Dec. 24 at 90 years of age, surrounded by loved ones at his home on Hypoluxo Island.

Born on Feb. 18, 1935, in Brooklyn, New York, Dr. Griff devoted his life to helping others as a radiation oncologist. Alongside his beloved wife, Roberta, they raised their four children in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

Together, they built a close-knit family that now spans many generations. Dr. Griff was the proud grandfather of 13 grandchildren and one great-grandchild, each of whom held a special place in his heart.

Known for his optimism and warmth, Dr. Griff could talk to anyone for hours.

He is survived by his wife, Roberta, their four children; 13 grandchildren; and one great-grandchild, who will continue to carry his legacy forward.

A service was held Dec. 26 at Palm Beach Memorial in Lantana.

— Submitted by the family

DELRAY BEACH — Judy Cotter, a longtime resident, died Dec. 29. She was 81.

Born in New York City on Jan. 10, 1944, she possessed a spirit as vibrant and colorful as the dresses she wore.

For 35 years, Mrs. Cotter was the heart of The Snappy Turtle boutique in Delray Beach. Customers visited as much for resort wear as for the chance to chat with “Mrs. Judy,” who was easily identified by her signature bright lipstick and echoing laugh. She worked until the day before her death, a testament to her strength and love of life.

Her summers were spent in the rural charm of Smallwood, New York. For 55 years she found joy at her cabin in this Catskill hamlet.

She is survived by her adored son, John, and daughter-in-law, Lisa. She was grandmother to Samantha, Sasha and Shawn. Mrs. Cotter also leaves behind her beloved siblings Peter, Chrissie, Paul, Irene, Dale, Joanne and Jimmy, as well as her former husband, Jack. She was preceded in death by her parents, Pat and Joe Hopkins, and her brother, Ray.

A funeral Mass will be held at St. Lucy Catholic Church in Highland Beach at 11 a.m. Feb. 28. A summer date for a celebration of life in Smallwood will be announced later.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Smallwood Youth Experience, providing recreational and educational opportunities for children in the Smallwood community. Donations may be made online at smallwoodcivic39.wildapricot.org or via check to the Smallwood Civic Association, PO Box 151, Smallwood, NY 12778.

— Submitted by the family

GULF STREAM — Ronald Gene Standerfer died Jan. 14 at the Thomas H. Corey VA Medical Center in West Palm Beach. He was 91.

Born in Belleville, Illinois, Ron was the only child of Gene and Aline Mobley Standerfer.

While attending the University of Illinois, he took his first airplane ride on a vintage World War II-era B-25 bomber and it changed his life. He served in the Air Force and Air National Guard. He flew 237 missions over Vietnam and Laos in 1968-1969, earning two Silver Stars, the Purple Heart and 13 Air Medals.

In civilian life, he owned an aircraft charter and management company and later was a writer and publisher.

Mr. Standerfer was pre-deceased by his parents and his son, James G. Standerfer. He is survived by his wife, Marzenna “Maya” Standerfer, his stepsons John Harrell of Lorton, Virginia, Steve (Rayna) Harrell of Sewickley, Pennsylvania, Michael (Vivienne) Krynski of New York City, and his four grandchildren, Ethan, Irene and Dominick Harrell, and Maximus Krynski.

A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Feb. 12 at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 188 S. Swinton Ave., in Delray Beach, with a reception to follow.

Burial will be scheduled later at Arlington National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, contributions in Mr. Standerfer’s memory can be made to Vietnam Veterans of America (vva.org).

— Submitted by the family

Chefs at Garlic Fest will offer free demonstrations, such as this one at a past festival, at noon both days at The Clove, site of garlic-themed food and beverage. The Clove’s premium bar will offer cocktails such as jalapeño margaritas, garlic bloody marys, pickled garlic martinis and Crazy Uncle Mike’s brewed garlic bread beer, along with nonalcoholic drinks. Marketplace vendors will sell fresh garlic, jarred garlic, garlic graters and other goods. Photo provided

By Christine Davis

Returning to Delray Beach, the odiferous Garlic Fest, known as the best stinkin’ party in South Florida, will be at Old School Square on Feb. 28 and March 1.

The event was created in 1998 by Festival Management Group’s nonprofit arm, Delray Beach Art Inc. Jennifer Costello, the executive director of those organizations, gives a history of how the festival started.

“In the late 1990s, Delray Beach was still a quiet, sleepy town,” Costello says. “Our founders, Nancy Stewart-Franczak and Bern Ryan, joined local civic leaders to brainstorm how to bring life back to the downtown. Their idea was bold: Create a ‘signature event that would generate excitement, ignite tourism and, most importantly, support local nonprofits.’”

At first, the idea was met with laughter, Costello says.

“Undeterred, Nancy and Bern persuaded a few civic leaders to go to Gilroy, California, home of the world-famous Garlic Festival. What they saw there was eye-opening — a vibrant community celebration that energized the downtown, drove tourism and raised significant funds for nonprofits.”

Inspired by Gilroy’s success, Delray Beach leaders gave the green light. First celebrated in a downtown parking lot, the festival offered food, art and music. Within five years, the festival amassed more than 20,000 visitors, impacting activities in the downtown area and necessitating street closures — a bit more than Delray Beach leadership was looking for, Costello explained.

To accommodate the city’s needs and to keep the garlicky good times going, the festival moved to John Prince Park in Lake Worth Beach, and then, following an interruption caused by the pandemic, it moved to Wellington.  

With approvals in place, Garlic Fest returns to Delray Beach in all its stinkin’ glory with a smaller footprint and no street closures. In a more mindful collaborative model — partnering with the Downtown Development Authority and working with the Community Redevelopment Agency’s Delray Beach Green Market, Coco Market, the Delray Beach Open and ArtNest — the festival is not bigger, but aims to be just as good or even better with food, art, crafts and music.

Spin Doctors will headline the music, joined by the Fabulous Fleetwoods and Given to Fly.

Keeping to a smaller footprint, “We are not bringing back the garlic chef stadium or the carnival rides,” Costello said. “But we will have The Clove, which will have an elevated bar and food seminars.” 

With 120 feet of food along the festival’s Gourmet Alley, event-goers will get to feast on delicacies such as garlic ice cream, gourmet garlic smash burgers and garlic conch fritters.

Eighty vendors will sell a mix of arts and crafts, plants and edibles, such as fresh or jarred garlic, spices, sauces, jerky and honey.

The festival may have a small footprint, but it will make a big impact, Costello says. “We’re excited to be back home.”

Hours of Garlic Fest are 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Feb. 28 and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on March 1. Tickets are priced at $15 on Saturday until 6 p.m. then the entry cost goes to $25. On

Sunday, the cost is $15 all day. Tickets can be purchased at eventeny.com/events/ticket/?id=18647.

***

A California tech company advancing quantum computing development is moving its corporate headquarters to the Boca Raton Innovation Campus, the city’s former IBM site, after the city approved a $500,000 incentive grant on Jan. 6 to lure the company.

D-Wave Quantum Inc., based in Palo Alto, says an increased interest and demand for its quantum computing technology and systems are behind its desire to establish “a key development hub” in Boca Raton. It plans to transition its headquarters to the city by the end of 2026.

The change will give D-Wave a presence on both coasts, providing system redundancy in the case of disaster recovery and expanding a North American presence that already includes facilities in Connecticut, California, Alabama and British Columbia.

The company also announced that Florida Atlantic University has made a $20 million commitment to install its Advantage 2 annealing quantum computer — “aiming to accelerate and solidify the state of Florida’s position as a leader in quantum computing.”

“With our new headquarters in Boca Raton, D-Wave will bring to South Florida incredible opportunities for advanced research, talent recruitment, and high-impact technology development that is shaping the future of computing,” said D-Wave CEO Alan Baratz.

Boca Raton’s economic development incentive is based on D-Wave’s commitment to create 100 jobs in the city over the next five years, with annual salaries exceeding $125,000.

***

A 1.34-acre lot from the oceanfront to Intracoastal Waterway at 1300 S. Ocean Blvd., Manalapan, sold for $27.49 million in January. The seller was 1300 South Ocean LLC, managed by local attorney Maura Ziska. The buyer was Pitchoune Life LLC, a Delaware-registered company, care of Dennis Zaslavsky in Deerfield, Illinois. Zaslavsky is the senior managing director of Clearstead Advisors, a financial consultant.

Gary Pohrer of Serhant and Nick Malinosky of the Exclusive Group at Douglas Elliman were the listing brokers on the deal, while Marine Rollins of Miami Global Realty represented the buyer.

The property last sold for $11.8 million in 2021 and a home on this site was demolished in 2023. This lot has about 200 feet on the Intracoastal Waterway with a dock and sea wall, and 158 feet along the ocean. Plans by Palm Beach architect Gregory Bonner of B1 Architect came with the property.

***

A 10-unit co-op building at 1191 S. Ocean Blvd., Delray Beach, sold for $22.5 million. The seller was an LLC managed by local investor Daniel Edwards, and the new owner is Palmetto Coast Holdings LLC, a company registered in Delaware with an address in Cheyenne, Wyoming.

Edwards, who had owned one of the units, purchased the property in a sale approved by the co-op board in June 2025 for $18 million. The development, known through the years as The Horizon of Delray Beach, was built in 1952. It is sited on a lot just under 1 acre with 120 feet of oceanfront.

The buyer was represented by the Matt Moser and Nick Gonzalez team of Serhant. The seller was represented by Christian Prakas, also with Serhant.

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Boston real estate developer Carol Sawyer Parks sold her 9,368-total-square-foot estate, with 90 feet on the ocean, at 2545 S. Ocean Blvd., Highland Beach, for $17.5 million to KM One LLC, an affiliate of developer Kolter Group, based in Delray Beach.

The four-bedroom home, built on the 1.03-acre site in 2009, features a summer kitchen, bar, balcony, pool and a private pathway to the beach.

Carol Sawyer Parks is the president and CEO of Sawyer Enterprises and Sawyer Parks Inc. She developed the W Boston Hotel & Residences and the Niketown building on Newbury Street in Boston.

While the Kolter Group builds residential communities and condos, it also has a custom home division, which works closely with Marc Julien Homes. Nick Malinosky and Michael O’Connor of the Exclusive Group at Douglas Elliman brokered the deal.

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A trust in the name of Bridget Maguire sold an 8,131-square-foot estate at 215 W. Coconut Palm Road, Boca Raton, in the Royal Palm Yacht & Country Club, for $16.5 million — a drop of $3 million since its previous purchase less than two years ago. The new owner is 215 Coconut Palm Land Trust, with Aaron S. Adler as trustee.

Maguire, founder of Miami-based Premier Legal Advantage, bought the home for $19.5 million in June 2024. It was first listed for $22.5 million in August 2024, but the listing price fell to $18.5 million in November 2025.

Built on the 0.34-acre site in 2022, the five-bedroom home features a dock, a zero-edge pool, spa, bar/wine room, private study and an outdoor fireplace.

Maguire’s company is a consultant and recruiter for major law firms. The deal was brokered by David W. Roberts with Royal Palm Properties.

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Boca Villas Apartments, a 106-unit complex at 100 W. Hidden Valley Blvd., Boca Raton, sold for $30 million. The sellers were Edwidge Realty Limited Partnership and Marina & Briana Limited Partnership, both managed by Michael Mele of Boca Raton-based Mele Management Co.  

The buyer is Boca Villas, a Delaware limited liability company associated with Matthew Paul, the owner of MAP Communities. Tal Frydman of Newmark represented both sides in the deal. Boca Villas last traded for $13.5 million in 2019.

Its first 53 villas were built in 1988. Another 53 villas were completed in 2024, along with a new clubhouse, pool and 10 garages.

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The Boca Chamber’s 20th annual Diamond Award luncheon will be held Feb. 20 at The Boca Raton, in celebration of women whose leadership has shaped Boca Raton and southern Palm Beach County.

This year, the Diamond recipient is Marta T. Batmasian, co-founder of Investments Ltd., for her support of initiatives that advance education, health care and community well-being.

The chamber will also present the 2026 Pearl Award to Sabrina Greenberg, founder of EcoLoops and a senior at Saint Andrew’s School. The Pearl Award honors a young female leader and graduate of the Boca Chamber’s Young Entrepreneurs Academy who demonstrates entrepreneurial excellence. Greenberg’s work with EcoLoops reflects her commitment to sustainability, innovation and social impact.

For information or tickets, contact Sarah Vielot at svielot@bocachamber.com.

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Alina Residences Boca Raton announced that assistant property manager Ahmed Abbas was recognized by FirstService Residential as its Rookie of the Year. The award was presented at Le Méridien Dania Beach at Fort Lauderdale Airport.

Abbas joined Alina Residences in November 2024 in an administrative role. He advanced to assistant property manager, where he coordinated with contractors, managed unit closings and supported residents of Alina 220.

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The Greater Lantana Chamber of Commerce announced its new board of directors in January at an installation dinner at The Carlisle Palm Beach. David Lumbert of Ocean Bank is now the president. The new vice president is Laura Urness of the Presson Group with Corcoran Realty. Jane Richardson of Friends of Foster Children serves as treasurer, and Jackie Phelan, owner of Underground Promos LLC, is secretary.

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Past champion and Boca Raton resident Frances Tiafoe committed to play in the 34th Delray Beach Open, Feb. 13-22 at the Delray Beach Tennis Center.

Tiafoe, who has ranked as high as world No. 10, was a 20-year-old wild card ranked No. 91 when he won the Delray Beach Open in 2018.

Other players scheduled to compete include Taylor Fritz, Casper Ruud, Tommy Paul, Learner Tien and Alex Michelsen.

Juan Martin del Potro, the 2009 U.S. Open champion and 2011 Delray Beach winner, is returning to the tournament in the Legends exhibition-style matches, along with six-time Delray doubles champions Bob and Mike Bryan, former French Open champions Luke and Murphy Jensen, and past Delray Beach Open singles champions Tommy Haas, Xavier Malisse and Jan-Michael Gambill.

Fans can watch qualifying rounds for the ATP 250 tournament as well as practice sessions.

New this year, children 14-and-under will receive a free Stadium Court reserved seat with the purchase of an adult ticket on the day of the event at the box office.

For more details, visit delraybeachopen.com.

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The League of Women Voters of Palm Beach County’s voters guide to 18 municipal elections in the county goes online Feb. 7 at lwvpbc.org. To access the free guide, click on the Voter Toolkit 2026 button. Elections will be held on March 10. 

“The league delivers nonpartisan information to local voters every election,” said Amy Kemp, the league’s president. “Providing potential voters with reliable, responsible, nonpartisan information is our primary mission.”

The league has compiled biographical information and political positions from 85 candidates in 32 campaigns in the guide, called Vote411.

For the November elections, the league will host an Election Expo and publish both a printed and online Vote411 guide to all local, county, state and federal campaigns that will be on the ballot in the county.

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The Institute for Regional Conservation, along with the Delray Beach Chamber of Commerce’s Young Professionals Association of Delray, recently hosted a beach dune ecological restoration event at Delray Municipal Beach as part of IRCC’s Restoring the Gold Coast program.

Volunteers from the Young Professionals, FAU Sustainability Club and the Beach Keepers removed sea grape from dune habitat to benefit the federally endangered beach jacquemontia plant. This site represents the largest remaining population of the species in Palm Beach County.

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The Delray Beach Downtown Development Authority recently launched its redesigned website, DowntownDelrayBeach.com. The new platform makes it easier for businesses, residents and visitors to discover, plan and experience the downtown.

Based on an economic impact model using its analytics along with benchmarks from Destinations International, Visit Florida, and the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, the website is estimated to generate $15.5 million in annual economic impact, including $10.35 million in direct visitor spending.

New features of the website include destination mapping of shops, restaurants, spas, galleries, hotels and cultural destinations — and nearby parking to these destinations.

Users can create personalized Art Walk routes. Businesses are grouped into themed experiences. Signature attractions are highlighted.

It contains a centralized listings for events, dining, lodging and activities. The site’s guides are expected to add an estimated $1.35 million in incremental annual revenue.

“Our goal was to create a modern, mobile-friendly website that doesn’t just inform, but actively guides people through downtown Delray,” said Suzanne Boyd, director of marketing for the DDA.

The new site helps people “discover new places, plan fuller experiences, and engage more deeply with everything downtown has to offer — while directly supporting our local businesses.”

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