Debbi Johnson, sister of murder victim Karen Slattery, speaks to reporters after the execution of Duane Owen on June 15 at Florida State Prison. Behind her are former Delray Beach police officers (l-r) Robert Stevens, John Evans and Ross Licata. Daron Dean/The Coastal Star

By Rich Pollack and Jane Musgrave

Margaret Garetano-Castor hadn’t yet cried that day.

Last month, as she and longtime friends huddled together in Boynton Beach at the almost 40-year-old gravesite of Karen Slattery — their classmate from elementary school and high school — Castor remained strong.

Hours later, after Duane Eugene Owen was pronounced dead at 6:14 p.m. Thursday, June 15, emotions that had been in hibernation, perhaps for decades, escaped uncontrollably.

“Once the day had passed, it was like a huge exhale and I cried my eyes out,” said Castor, who was watching television news coverage with her husband after Owen’s execution. “I said, ‘It’s over.’”

For some, the death of Owen — who was convicted of murdering the 14-year-old Slattery while she was babysitting in Delray Beach and of the beating death of 38-year-old Boca Raton mother Georgianna Worden — may be the closing of a chapter.

For others, however, the physical finality that comes with the end of the killer’s life will do little to erase the invisible emotional scars that could last a lifetime.

“Closure may be a myth, but justice isn’t,” Karen Slattery’s sister Debbi Johnson said during a news conference minutes after the execution.

Behind her as she spoke, a small group of former Delray Beach police officers who witnessed the execution stood silently. Among them was Ross Licata, the lead detective in the investigation.

“This isn’t closure,” Licata, now Lighthouse Point’s police chief, said later. “I’ve been thinking more about this case since the execution than I did before.”

Licata, who saw the evidence of Owen’s violence in the home where Karen Slattery had been stabbed 18 times that March 24, has stayed in contact with Johnson and her mother,

Carolyn Slattery, over the years even after they moved to Monroe County, where Johnson is a deputy sheriff.

“I don’t know if there’s a day that goes by when I don’t think about Karen Slattery and the things that happened to her and the impact it had on her family, her community and me,” he said. “I saw the brutality and I felt the heartache of the family.”

All of what Licata saw, how he and others in the department struggled for two months to find leads and how the case finally came together will stay with him for as long as he lives, Licata said.

“There is never going to be a time in my life when I don’t think about this case,” he said.

Friends and family visit Karen Slattery’s grave last month in Boynton Beach, hours before her killer was executed. Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

‘I’m still afraid’

For friends of Karen’s, young teens in 1984 who are now in their 50s with adult children, the fear they felt in the immediate aftermath of her murder still lingers.

Ana McNamara, who had called the house where Karen was babysitting the night she was killed but got no answer, remembers being awakened early the next morning by a phone call from Karen’s mother, who was crying.

“She said, ‘Ana, she’s dead,’ and told me there was a detective who wanted to talk to me,” McNamara said.

Investigators say it’s possible Owen might still have been in the house when McNamara called.

McNamara said that after the murder she became more cautious and didn’t ride her bike around the neighborhood as she had done.

“I was afraid,” she said. “I’m still afraid.”

Another classmate says she still won’t sleep with an open window.

Others who went to St. Vincent Ferrer Catholic School in Delray Beach or Boca Raton’s St. John Paul II Academy with Karen, and who, like her, were part of a group of friends who would exchange babysitting jobs, all stayed home after Karen’s death.

“It was impossible to find a babysitter for months,” said Kevin McCoy, a retired Boca Raton police officer who was the lead detective on the Georgianna Worden case. “People were afraid, they were really shocked.”

That fear was well-founded. During a collection of interviews in early June 1984 with detectives from both Boca Raton and Delray Beach, the then 23-year-old Owen wove a horrifying tale of his menacing actions that escalated over time.

Retired Delray Beach detective Marc Woods says that Owen confessed to several burglaries in the city, including some in which women’s underwear was taken. He also later confessed to burglarizing a home and hitting a Florida Atlantic University professor over the head with a concrete block. He later would give her the nickname Professor Blockhead.

In Boca Raton, Owen detailed for McCoy and other investigators how he committed a half-dozen burglaries and assaults, including a couple that occurred prior to the Slattery murder. Owen confessed to the 1982 assault of the resident manager of the Peter Pan Motel in Boca. The attack left his victim with a fractured skull and brain damage. In February 1984 he assaulted an 18-year-old woman, hitting her over the head with a wrench he had found in a nearby truck. In May 1984, less than two months after Karen Slattery’s murder, Owen nearly got caught breaking into a home where a woman was sleeping alone when the woman’s brother came home, saw him and chased after him.

A few days later, he broke into a home not far from Worden’s where he threw a clothes iron at a woman, hitting her in the head and inflicting a wound that needed stitches.

Owen almost got caught again, according to McCoy, when he broke into an occupied home just east of Federal Highway and almost fell into the pool while running away when the women screamed. That same night, he broke into Worden’s house and killed her. It was a December 1982 arrest, after Owen was caught in the ceiling above the women’s bathroom in a bowling alley, that would eventually lead to his becoming a “person of interest” in the Worden and Slattery cases.

After Boca Raton police received a pencil sketch from FAU police of a man a student had seen masturbating outside a classroom, McCoy compared it to a photo of Owen taken after the bowling alley incident and kept in the department’s book of known sex offenders.

When the student later picked out Owen’s picture from a photo lineup, he became someone McCoy thought warranted more attention.

“I thought all along he was a strong suspect,” McCoy said, although there was not yet a connection to Worden’s murder. “Honestly, we had nothing else.”

Owen was arrested just a few days after Worden’s murder on an outstanding warrant and false ID charges. He was also charged with one of the burglaries. The murder charge came later, after his fingerprints were found on a library book — Mistral’s Daughter — in Worden’s bedroom.

Although the Karen Slattery case has always overshadowed Georgianna Worden’s murder — perhaps because of Karen’s age or because of the fear that lingered during the two-month gap between the crime and the arrest — it was the Boca case and a sketch that eventually led to both being solved.

While he was in jail, Owen’s criminal mind continued to calculate ways he could get out and he concocted an escape scheme that almost worked.

A former Palm Beach County sheriff’s deputy, who was a sergeant in the jail at the time, said that Owen tucked himself into a large laundry basket used to take out trash and hid under bags of garbage. Had it not been for a deputy who noticed the garbage bags moving, Owen could have gotten to an area outside the jail building, scaled a fence and fled.

McCoy said that during a break in the interview process at the jail, Owen climbed up on a table inside the interview room and started checking for a way to hide in the ceiling.

Another view of killer

While investigators will tell you that Owen was cold, calculating and pure evil, Palm Beach County Public Defender Carey Haughwout, who was in private practice when she was appointed to represent Owen the second time he was convicted of Slattery’s murder — after a successful appeal — sees a different side of the man. Haughwout said she grieves for Worden’s and Slattery’s families. But, she insisted, Owen wasn’t a monster. “He was smart, witty, compassionate. He built relationships,” she said. “But he was traumatized. He was damaged. It’s so easy to see folks as perpetrators of a bad act. He was so much more than that.”

Haughwout, who traveled to Starke to witness the execution, said the meticulously scripted death ritual was difficult to watch. Although she has experienced the loss of close friends and family, she said she was unprepared.

“I just can’t wrap my head around the fact that in our society we have choreographed murders that spectators watch,” she said several days after she joined reporters, prison officials and family members of Owen’s victims to see the 62-year-old take his last breath.

Her reaction to the macabre scene was compounded by her decades-long relationship with Owen and her belief that he was “deeply mentally ill.”

Psychiatrists who examined Owen over the years said he was schizophrenic and had gender dysphoria. He wanted to be a woman. Injuries he sustained when a car he was repairing fell on his head damaged the frontal lobe of his brain, which controls impulsivity, they said in court papers.

That combination, along with alcohol and drug abuse that began when he was 9, led to delusional thinking. Owen believed he could change his gender by absorbing a woman’s hormones during sex, the psychiatrists said. Prosecutors scoffed at the diagnoses, insisting Owen knew exactly what he was doing when he raped and killed Slattery and Worden.

But, even judges acknowledged, Owen was haunted by a horrific childhood. “Is it any wonder the defendant is, and has been, mentally sick?” Palm Beach County Circuit Judge Harold Cohen wrote in a 1999 order sentencing Owen to death.

Cohen ruled that the trauma Owen experienced didn’t trump the brutality of Slattery’s murder. But, he said, it contributed to Owen’s actions.

Detective Woods, who recorded more than 20 hours of jailhouse interviews with Owen, acknowledges that Owen had deep psychological issues but says they don’t excuse his calculated actions.

“Looking at the horrific manner of his crimes and his consistent efforts not to get caught, it shows that he knew exactly what he was doing,” Woods said.

Traumatic childhood

Haughwout, who has represented more than a dozen people who faced the death penalty, said all had scars from their upbringing. But, she said, Owen’s childhood was “one of the most heart-breaking and traumatic I’ve ever seen.”

During his Indiana upbringing, his parents were alcoholics. His father regularly raped Owen’s mother and locked his half-brother in the basement. Owen watched his mother die a long, painful death from cancer.

Two years later, when Owen was 13, he and his brother found their father in the family car, dead from self-inflicted carbon monoxide poisoning.

Afraid they would be separated, the boys left their father in the garage for several days before calling authorities. With no family to care for them, Owen and his brother were sent to an orphanage in Michigan where Owen was sexually and physically abused by older boys and staff. They eventually escaped and made their way to Palm Beach County, where Owen began his savage spree. After one of his earliest arrests, Owen realized he had a dangerous fixation and tried to get help, Haughwout said.

None was offered.

“If only there had been intervention, we wouldn’t be here and Karen Slattery would be,” she told WPTV-Channel 5 in the days before the execution.

During the 38 years he spent on death row, Owen developed an interest in physics, astronomy and black holes, Haughwout said. His final note, released by prison officials after his death, may have reflected that.

“I have seen the visions of the crow, my energy and particles will transform ad infinitum, I will live on. I am Tula. 13.”

The last line may be a reference to a book by Caroline “Tula” Cossey, a transgender woman who became a top model.

Not surprisingly, Owen’s name was not mentioned at the graveside gathering of classmates on the day of the execution. Instead, remembrances of Karen and sharing of stories brought smiles.

“In a weird way, Karen has continued to keep us together,” said former classmate Carlos Muhletaler.

Like Castor, Slattery’s best friend, Woods says the execution didn't close the book on the murders for him but did come with a small bit of relief.

“I can’t say anything is better after the execution but I can say that it feels different, like it’s finished,” he said. “A big weight is gone.”

What are your favorite summer memories from our little corner of humid paradise?

The piano player, bartenders and grouper at Busch’s Seafood on A1A? Date night at the Wildflower or Tequila Willies in Boca Raton? Partying at Shooters on the Intracoastal in Boynton Beach? Dancing to the live bands at the Phoenix in Delray Beach? Reggae night at Boston’s? The Backyard Blues Bar on Atlantic Avenue or the Dive Bar in the old Boca Mall? Patio Delray, the Arcade Tap Room, The Frog?

Maybe you have fond memories of the ferns at Boca’s Elephant Walk and the crowds at the nearby Bounty Lounge. Or were cold beer and rock shrimp at Dirty Moe’s more your style? Do you still have a taste for the summer dining specials at Le Vieille Maison (I know I do), beachside dinners at the Seahorse in Gulf Stream, Volcanoes at Boynton’s Sun Wah?

Maybe your favorite memories involve beach bonfires and watching sea turtles and square groupers wash ashore. Or the simple pleasure of finding a parking space anywhere near Atlantic Avenue at night.

At least in Boynton Beach you can still find longstanding restaurants (Hurricane Alley, Banana Boat, Two Georges), and in Lantana what better place to watch a thunderstorm blow through than at the Old Key Lime House? And for simply having a drink with friends, we’re lucky to still have The Duck and The Sail Inn, right?

Yes, I know there are free concerts at Mizner Park and Old School Square, but the bands (although filled with talented musicians) all pretend to be someone else — tribute bands, they’re called. The same for much of the programming at the few other live music venues scattered around. At least Arts Garage mixes it up a bit and sometimes books live jazz.

Jazz. That’s what I miss most. For me, the highlight of the “off season” was the Summer Jazz Series at Erny’s in what was then called Dull-Ray. Jazz players drove up from Miami to perform to a packed house. The musicians were excellent, the drinks well-mixed, the ambience exactly what you’d want on a hot South Florida night.

Oh, I miss that. Summer leaves me longing for a cold martini and a simmering jazz act.

What do you miss the most from summers past? Write us at news@thecoastalstar.com. We’ll share these either in our August (can you say hot and humid?) print edition or online.

Please help us out by keeping your memories to 500 words or fewer.

And if you know of a place reachable for a $10 Uber ride with live jazz in a cool bar this summer, please let me know at editor@thecoastalstar.com.

— Mary Kate Leming, Editor

Turtle nest monitor Lynn Korp’s gear includes a bucket for trash or to transport rescued hatchlings. Her stickers give it a personal touch. Tim Stepien /The Coastal Star

By Rich Pollack

The green sea turtle hatchlings seemed doomed even before they had a chance to meet the world.

Nestled inside a chamber their mom had excavated weeks before, the tiny turtles were ready to bolt from the nest on Highland Beach’s shore, but weren’t quite strong enough to bulldoze their way through sand that had been packed down by water and weather.

Fortunately for them, Lynn Korp — and a family that had come to watch the volunteer marine turtle monitor do her work — were close by.

Recognizing that the nest was “corked,” Korp began digging and soon 122 weary but determined hatchlings came scampering toward the ocean and for the lucky ones, a lifetime of adventure that could last for up to 70 years or more.

“That was a very productive nest,” says Korp, 69, an admitted serial volunteer who has been lending a hand to other people — and to critters — since she was 8 years old.

Most nests, she says, average about 80 or so hatchlings and the babies are largely able to make their escape on their own. When they can’t, the results are horrific.

Korp knows that if it were not for her efforts — and those of a couple of dozen or so other volunteers in Highland Beach who work under a permit from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission — turtles trapped in nesting chambers would die.

“It’s pure joy knowing that I am able to help these little turtles survive,” she says.

But Korp says the rescue efforts cut both ways.

“I always say, ‘who saved who?’ because the turtles saved me,” she says.

Korp, who is in her 11th year of making early morning treks to the shore twice a week from March through October, chronicling nests and hatches, says she found comfort on the beach while dealing with a stressful family illness.

“It was something I had to look forward to,” she says. “I was finding peace.”

That same feeling, she says, keeps her coming back.

“I expect to be out there in 20 years — with my cane,” Korp says. “It still gives me peace and something to look forward to. There are just so many pluses.”

One of the benefits, she says, is the chance to greet a female hatchling that could return in about two decades to make her first nest.

“I always say, ‘Good morning and welcome to Highland Beach,’ I’ll see you when I’m 90.”

A Delray Beach resident and artist who runs a business restoring ceramics, sentimental items and even museum pieces, Korp was volunteering for a program that promotes pedestrian and bicycle safety when one of the other volunteers discovered that she often walked the beach early in the morning collecting sea glass and picking up trash.

A marine turtle monitor himself, he invited Korp to join him and his wife and learn the ropes. Pretty soon she was hooked.

That couple, Charlie and Pat Bonfield, were just two of the people whom Korp credits with making volunteer work contagious. “Everything I do, I was inspired by someone else,” she says.

Korp learned the importance of volunteer work at an early age, putting on plays and magic shows when she was still in grade school and donating money earned to the local paramedic squad.

Later, she volunteered as a Girl Scout on Saturday mornings, helping a person with a physical disability.

These days, you might find her volunteering at city festivals and events, such as the Delray Affair, just pitching in where needed. She’s also a strong supporter of the newly formed

Highland Beach Sea Turtle Team, a nonprofit that raises money to purchase supplies for the volunteers.

That organization recently received $2,500 from the Town Commission as well as a matching gift from a town resident.

Korp also puts her artistic talent to work for good in the community, making sea glass jewelry for an organization fighting breast cancer and serving as a volunteer artist for Art in the Alley, a program coordinated by residents of Delray’s Osceola Park neighborhood.

“It’s a good feeling when you know you’re doing something for someone else — or something else,” she says.

NOMINATE SOMEONE TO BE A COASTAL STAR
Send a note to news@thecoastalstar.com or call 561-337-1553.

Cailyn Doyle is reunited with Julius, her pet tortoise, which wandered into another yard after digging out of his pen. She is happy the town sent out an alert. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Joe Capozzi

The escapee was on the run, and Ocean Ridge’s finest wasted no time alerting town residents.

“Please be on the lookout for Julius the African Sulcata Tortoise,” read the urgent BOLO on May 16 with a link to a photograph of the turtle.  

Three days later, the police issued another BOLO: Bloom, a 10-month-old Sailfish Lane kitten, was on the lam. A month before that, a cat named Lasagna warranted a BOLO after fleeing from its Ocean Boulevard home. 

To subscribers of CivicReady, the town’s free notification system that issues emergency and non-emergency alerts via text, email and phone call, it might have seemed like domestic pets were running wild in Ocean Ridge.

But it was all just a Mayberry-esque slice of life in a small coastal town, where first responders treat missing pets with the same respect and urgency given to flooded roads, power outages and other topics the town deems worthy of public attention.

“I was very grateful they were able to do that,’’ said Julius’ owner, Cailyn Doyle, a Hudson Avenue resident who was reunited with her beloved 6-year-old tortoise on May 23. 

Julius had dug his way out of his backyard pen on Mother’s Day, sending his 26-year-old owner into a panic. A police officer noticed Doyle posting missing-tortoise flyers on street poles two days later and offered to help by issuing a CivicReady BOLO.

When the turtle was found a week later, by landscapers in a backyard across the street a few doors down, the positive update was shared with CivicReady subscribers: “Please cancel the bolo for Julius, the African Sulcata Tortoise. He has been located and is home safe. Thank you for your assistance.”
Doyle said the flyers and the town’s electronic alert both contributed to Julius’ safe return. 

“It extended the dragnet and it made me feel better,’’ she said of the town’s efforts. “Without their help, I wouldn’t have had so many eyes on him. I found it very reassuring that they did that.’’ 

Julius is one of nine lost-then-found pets — including a parakeet named Blue Budgie but mostly dogs and cats — that have received attention on the town’s CivicReady system since January 2022. That accounts for about 10% of the 194 alerts issued in that period.

But town officials are worried that the six pet alerts since April 13 — the lost-then-found notices for the kitten, the cat and the tortoise — might result in subscriber fatigue. 

“My concern is that people get so many text messages these days,” Town Manager Lynne Ladner said. “You get text messages from your doctor’s office, from retailers, from politicians. I don’t want to get to a point where, in a real emergency, people are ignoring important information because they get so inundated with texts.’’

No one has complained about the town’s use of CivicAlert for pets, Ladner said. But she said some changes might be in order.

“We don’t want to be in a situation where the text messages from the town are one more text message that you don’t read. That when it’s truly something urgent, maybe people aren’t paying attention like they should,’’ she said. 

The town pays an annual fee of $1,023 for CivicReady, Ladner said. From meeting notices to tropical storm warnings, the alerts go out via three channels — text, email and phone call. Residents can sign up for one, two or all three methods. 

Since texting is the go-to communication method these days, Ladner said one solution may be to reserve the texting channel for high-priority emergencies. Non-emergency alerts, such as missing pets and meeting notices, could be restricted to emails and phone calls. 

“I want to do a survey of the community,’’ she said. “If residents really don’t have a problem getting all of the information, including the lost pets and all the meeting notices, as texts, then we will stay with it.’’

It’s hard to say whether CivicReady has played a direct role in the return of a missing pet. Police Chief Scott McClure noted that, unlike Julius, many pets simply came home on their own or were found hiding at home. 

Ladner said she understands that issuing CivicReady BOLOs for missing pets is “part of the character of” Ocean Ridge. 

“I just don’t want to inundate them with things where they become immune to the important messages that we send out,’’ she said. 

Doyle said she hopes the town doesn’t change anything.

“Knowing that anybody who was reading the Ocean Ridge texts was potentially looking for (Julius) was very comforting,’’ she said. 

“I can’t imagine a pet owner losing a pet. It’s so reassuring to know you have multiple eyes on it. And it’s a great example of what makes a small town so special.’’

Signs in Delray Beach have been changed to show beach hours ending at dusk, not 11 p.m. Photo provided

By Larry Barszewski

Visitors to Delray Beach’s oceanfront are seeing a change in the city’s official beach closing time, which has gone from the previous 11 p.m. posted closing to dusk.

The city plans no crackdown on nighttime visitors. It’s just trying to protect itself from liability if someone is injured at the beach when no city crews are around and it’s hard to see where you’re going. The beach can be particularly dark because of lighting restrictions during turtle nesting season from March through October.

“The goal wouldn’t be to have no one on the beach after that, it’s just that it’s not on us,” Commissioner Rob Long said at the City Commission’s June 13 meeting, where staff was directed to make the change.

The city was sued last year by Antonio Oliveira, who claims he was walking from the beach toward a parking lot in September 2020 “when he tripped and fell over poorly maintained and uneven steps sustaining severe injuries and damages,” his suit says.

Commissioners at the meeting rejected a proposed settlement offer in the case, following City Attorney Lynn Gelin’s recommendation.

“This sort of brought to my attention that our beach doesn’t close at dark as all our other parks do, and therefore the city is liable for things that happen to our residents at the beach at night,” Long said.

Gelin said “the perfect scenario is the beach closes at dusk or when the lifeguards leave,” at 5 p.m. “In that case, if someone were to go to the beach after those hours and were injured, they’re proceeding under their own risk.”

Commissioners agreed the city’s signs should be changed and supported the dusk closing.

“I think 5 is a little early because people hang out and we don’t get dark until 8-8:15-8:30 right now,” Mayor Shelly Petrolia said.

But the city’s intent isn’t to shut down the beach at night.

“I’m not suggesting that if people are there after the posted hours, that they be arrested or anything like that,” Gelin said.

DDA appointments

Commissioners appointed four new members to the city’s Downtown Development Authority governing board June 6, amid rumors that a new commission majority was seeking to supplant current DDA Executive Director Laura Simon.

Vice Mayor Ryan Boylston, in a later email to one constituent, denied that allegation — and one that said the changes were being made to replace Simon with Commissioner Adam Frankel next year when he is term-limited from running again for the commission.

“I’ve heard plenty of rumors and conspiracy theories over the years — but this one takes the cake. There is zero truth to your allegations,” Boylston wrote to city activist Lori Durante.

It turns out the city itself may have been responsible for creating the impression that something sinister was afoot.

The DDA appointments were originally on the commission’s May 16 agenda, but were removed and pushed back to June 6, with the application period being extended. While the city provided information in April about the May selection date and a May 2 deadline to apply, City Manager Terrence Moore said that was done erroneously and that he always anticipated the appointments taking place in June.

In addition, there were two incumbents on the DDA board seeking reappointment who were among those to be considered in May, but their names were not brought forward in June because the city said they were not eligible due to term limits, having served two terms on the DDA board.

That guideline hasn’t been applied consistently in the past. Petrolia brought up instances in 2021 and 2022, where an incumbent with two terms on the board was allowed to be considered for reappointment. But Boylston pointed out instances in 2016, 2017 and 2018 where incumbents were not allowed to be considered because of term limits.

Six applicants were added after the previous May 2 deadline, and Petrolia said she would not vote for anyone who had not applied by May 2. She said it would not be fair to the applicants who met the original deadline, but Boylston questioned why it would be a bad thing to have more applicants to consider.

Only one of the four appointees selected June 6 came from the post-May 2 group. Those appointed are:

• Richard Burgess (nom-inated by Frankel, approved 4-1 with Petrolia opposed)
• Thomas Hallyburton (nom-inated by Long, approved 5-0)
• Cole Devitt (nominated by Boylston, approved 5-0)
• Brian Rosen (nominated by Commissioner Angela Burns, approved 5-0)

Beach yoga saga unresolved

Supporters of beach yoga classes, which have been put on hold while the city develops new policies for what’s permitted on city beaches, turned out again June 6 to urge commissioners to let the classes continue, for the physical and mental health benefits that yoga can provide.

But the idea of allowing classes with hundreds of participants for events like full-moon beach yoga classes, or even dozens for sunrise classes, concerned commissioners.

The supporters spoke during the public comment portion at the beginning of the meeting, but the commission discussion occurred long after they had gone.

“We couldn’t really respond to them with why this is being changed. First of all, they shouldn’t be out there in as large a group as they are, our city doesn’t allow it. … It never should have gotten to this level,” Petrolia said during commissioner comments at the end of the meeting. “It’s precedent that’s being set. If we allow for this, we allow for others, and we have to think about how that affects us moving forward. You can’t just say, only you guys, but not you and not you.”

If there is a solution, Petrolia said she’s not sure what it would be. Frankel said plenty of other groups want to use the beach, too.

“As a former member of CrossFit, they used to want to do beach workouts. My current gym, they want to do beach workouts,” Frankel said. “Everyone wants to do beach workouts, but if as you say, if you let one, you have to let everyone, and that turns into a problem.”

The issue came up again at the June 13 commission meeting, with the concerns about liability mentioned during the night beach closure discussion.

In other news, metal detectors are coming to Delray Beach City Hall for commission and other board meetings, because of a new state law that allows virtually any gun owner to carry a concealed weapon. One of the exceptions is at government meetings. So, while the city won’t be able to keep someone from bringing a gun into City Hall, it can keep the guns out of meetings of city boards.

City commissioners also approved on June 6 the $199,227 purchase of a 29-foot rigid inflatable boat for patrolling the Intracoastal Waterway, Lake Ida and the city’s 15-plus miles of canals. Officials said the boat is a “multi-use lower-draft boat suitable for patrolling canals as it doesn’t need deep water.” It will allow the Police Department to enforce the city’s sea wall ordinance, respond to boating accidents and address boating complaints such as speeding.

By Steve Plunkett

Town Manager William Thrasher apologized for not giving more information about his efforts to obtain grants for Briny Breezes, but said he would share more details as soon as he has them.

“I know things appear to be out of phase, but sometimes you have to assume certain things in order to meet the timeline of grants,” he told the Town Council at its June 22 meeting. “And our next grant application hopefully will be this September. And if awarded, funds or monies will be available for expending July 2024 and we would have three years to expend those funds.”

Thrasher’s remarks came after Susan Brannen, president of the Briny Breezes corporate board, complained about being left in the dark on the town’s efforts to get outside money to combat sea level rise.

“So to set the record straight, the board of directors has no official opinion about the proposed conceptual stormwater plan. Lots of questions, even concerns, but it has not come to the board for discussion, as there is still lots of unknown information,” Brannen said.

“Paramount in this discussion is the question of what does it mean to accept federal and/or state funds and how will it impact further progress of remediation of our sea wall,” she said.

She said she and Michael Gallacher, the corporation’s general manager, had reached out to Thrasher, Mayor Gene Adams and Council President Christina Adams to establish better communication.

“It is concerning that this has all been done without getting any input from the board of directors,” Brannen said.

Thrasher said the corporation “is in the power seat.”

“We cannot proceed without their approval. There will be nothing that could transpire or will transpire without their approval,” he said.

On a related matter, he asked the aldermen to authorize Mayor Adams to review and then sign a written form with the corporation over its agreement to transfer 70% of the contracted fees for police, fire and emergency medical services to the town, up from 29.5%, so that both sides can proceed with budgeting for fiscal 2024. The town and the board have previously agreed to the terms, he said.

“They would just like to have a written record for their files,” Thrasher said before the council approved the idea.

In other business, the council appointed Darlene Lozuaway, a full-time resident on North Ibis, to represent District IV on the Planning and Zoning Board. She will take the place of Suzanne Snyder-Carroll, who was appointed in April but because of personal circumstances was unable to serve.

The council will next meet at 3 p.m. July 27, an hour before its regular monthly meeting, in Town Hall for a budget workshop.

By Rich Pollack

Over the course of its 74-year history, the town of Highland Beach had never received any state funding through the appropriation process.

The 3-mile-long coastal town came close last year, before Gov. Ron DeSantis took out his veto pen and deleted more than $1 million in requests from the town for drainage improvements, crosswalk lighting and construction of a fire station.

This year, however, the long dry spell was broken with the town receiving a $250,000 appropriation that will be used to help ensure that its wastewater system is better prepared to address sea level rise or any other issue that could bring water levels up.

The appropriation to Highland Beach was among several received by municipalities and nonprofit organizations in southeastern Palm Beach County.

Many of the state Legislature-approved appropriations that avoided the governor’s veto centered on infrastructure improvements with water and sewer projects.

Some road improvement projects also received funds, as did programs that address mental health issues.

Boca Raton received $2.7 million, one of the highest appropriations in the state, for three separate projects, including $1.4 million for improvements to drinking water lines in the Old Floresta area.

While Highland Beach and Boca Raton are seen by some state lawmakers outside the area as wealthy municipalities that don’t need state assistance, state Rep. Peggy Gossett-Seidman (R-Highland Beach) says she worked to change that perception.

“Boca Raton and Highland Beach deserve a portion of the state’s direct funding because other municipalities in north and central Florida have been blessed with funding for years,” said Gossett-Seidman, who worked with state Sen. Lori Berman (D-Boynton Beach) on the Highland Beach and Boca Raton requests.

The town of Lantana, with the help of state Rep. Mike Caruso (R-West Palm Beach), received $1.2 million for 2.8 miles of water main replacement. Some of the pipes, Caruso said, date to as far back as 1962 and are made of asbestos and cement.

Among projects that didn’t receive funding was a request from Delray Beach for $1 million to help fund a major public sea wall improvement project. Most of the sea walls in the project have reached the end of their designed lives and need to be repaired.

Delray Beach City Manager Terrence Moore said he’s disappointed but will keep looking for funding for the project.

“We will regroup, reevaluate and consider other options,” he said.

Highland Beach’s project, like the one Delray Beach is moving ahead with, is designed to better prepare the community for expected sea level rise.

“We have some serious infrastructure issues to be addressed considering we’re on a barrier island,” said Mayor Natasha Moore.

The Highland Beach project, funded by the appropriation, will help the town raise its lift stations safely above sea level. Two of the town’s six lift station are below State Road A1A.

Gossett-Seidman, a former Highland Beach town commissioner, also helped get $2.8 million in state funding for the ongoing water quality improvement to the Lake Worth lagoon and Bonefish Cove, near the town of Palm Beach.

“The project, begun years ago, enhances the habitat for manatees, sea turtles, fish, oyster beds and other indigenous sea life so they may coexist in a healthy lagoon,” she said.

She also helped secure $625,000 in funding for two nonprofit organizations in South County that provide mental health services and $318,000 for the Florida Caregiving Youth program.

Motorists expecting to use the Linton Boulevard bridge will have to go north or south to cross the Intracoastal Waterway for three days in July and three days in August while the bridge is closed for maintenance.

The bridge is set to be closed starting on Saturday, July 8 at 8 a.m. and is expected to reopen on or before Tuesday, July 11 at 5 a.m., according to Palm Beach County officials who will be overseeing the project.

In August, the bridge is scheduled to be closed beginning on Saturday, Aug. 5 at 8 a.m. and open on or before Tuesday, Aug. 7 at 5 a.m.

Marine traffic is not expected to be impacted by the work other than changes to the bridge opening schedule.

The maintenance will involve replacement of various small components and other machinery. The plan to do the work a month apart is intended to minimize disruptions, the county said.

Palm Beach County will post signs advising drivers and other bridge users of the changes and with detour information.

The U.S. Coast Guard has approved changes to the bridge opening schedule during the maintenance periods.

First opened more than 40 years ago, the bridge is almost 1,400 feet long. The next closest Intracoastal crossings are the Spanish River bridge, about 41/2 miles to the south, and the Atlantic Avenue bridge, about two miles to the north. 

— Staff report

Workers deliver drainage pipe to the Ocean Boulevard property. The latest delay is an inability to get water and electricity without going under the road. Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

By Larry Barszewski

The owner of an Ocean Ridge home already under construction for eight years needs even more time because contractors have not been able to get water and electricity connected to his oceanfront property at 6273 N. Ocean Blvd.

Town commissioners agreed at their June 5 meeting to extend the permit, set to expire July 6, for only four additional days, until their scheduled July 10 meeting, to give them time to gather more information about whether any extension should be given.

Neighbors are exasperated over living in a construction zone for close to a decade. The house is derisively called “the parking garage house” because its front was allowed to be built without windows. The owner, listed as Oceandell Holdings LLC, has now agreed to put windows in, but that has done little to mollify neighbors.

“Who takes over eight years to build a single-family home?” asked Jill Shibles, who lives next door to the construction site. “This whole situation is absolutely absurd and very disturbing for our community as a whole.

“And the worst thing is, it is still ongoing. We have one excuse after another excuse after another excuse from the owner and — over the last several years — from our town as well, as to why this house hasn’t been completed.”

Lisa Ritota, who lives a few doors away across State Road A1A on Hudson Avenue, is also fed up.

“I’m sick of this. Eight years,” Ritota said. “This is an eyesore. It just needs to be bulldozed back down to the ground and be gone, be done with it. They’ve gotten away with too much for too long.”

Attorney Stanley Price, representing the property owner, said construction plans had called for the home to be linked to utilities already on the east side of A1A, but that’s no longer possible because of additional demands placed on water and electricity from other new homes, additions and renovations that have been built along the beach in recent years.

Electricity and water must now come to the home from the west side of A1A, with lines bored underneath A1A. That work requires extra time for permitting from the state Department of Transportation. The owner can’t occupy the home until it has water and power. And without power, installing the planned bamboo floors and wood cabinets would only lead to their being ruined by the humidity from the ocean and needing to be replaced.

Town officials aren’t sure if the structure even meets the town’s code requirements, although that may be due in part to concessions the town has agreed to in the past.

“There were a lot of mistakes made along the way, but they were signed off on,” Vice Mayor Steve Coz said.
Commissioners were reluctant to grant another extension for the construction, but agreed to an extension until their July 10 meeting, so that staff could investigate the utility claims and determine if any parts of the construction fail to meet the town’s code requirements.

Beach signage

Anyone putting up “No Trespassing” or “Private Beach” signs on the beach in town may soon have to adhere to a new set of rules that will make the signs less visible and less intimidating to beach visitors.

Town commissioners have been working for months on the issue after complaints arose about the Private Beach signs erected by the Turtle Beach of Ocean Ridge condominium community.

Officials were concerned the signs and their locations would not only discourage trespassing, but also scare people away from public portions of the beach where they should be allowed.

The new rules being considered will have limitations on the size of any beach signage — 18-inch square — and where the signs can be located. Under the current proposal, they could only be placed at the toe line of the dune, not closer to the water. Once the rules are approved, any property with beach signs would have 30 days to come into compliance.

Commissioners said they want the signs to be limited to facing east or west, where people walking along the shoreline would have to turn their heads to see them. The proposed ordinance would apply to all beach signs, though the concern has been about those that mention trespassing or a private beach area.

“We had two signs that they stuck right in the middle of the darn beach. And the problem is we need to do something about that. That literally affects the common enjoyment of the beach because now I’m being told that I can’t walk” on the beach, Mayor Geoff Pugh said.

“And where those signs were, if you actually went down there, they were east of the wrack line,” the area where debris from the ocean is deposited at high tide.

Commissioners expect to take up the first reading of the proposed ordinance at their July 10 meeting.

The Mizner-designed clubhouse at the Gulf Stream Golf Club is 100 years old. Photo provided

By Steve Plunkett

The Gulf Stream Golf Club is working on a plan to demolish a portion of its 100-year-old Addison Mizner-designed clubhouse and build a new two-story addition primarily to enclose its second-story ocean terrace.

Architect Mark Marsh of Bridges, Marsh & Associates had nothing but praise for the historic Spanish-style structure, which opened to club members in January 1924, even before the town incorporated the following year.

“It’s a gracious building. I think it’s one of Mizner’s best works at least in Palm Beach, and we want to preserve those standards and values of the architecture,” he said as he presented his “very preliminary” plan to town commissioners on June 9 seeking a variance on the rear setback.

Gulf Stream requires a 25-foot setback for oceanfront buildings from the state’s 1979 Coastal Construction Control Line. The golf club’s plan would encroach that limit by 14 feet and be just 11 feet from that CCCL, but still 35 feet from the existing bulkhead sea wall.

Marsh said the club’s bulkhead or sea wall near the ocean was the town’s original reference point for setbacks and that in 2000 the town adopted the 1979 CCCL, even though

Florida had moved the line farther west in 1997.

In its application for the variance, the golf club said Mizner “did not have the benefit of knowing where the rear setback would be located in the future. If Mizner knew the location of this rear setback, he may have positioned the clubhouse differently to allow for future renovation and expansion.”

Resident Bob Ganger, who is an emeritus board member of the Historical Society of Palm Beach County and who watched Marsh’s presentation, said his own restored home on A1A has “lots of Mizner stuff” and applauded Marsh’s efforts.

“I think what they’re doing makes eminently good sense,” he said.

Said Marsh: “I think we were selected not only because of our knowledge of Gulf Stream but we do an awful lot of work in Palm Beach on Mizner buildings and restorations so it suits our wheelhouse very well.”

The Gulf Stream Golf Club, at 2401 N. Ocean Blvd., is private with membership by invitation only.

Marsh will return for full commission approval of his project after he fine-tunes the plan and the club’s members vote to proceed.

Construction is anticipated to take place in spring 2025.

By Larry Barszewski

New members of Ocean Ridge’s Planning and Zoning Commission appear ready to give the Town Commission some advice: Make it less of a hassle for property owners to build in town.

They were appointed by a three-member Town Commission in May, following the resignation of two town commissioners in April. That three-member body chose not to return the three advisory board incumbents seeking reappointment, but instead picked new applicants — Stephen Varga, Shields Ferber and Sydney Ray — to fill the openings on the five-member advisory board.

At the June 20 P&Z meeting, the three new members formed a majority to recommend the town do away with a section of the code — adopted in 2020 and referred to as 2020-05 — that requires beachfront property owners who want to build east of the 1979 Coastal Construction Control Line to get a variance from the town first.

Varga said any such construction requires the owner to get a permit from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection anyway, and the town has other requirements that need to be followed such as setbacks and house size limitations.

“I don’t know why we need this,” Varga said. Added Ray, “I don’t think we need to re-create the wheel for our town.”

Commission Chairman Ric Carey and Vice Chairman David Hutchins voted against the recommendation, instead supporting changes proposed by Town Attorney Christy Goddeau that would create less cumbersome “administrative permits” for non-habitable structures such as swimming pools or decks, but would still require variances in other situations.

“I really don’t feel comfortable relying on FDEP to be our oversight. We’re a town and we have a purpose,” Carey said. “I’d rather see us amend as proposed 2020-05 and if it comes around that there are still problems with it, it can be amended again. But just to say let’s abolish 2020-05 I think has unintended consequences and I prefer us not to go down that path.”

Ferber was concerned that an owner seeking an administrative permit might still need to get a variance if staff or neighbors objected to the plans.

“I like having our hand in it to some degree, but I’m just concerned if the neighbors look at the building and don’t like the way it looks, you know, they can say, ‘Hey listen, we don’t like the design of the building,’” Ferber said.

Goddeau had warned that removing the section in question may allow for homes to be built on some undeveloped dunes on Old Ocean Boulevard south of Corrine Street.

“I have to go back and look, because if we are solely reliant on FDEP to approve any construction, that may allow for those undeveloped dunes to be developed,” Goddeau said.

The three new commissioners also opposed requiring any portion of open roof porches or balconies on a planned house to be counted toward the house’s total permissible livable space — called the Floor Area Ratio — saying the size of balconies or porches is already limited by a house’s footprint. If the town is concerned that portions of balconies or porches might be enclosed later and become livable space in violation of code, then the town should go after violators as that happens.

“As long as we’re built to our lot coverage percentage ratios, why are we messing with people, putting more restrictions on them? In my opinion, we’re trying to make something to limit people for what they could possibly try to do some day at some point,” Varga said. “I think we’re overstepping ourselves here.”

The board did unanimously agree to recommend that beachfront homeowners living on Old Ocean Boulevard between Corrine and Anna streets should no longer need a variance if they’re planning construction seaward of the 1979 CCCL. The homes already include portions that extend over the line.

The 2020 ordinance had created the variance procedures for that construction. Instead of being non-conforming uses, the current homes would be considered conforming uses.

Resident Al Naar, who attended the meeting, liked what he was hearing.

“This is refreshing, this meeting,” Naar said. “Having been through the process of getting a variance and everything else that’s required near the water, this is very good to hear you all come to this conclusion. I’ve been through it. I wish you were here earlier.”

Scott McClure is congratulated by Town Clerk Kelly Avery after being sworn in as Ocean Ridge police chief in a ceremony witnessed by his family and chiefs and officers from local communities. Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

By Larry Barszewski

In the end, Ocean Ridge Town Manager Lynne Ladner didn’t have to look far to find the town’s next police chief. He was already at work in the job.

Ladner announced the promotion June 15 of acting Police Chief Scott McClure to the permanent position. McClure, who joined the town’s police force in 2016, has been leading the department since March, when former Police Chief Richard Jones resigned to take the same position in Gulf Stream.

McClure, who served for 25 years in the Palm Beach Police Department before coming to Ocean Ridge, has also been a patrol officer, sergeant and lieutenant in town. His appointment as chief was effective June 19 and he was sworn in at a department ceremony June 23, but he did not anticipate that his contract with the town would be finalized before the commission’s July 10 meeting.

“My highest priority is the safety of the residents and the safety of the officers,” McClure said following his promotion. “I want to keep morale high in the department because, as I’ve always said, that extends out into the community.”

He says he’s taking over a department that’s in great shape, with recent additions including a rescue boat, a high-water truck, and approval of a new townwide license plate reader camera system. He already credits use of the current cameras with leading to more arrests and fewer crimes in town.

Jones said McClure will make a fine successor.

“I think Scott is a good fit for the organization,” Jones said. “I think he will continue the success that we’ve started within the Police Department and the progression of bringing things up to the 21st century.”

McClure, who is married and has two adult children, said his contract discussions have not touched upon salary as of June 22. Jones was earning $115,763 annually when he left.

Ladner’s decision echoed the recommendation she received June 7 from a committee of mostly law enforcement officials that interviewed the finalists.

“We spoke and unanimously we felt, we feel that the right choice — and obviously it’s your decision — would be your current interim chief, Michael Scott McClure,” Tequesta Police Chief Gus Medina told Ladner following the committee interviews. The other members of the committee were Highland Beach Police Maj. Michael Oh, Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office Lt. Ryan Mugridge and Jupiter Inlet Colony Town Administrator Kevin Lucas.

“You could tell he’s in tune with what the community needs. I could tell by the presence of the officers here that the officers truly support him and believe in him,” Medina added. “Obviously, he knew the most about the town, which is important to me.”

Town officials and residents who attended the meeting were also supportive of McClure.

“This is the first time this town has ever done something like this,” Mayor Geoff Pugh said of the public police chief interviews. It “shows that our town government is open and is something that the town residents can be involved in. So, this selection process is a big turning point for this town.”

Pugh hopes things will begin to settle down in town. Besides the former chief’s resignation, two commissioners resigned their seats in April.

“I think one of the main important factors is the temperament of the person who’s actually holding that position,” Pugh said. “That temperament and that willingness to basically try to keep everything calm is so important because we’ve been through uncalm times here in Ocean Ridge.”

The other finalists interviewed by the committee were: John Donadio, former police chief of Sewall’s Point; Eric Herold, a supervisory federal air marshal; Albert Iovino, a captain with the Indian River Shores Department of Public Safety; and Tom Levins, interim commander with the Clewiston Police Department. Another candidate, Ja’vion Brown Sr., deputy sheriff with the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office, withdrew from consideration before the candidate interviews.

“Thank you, guys, for reassuring us that we had the best right here already,” resident Debbie Cooke told the interview committee.

Resident Albert Naar noted that McClure’s father retired as assistant police chief in West Palm Beach and his mother served with the FBI and later the U.S. Secret Service.

“He has blue blood in his veins,” Naar said.

By Faran Fagen

Jamie Titcomb, South Palm Beach’s new town manager, follows a time-tested philosophy when he’s starting a project.

He believes in working with all parties involved to determine where everyone wants to be at the finish line, and then fills in the pieces one step at a time to reach the goal.

“I like to take each challenge as it presents itself,” Titcomb said. “Right now, I’m getting oriented and connecting the dots.”
Titcomb was hired under an unusual arrangement that made him a part-time town employee. He officially began June 5, replacing Robert Kellogg, who held the position since 2019 as a full-time employee.

At his first Town Council meeting on June 13, Titcomb made it clear that a major priority is to establish a new town center complex during his tenure. The town has been working toward this goal for several years.

“I’d like to bring this to fruition as soon as possible,” Titcomb said. “It’s about executing plans to get a new campus for the town. I’m excited to be part of that process.”

He said many residents have approached him about the need for a new Town Hall and community center at or near the site of the current Town Hall. At the council meeting, he said he has “an open-door policy” and welcomes feedback from everyone in South Palm Beach. “My focus is to move forward with administration and amenities that are good for the town and affordable for the town.”

Titcomb, 66, who lives in Atlantis, retired last year as manager in Loxahatchee Groves and said he wanted to serve as South Palm Beach’s manager as an independent contractor so he can spend more time with family. He agreed to a two-year arrangement in which he will work as a town employee for at least 20 hours a week, but no more than 25 hours per week, at $82 per hour. That roughly comes out to between $85,000 and $107,000 a year.

Titcomb was executive director of the Palm Beach County League of Cities from 1999 to 2011, town manager for Ocean Ridge from 2015 to 2019, and has served as manager in Melbourne Beach and North Palm Beach and as interim manager in Lake Park.

“I’m glad to be back in the saddle and working,” he said. “I’m very excited for the town to move forward.”

Another top goal for the town, he said, is a quick turnaround when it considers permits. Titcomb invited anyone to notify him if the town doesn’t respond in a timely manner — in which case he would work to make the process more expeditious.

“The systems of the town and customer service and ability to get stuff done is critically important,” he said. “There’s a lot of moving pieces and we need to know the status of the town and town finances. We want to run a well-run community.”

Mayor Bonnie Fischer and Titcomb discussed the importance of tackling the sea wall problem in South Palm Beach. The high tide has encroached upon the walls of some buildings in town.

“That’s in the top 10 of priorities to move forward on,” the mayor said. “It’s a problem that has gone on too long. Something must be done because we’re losing beach every day.”

Vice Mayor Bill LeRoy concurred.

“Those sea walls are going to leak and break over time,” LeRoy said. “We need to work together. Not see how much we can get out of each other, but how we can help each other because we’re in peril.”

Overall, the Town Council members were happy with Titcomb’s initial efforts.

“The transition is smooth as far as Jamie’s attitude and willingness to come in and pick up the pieces,” Fischer said.

In other business:

• The council voted to change the start time of the regular council meetings from 4 p.m. to 2 p.m. to make it more convenient for condo managers and board presidents to attend.

• Fischer was chosen to attend the Florida League of Cities annual conference in Orlando in August. The conference provides educational opportunities for municipalities.

• The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office reported that the average vehicle speed for the previous month was 34.68 miles per hour, which it said is low for any municipality. The speed limit in South Palm Beach is 35 mph.

By Mary Thurwachter

The Lantana Town Council awarded a $1,841,942 annual contract for residential solid waste and recyclable materials collection and disposal services June 12 to Coastal Waste and Recycling of Florida, Inc.

John Casagrande, vice president of Coastal Waste, said his company will provide new trucks and trash cans and will keep collection days the same.

As part of the agreement, Coastal Waste will make a special events contribution of $50,000 each year, likely to be spent on Fourth of July fireworks.

Coastal Waste’s five-year contract will begin Oct. 1 and end Sept. 30, 2028.

Not everyone was happy about the decision. Particularly miffed were the executives from the current contractor, Waste Pro of Florida.

“We have been the town’s trash hauler for over four years and have done an excellent job,” said Russell Mackie, a vice president with Waste Pro.

Resident Catherine Skervin, a longtime council watcher, said she was a fan of Waste Pro and asked, “Why change if what they already have works?”

Mayor Karen Lythgoe agreed Waste Pro did a good job.

“They were very helpful to me,” Lythgoe said. “But we have no choice. We had to go with the RFP,” the request for proposal process.

So, why the change?

Eddie Crockett, the town’s director of operations, said it wasn’t a matter of Waste Pro’s performance. Its contract is expiring and the town used the RFP process, which often is used for large services contracts to determine the best possible vendor, rather than the Invitation to Bid process, which usually looks for the “lowest responsible bidder.”

Contractors were ranked by a committee of senior town staff based on several factors, such as qualifications, project approach, experience and price.

The committee ranked Waste Management of Florida, with a bid of $2,582,605, as first; Coastal Waste and Recycling of Florida, with a bid of $1,841,942, as second; and Waste Pro of Florida, with a bid of $2,030,280, as third. The fourth-ranked bid, for $3,104,989, came from FCC Environmental Services of Florida.

Crockett said the town “was unsuccessful in brokering a contract with Waste Management on May 26, but it was successful in negotiating with Coastal Waste on May 30.”

In other news, the Town Council awarded a $2,404,000 contract to RF Environmental Services, Inc. for filter media replacement and improvement to the water treatment plant. Filter media separates unwanted particles from the substance being filtered.

Construction at the water treatment plant will begin in September and likely take up to five years to complete. RF Environmental Services was the lower of two bids. A second bid came from Lawrence Lee Construction Services for $2,890,000.

A nine-block stretch of Atlantic Avenue, the center of Delray Beach’s cultural, dining and entertainment hub, should become the city’s sixth historic district, the city’s Planning and Zoning Board voted 3-1 following a public hearing June 19.

The recommendation will go before the City Commission sometime in August for a final determination.

If approved, it would become the first historic district since the city approved the initial five districts back in the 1980s and 1990s.

Chairman Chris Davey and board members Joy Howell and Allen Zeller voted in favor. Board member Julen Blankenship was opposed. Three members — Christina Morrison, Christopher Brown and Gregory Snyder — were absent. Morrison has announced a bid for the City Commission in March.

Two other city panels, the Downtown Development Authority and the Historic Preservation Board, have weighed in on the issue. The DDA voted 3-2 against a district on June 12 and the HPB voted 7-0 in favor of a district on June 7.

Arguments for and against creating a district ran along the same lines at each meeting. At the HPB meeting, attorneys for several of the property owners along the avenue objected to the proposed district, citing government control of private property rights and other restrictive concerns.

City staff disputed those concerns and preservationists contended the district designation enhances property values and would protect the scale and the feeling of a city that calls itself the “Village by the Sea.”

Prominent Coral Gables architect Richard Heisenbottle was commissioned by the city to study the viability of potential historic districts from Interstate 95 to State Road A1A.

Heisenbottle determined there were not sufficient numbers of historic structures between I-95 and Swinton to qualify for designation.

East of the Intracoastal Waterway, he also found few buildings of historic value on Atlantic.

However, Heisenbottle identified a roughly four-square-block area on the south side of Atlantic that appeared to have the makings of a potential historic district, which was dubbed the Ocean Park district and contained several historic buildings.

The district, which would require more study by the city to see if it would qualify, is roughly bounded by A1A on the east and Gleason Street on the west, from Atlantic Avenue to just south of Miramar Drive.

As for downtown Atlantic, his research was clear, showing that more than 60% of the buildings between Swinton and the bridge were historic. To create a district, 51% of the structures need to be considered historic.

Several of the buildings along the avenue are around 100 years old.

If approved by the City Commission, the proposed Atlantic Avenue Historic District would stretch from Swinton Avenue to the east side of the Intracoastal Waterway bridge and a block or so north or south of the avenue.

— Staff report

By Larry Barszewski

Delray Beach property owners could see their city tax rate drop again this year — the 11th consecutive year the rate has been reduced or stayed the same — though many homeowners and businesses would still end up paying more taxes because of rising property values.

The goal of city commissioners to reduce the tax rate is being assisted by another strong increase in property values this year, which are estimated to be up 13.2% or $1.9 billion.

At a June 13 budget workshop, Mayor Shelly Petrolia and Vice Mayor Ryan Boylston took the lead in supporting a tax rate reduction even greater than City Manager Terrence Moore was considering.

Either way, taxpayers likely will be warned of a proposed tax increase when tax notices go out in August, since the proposed reductions in the tax rate could still be more than offset by the increased tax revenue from higher property values.

Commissioners said they would be willing to dip into excess emergency reserves to inch the tax rate lower if they can’t find budget cuts to make up the difference.

Finance officials typically recommend having two months’ worth of expenses in reserve, which averages out to 16.7% of the city’s operating budget. Delray Beach uses a higher benchmark — reserves equaling 25% of the operating budget — to cover the potential of a crippling emergency, such as a hurricane pummeling the city.

The city’s unrestricted reserves, projected at $45.5 million this year, are about $10 million more than even that 25% level, officials said.

The city manager had suggested a combined tax rate — including the operating tax rate and the debt tax rate — of roughly $6.60 for every $1,000 of taxable property value.

Moore reached that recommendation in part by lowering the operating tax rate from last year by $.05 per $1,000 of taxable value.

Petrolia and Boylston said they would like to see a further operating rate reduction, to a total of $.15 per $1,000 of taxable value if possible.

“We’ve raised the rates on water. We’ve raised the rates on storm-water, not to mention the inflation everybody is feeling in their pockets from insurance to going to the grocery store,” Petrolia said. “To balance it out, I kind of feel like the way we can do that with our citizens is to lower that rate as much as we can without affecting any services.”

Moore said he would take those views into consideration in preparing his proposed budget, which will be discussed by commissioners July 11.

Once the proposed tax rate is set, the commission can make a further reduction during September’s public hearings on the budget, but officials are generally prohibited from raising that rate.

Minimum wage raise suggested

Commissioners said they want to raise the city’s minimum wage of $13.23 an hour. It would cost about $295,000 to lift that wage to $15 an hour, which would cover 16 employees now making less than that amount, and to provide 4% increases for another 149 city employees near the bottom.

While commissioners would like to see a change soon, they said they would defer to the city manager on how best to proceed.

Petrolia said she would support going even above $15 an hour. But she didn’t want the commission to completely open the union contract — which still has a year left on it — to renegotiation. “When we open up that can of worms, it takes off in different directions,” she said.

Boylston said the change is needed because low wages cause turnover that hurt maintenance and services in the city.

“I think this is critical. If there’s any place that I can spend $200,000 to $300,000, it would be addressing this need,” Boylston said. “Look at what our residents are asking for, look at the complaints you get in your emails. It is directly connected. If we want to be able to maintain our city and do all the things that our residents expect us to do to make Delray Beach even better than what it is, we need people. We need people to stay in these positions and we need to be able to staff up. Otherwise, nothing is going to change.”

During the workshop, city officials told commissioners the budget includes Highland Beach’s paying for only seven months of fire rescue services before that town starts its own fire department in May 2024. Moore said there should be no impact on the city’s bottom line.

In another area, Petrolia was concerned that no money from the city’s Urban Development Action Grant was being used to buy land that could then be offered to build affordable housing, a great need throughout South Florida and the country. City officials weren’t certain the grant money could be used for land acquisition, but they agreed to check and report back to commissioners.

“We had $3.8 million sitting out there that could have been invested in land, that we could then have leveraged with these builders that are required to build a certain amount of [affordable] housing units,” Petrolia said.

“I would like to see us purchase land to be able to, again, like I said, flip over to these developers that are required to build and let them build at their expense houses in our town. … If we don’t leverage that, we’re going to miss that boat and it’s just going to be gone.”

Carol Titcomb and her husband of 73 years, Ray, have lived in their Hypoluxo Island home since 1985. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

Carol Titcomb haș always been on the move and, at 92, the Hypoluxo Island resident shows few signs of slowing down.

During a recent interview at her spacious home alongside the Intracoastal Waterway, Titcomb was in constant motion, rolling back and forth, up and down, in a wheelchair, obeying a doctor’s order to address an issue in her lower extremities.

“I don’t use the wheelchair except for this,” she said. “Normally I get around just fine using a walker.”

Titcomb was about to head off to college in upstate New York when she first met Ray — her husband of 73 years as of July 2. Instead, the pair got married and Ray set about getting his degree at the University of Bridgeport. Soon, the first of their four sons arrived and being a mother became Carol’s full-time job.

After a few moves around Connecticut, the two bought Woodbury Pewter in 1952, a shop their oldest son, Brooks, continues to run in that town. As the other boys headed out on their own, Carol and Ray found their current home in 1985 and have been there since.

“We used to travel a lot — we’ve driven all over the United States and just loved Italy — and I played a lot of bridge down at St. Andrews Club and The Little Club,” she said. “Our health these days keeps us closer to home.”

When asked about a favorite cause, she said she has done a lot of work for hospice. “We had an event for Matt Lauer’s dad over at Atlantis Country Club. But I don’t get around so well anymore and Ray won’t let me do it, so instead I spend a lot of time with eight grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. And I love it. To me it’s a blessing.”

Aside from Brooks, their sons are Gordon, a musician and antiques dealer who lives in Connecticut; Jeffrey, a writer in Mexico; and Jamie, the town manager of South Palm Beach.

— Brian Biggane

Q: Where did you grow up and go to school? How do you think that has influenced you?
A: I could have gone to either Kings Park High in Smithtown or the Northport School in Northport, New York. I attended both but graduated from Kings Park High. My desire was to go to Cornell to be a brain surgeon. But before I graduated I met Ray, who was the best friend of the boy next door. They were going to Sunken Meadow State Park and invited me.
We were walking across the sand dunes and the water was coming up and I was wondering how to get across. Ray said, “Don’t worry, I’ll carry you.” He was attending Stevens Institute of Technology and I went to his prom. And that was it. He said, “I don’t want you to go away. I want you to be my wife.” So, we got married and he went off to University of Bridgeport to be an industrial engineer.

Q: What professions have you worked in? What professional accomplishments are you most proud of?
A: When we moved to Newtown, I got very involved with the Town Players. I produced a play, I did makeup, I did production, promotion. I loved it. I could have made something of that, but I played the piano instead. I like to sing. But I was too busy raising four kids.
Ray worked as an electrical engineer for a while, but he was commuting over an hour to New Haven and working in the hot sun and we started looking for something else.
A friend told us about Woodbury Pewter being for sale so we bought it and started selling reproductions of early American pewter. If Ray needed something shipped out at night, I would have the kids fed by 6 o’clock and go to the shop and help Ray pack until 12 or 1 o’clock. I helped him wire a house, plumb a house, get on the ladder three stories up and pull clapboards along. I loved all of it.

Q: What advice do you have for a young person seeking a career today?
A: Maybe it’s better (for a parent) to take $150,000 and put it in the bank and get a trade instead of a college education. Do you know how much money plumbers, electricians and other tradesmen make? That is not disrespectful. That is a talent and we all need those people.
I don’t think people should make them feel lesser because they haven’t got a degree. Some people with Ph.Ds don’t know to come in out of the rain. Do what makes you happy, but also take care of your responsibilities.

Q: How did you choose to make your home in Hypoluxo Island?
A: We bought this house in 1985. Two of our sons, Jamie and Jeffrey, our two youngest, came with us to Naples and we loved it but it was too quiet for young sons. So, we hopped over to Fort Lauderdale, and we liked that. Then the boys moved down and Ray said we have to buy them a sailboat. Ray was piloting a 62-foot boat up the Intracoastal and saw this house so he came and got me. This property had the biggest trees on the island, just gorgeous. We called (Realtor) Pat Weeks and she said the sign was going up the next day. So, we came the next morning and looked out to the water and said “This is fabulous.” We made an offer and they took it.

Q: What is your favorite part about living on Hypoluxo Island?
A: There’s a peacefulness here. I love the fact there are young people here, and young children. I love children. I just wish Lantana would think a little more about us, and bring more unanimity between us and people on the other side of the bridge.
This island is a treasure. We have one of the biggest lawns on the island, and everybody on this island loves this house because of the lawn. I’ve said to Ray, “I’m dying here. When I’m gone shoot me off the end of the dock.”

Q: What book are you reading now?
A: Finding the Light in Dementia, by Dr. Jane Mullins. It’s very interesting. How to deal with it when you have to, and how a caregiver should respond. My sister, who lost her husband four years ago, told me we all should have read this, because things get worse. And I’m about to read The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post, by Allison Pataki.

Q: What music do you listen to when you want to relax? When you want to be inspired?
A: I just love music. One of my grandfathers was a timpanist and cellist in the New York Philharmonic. But I love music from the ’30s, ’40s, ’50s, ’60s. I love Dean Martin, all the older ones. A thrill of my life was I flew to Boston when I was 15 to see the opening of the Harmonicats, who sang Peg o’ My Heart. And years later we took a cruise and a highlight was one of the guys from the Harmonicats was there — still kicking.

Q: Have you had mentors in your life? Individuals who have inspired your life decisions?
A: My grandmother, Susan Sanford. She died two weeks shy of 95. She was an amazing person. Lost a daughter at 9, lost her husband three years later and lost my beautiful mother at 51. She was the assistant buyer of silver at the B. Altman’s. She was a buyer for Kate Smith, had lunch with Eleanor Roosevelt and did some shopping for her. Then went to Lord & Taylor. She said to me, “Darling, be grateful for your disappointments because they may be blessings in disguise.” And boy did that stick in my mind. And I said, if she lost these three people that she loved, and she had that attitude … everybody loved her.

Q: If your life story were to be made into a movie, who would play you?
A: Katharine Hepburn. I thought she was great. She had a place in Fenwick and we used to drive by it all the time. Her house was gorgeous. I used to watch her and Spencer Tracy, they were so good together.

Q: Who/what makes you laugh?
A: I love children. They make me laugh. I love a good joke. Red Skelton is hysterical; he would make me laugh without trying.

Commission OKs raise from $52,250 to $61,250, with chance for more

Related: Highland Beach: Town counts on police pay boost to bolster recruitment efforts

By Steve Plunkett

Police officers’ starting pay in Gulf Stream jumped in June from the very bottom of a list to what town officials hope is a more attractive midpoint — with the suggestion made that salaries could go even higher during budget discussions this summer.

It was the second time in four months that Police Chief Richard Jones secured higher pay for his ranks, the first time coming in February when he led Ocean Ridge’s Police Department. His modus operandi was the same: compiling a list of salaries higher than what his town pays and pointing out that money saved from having jobs vacant would cover the pay increase.

“What the chief has done is analyzed starting salaries for (15) municipalities that you see listed here and as you can see, Gulf Stream’s starting salary, remember we’re talking about starting salaries here, is at the bottom,” Town Manager Greg Dunham said.

Jones listed Gulf Stream at $52,250, well below Ocean Ridge’s $62,000 and Manalapan’s $60,638. Also putting upward pressure on police pay are Boca Raton, which was not on the list and gives new hires $77,850, and Florida Atlantic University, listed next to last and said to be contemplating a new starting salary of $75,000.

And, said Dunham, “These starting salaries are more than likely going to increase over the next two or three months as the towns and cities go through the budget process.”

Dunham and Jones recommended doing away with a two-step increase the town was using that gave new officers a $3,000 raise after six months and a second $3,000 boost after one year, which would have pushed the initial salary to $58,250.

But town commissioners at their June 9 meeting wanted Gulf Stream even higher and approved a figure of $61,250, a 17% raise.

“I hate to be at the bottom of the totem pole,” Commissioner Joan Orthwein said. “I just think in the middle is a better place to be.”
Jones and Dunham were prepared.

“I did some calculations based on the number of $61,250 as well as some on the $58,250 to kind of give us an idea of where we would fall in the event we had a discussion like this,” Jones said. “And basically, because we’ve been down three positions for the majority of, actually the entirety of this budget cycle, we have not spent approximately $152,000. So, we have the funds in this year’s budget without requesting funds outside of our budget allotment to be able to make adjustments.”

The higher number meant an immediate raise for Alex Gonzalez, who was hired in March. It also is a sweeter pot for Assel Hassan, who joined the department on June 26, and whoever fills the two remaining vacancies.

The department is supposed to have 14 people on staff: Jones, a captain, two sergeants and 10 officers. Jones said he would attend a recruiting event on June 26 in Orlando and was preparing flyers and a video touting the town.

Mayor Scott Morgan was pleased with the progress.

“We’ve got the [new license plate] cameras, we’ve got a new police chief — we’re moving in a positive direction,” Morgan said.

Jones also reported that he received a call about 8 a.m. June 2 from a man in the 3000 block of North Ocean Boulevard reporting that the pool area of the neighboring home had a broken window and it looked like somebody had damaged the property overnight. Two officers were on traffic stops and did not respond immediately, Jones said.

“And within a minute or two we got a phone call again from that resident advising that it appeared as if somebody may be inside the property as the property is not currently being lived in,” he said.

Jones and Capt. John Haseley were there within probably a minute and a half or so.

“And with the assistance of Officer Todd Sutton, we were able to apprehend an individual who was hiding in the pool area of the home underneath some patio furniture,” Jones said. “So, he was promptly arrested and given the best stay at the Palm Beach County jail, and remains there.”

New deal with union increases starting salary by $15,000, to $70,000

 Related: Gulf Stream: Police starting pay jumps 17%, making town more competitive

By Rich Pollack

For the Highland Beach Police Department, recruiting new officers has long been a challenge, especially since the starting salary of $55,000 was among the lowest in the county.

That changed June 1, however, after town commissioners signed off on a new union contract that raised the starting salary to among the highest in the area while offering provisions that will benefit veteran officers as well.

The new starting salary of $70,000, and a change in the salary structure that makes it possible for officers to reach the new top pay of $95,200 more quickly, will help recruitment and retention, town and union leaders say.

“Now they’re in the game,” said Palm Beach County Police Benevolent Association President John Kazanjian. “Once the word gets out, Highland Beach will have people lining up to fill out applications.”

Kazanjian said the new contract will also reduce the need for recruiting a lot of new officers because those already in the department probably will stay longer.

“You want longevity in your Police Department,” he said. “I don’t see a lot of people leaving anytime soon, making that much money.”

Kazanjian, who is also a Palm Beach County sheriff’s deputy, said that at least for a few months Highland Beach’s new starting salary is higher than that of the sheriff’s office, which will raise its starting figure to about $70,000 in October.

Highland Beach is bound to see a spike in applications thanks to the pay increase, but Police Chief Craig Hartmann said he is hoping more for applications from officers who will be a good fit for the department.

“We have created a compensation package to attract and then retain the best officers that have all the qualifications, training and experience that come with a veteran police officer,” he said.

The town’s Police Department, which has 16 sworn full-time officers and four reserves, is hoping to attract senior officers who already come with training and experience.

“The town recognizes that value of the well-trained officer who is the best fit for our community,” Hartmann said.

While recruiting is difficult for departments throughout the country, Hartmann said small towns have challenges that can make it harder to attract qualified officers.

Small towns offer limited opportunities for overtime, special assignments and advancement since they usually have a limited number of detectives, sergeants, lieutenants and captains.

“We’re very challenged by the limitations,” City Manager Marshall Labadie said, adding that the pay increase helps offset those challenges.

The higher pay also helps Highland Beach compete with departments that provide benefits such as car allowances and health savings accounts, although Highland Beach does offer an education incentive and an incentive for officers on the night shift.

As part of the contract, which will be in effect through September 2026, the town will adjust its compensation package from 10 annual steps to eight, meaning an officer will be able to reach the highest pay grade two years sooner.

With the new contract, the top pay jumped $11,800, from $83,400.

Hartmann said the increase in starting salary is already helping with recruitment. A reserve officer with years of experience in Boca Raton’s department who had been on the fence about becoming a full-time officer decided to take the step once he learned of the improved pay scale.

Labadie said that the town is able to increase the salaries without having a major impact on its budget or a long-term negative impact.

“This contract puts us in the right spot as we continue to be the safest town in Florida,” he told the Town Commission.

Commissioners unanimously approved the new contract.

“This is a win-win,” said Commissioner Donald Peters, a former police officer in New York state. “It’s helping the town and helping our officers.”

By Tao Woolfe

The United States Postal Service, which hopes to stay in downtown Boynton Beach, will have to wait for a decision until the city re-advertises for new developers and new plans.

The Boynton Beach Community Redevelopment Agency last year solicited bids for proposals for a new post office building at 401-411 E. Boynton Beach Blvd.

The agency received two proposals, but neither one fit the post office’s specifications, CRA Executive Director Thuy Shutt told city commissioners at a June 16 meeting.

The current building — at 217 N. Seacrest Blvd. — is owned by the CRA with plans for future commercial or mixed-use redevelopment, which is why the post office must relocate.

The CRA had hoped that developers would come up with a mixed-use concept for vacant CRA parcels on East Boynton Boulevard that would accommodate the post office’s requirements of 3,474 square feet for a retail post office, a loading dock, and 22 parking spaces.

The post office has said it definitely wants to stay downtown, and if the right concept comes along, it would lease that space on a long-term basis.

The CRA received proposals from BTH Development Partners and SAW Commercial Investment LLC last November, but earlier this year, the post office told the CRA that neither design concept would work.

In May, city commissioners, acting as CRA board members, formally rejected all bids and asked the agency’s staff to bring back all the development proposal options available to the city.

Those options include invitations to bid, requests for proposals, letters of interest, public/private partnerships, and invitations to negotiate.

Shutt said there may be only limited numbers of people willing to build to suit, and to serve as landlord, for a government entity. She suggested that the city re-advertise, and expand its search beyond the local area.

“We would like to advertise in a broader sense to reach entities outside of Florida,” she said. “Previous proposers can sharpen their pencils” and reapply.

The city commissioners said they prefer that the CRA seek requests for proposals rather than opting for other negotiating tools.

Shutt said she would bring the revised RFP wording back to the commissioners at the July CRA meeting for approval.

Meanwhile, the CRA has agreed to extend the post office’s lease at its current location.

The City Commission had suggested last year that developers come up with a mixed-use concept for a freestanding building that would house the post office on the first floor and other businesses, such as medical offices and a tourist center, on upper floors.