By Rich Pollack

There will be two new faces on the five-member Town Commission following the March 14 vote, which saw just over 800 of Highland Beach’s 3,900 registered voters casting ballots.

Newcomer Judith Goldberg defeated challengers Maggie Chappelear and Peter Kosovsky and will serve the one year left in the term of Peggy Gossett-Seidman, who resigned to run successfully for state representative.

“I am just thrilled to represent this magical town,” Goldberg said, adding that she believes her forthright conversations with residents helped her get votes. “I just spoke about the issues honestly.”

Goldberg received 408 votes, or just over 50% of the total votes cast, with Chappelear receiving 30.5% or 246 votes while Kosovsky received about 19% or 152 votes.

In a two-way race for a three-year term, newcomer Don Peters defeated incumbent John Shoemaker, capturing 53% of the votes to Shoemaker’s 47%.  

“A lot of people worked hard for me and I’m very thankful,” Peters said.

The former police officer and town supervisor in Yorktown, New York, said he believes his victory is the result of residents wanting more of a voice in the way the town is run.

“People just want their government to listen,” he said.

Both Peters and Goldberg were backed by the Committee to Save Highland Beach, a political action committee that sends messages to more than 2,000 email addresses.

The election marked the first time since 2020 that voters had an opportunity to select a town commissioner; all candidates running in the last three years ran unopposed.

During this year’s campaign season, transparency and increased public input in decision-making was a common theme among the candidates.

Chappelear, who first got involved with the town when she supported safer boating conditions on the Intracoastal Waterway, ran her campaign with a focus on being the voice of residents on the commission. A 38-year resident of Highland Beach, Chappelear has also been a strong supporter of dune restoration.

Goldberg, an attorney and mediator, ran her campaign focus on transparency and having energy and vitality for good governance. She is a supporter of preservation of natural resources and property values and supports effective growth planning.

Kosovsky ran his campaign on public oversight and involvement believing there needs to be more public involvement in the running of the town. In an unusual move in what had been a very civil election season, Kosovsky was openly critical of Goldberg for what he claims were violations of campaign rules. 

In the race for the three-year seat, Peters often spoke about keeping taxes low and also wants to see residents having a greater voice in the decisions made by town leaders.

Shoemaker, who served three years on the commission, ran on his experience and on the effectiveness of the current commission in addressing long-standing issues. He says he ran on continuity, collaboration and competence. 

The low turnout, Shoemaker said, may be a reflection of how well the town is operating.

“When things are going well, people don’t seem to have as much interest in local affairs,” he said.

The election in Highland Beach remained mostly civil, with all candidates each spending less than $10,000 on signs, emails and online and print advertising. 

Goldberg, who had a strong online presence, led the pack in expenses, spending more than $8,200, according to the latest campaign finance reports. Kosovsky was next spending just under $4,000, while Chappelear spent just under $1,400.

In the seat for the three-year term, Shoemaker spent about $2,250, while Peters spent only about $750.

In all, the five candidates spent about $16,500 for their campaigns.

By Mary Thurwachter

Not long after the polls closed in Lantana’s Town Council races March 14, the winners — incumbent Mark Zeitler and newcomer Christopher Castle – celebrated with friends and supporters at Lantana Pizza.

“I’ve been up since 2 a.m., I’m so wired,” Zeitler, 67, the owner of an air-conditioning firm, said by phone after seeing the final results of his Group 3 race. “I look forward to doing good things for the town.”

He defeated newcomer Ray Lastella, 32, an entrepreneur with a boat detailing company and a jet ski rental company, by a vote of 488 to 393.

For the Group 4 position, Castle, 37, a maintenance facilities director for PetMeds, won 470 to 406, outpolling Army veteran (and manager of Ace Rental Place in Lantana) John Raymer, 53. This was Raymer’s second run for office. He ran unsuccessfully last year against veteran Council member Lynn “Doc” Moorhouse.

“I’ve been through all the emotions from giggles to glee,” Castle said on the phone. Early results showing mail-in ballots had him worried, he said, but in the end, he won with more than 53% of the vote. He’s looking forward to being sworn in on March 27 and getting to work for the town.

Council terms are for three years.

Lantana residents also voted 507 to 341 to change the Town Charter to put an end to runoff elections. Currently, a candidate must receive at least one more than 50% of the votes in a race to be elected. If no candidate gets a majority, a runoff election is held between the two candidates receiving the most votes in the race.

Forced runoffs in two council races last year made some elected officials consider a change to a plurality system, where the candidate receiving the highest number of votes in a race — whether or not it is a majority — is the victor. Voters agreed. Proponents argued that runoff elections were an unnecessary expense.

SOURCE: Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections (unofficial results)

SOURCE: Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections (unofficial results)

SOURCE: Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections (unofficial results)

SOURCE: Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections (unofficial results)

37 of 38 precincts reporting

SOURCE: Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections (unofficial results)

SOURCE: Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections (unofficial results)

SOURCE: Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections (unofficial results)

SOURCE: Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections (unofficial results)

A week before the March 14 municipal election, Palm Beach County Elections Supervisor Wendy Link said 8.758 voters out of 194,000 eligible voters countywide, or almost 5%, had returned their mail-in ballots.

It’s too late to ask for a Vote-by-Mail ballot for this election if you didn’t renew your request by March 4, though you can still do it to vote in future elections in 2023 and 2024. In addition, there is no early voting for the municipal election.

The polls will be open on Election Day from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. You should bring a photo/signature card such as a Florida driver license or U.S. passport with you.

Municipalities holding elections this month include Boca Raton, Delray Beach, Highland Beach, Lantana and Ocean Ridge. For more information or to look up your precinct polling place, go to www.votepalmbeach.gov

--Steve Plunkett

By Mary Hladky

Major construction on the new Diverging Diamond Interchange at Glades Road and Interstate 95 will wrap up ahead of schedule.

A fourth lane in each direction on Glades Road will be completed by March 31, state transportation officials told Boca Raton residents on March 2, ahead of the previously announced May 1 completion date. The roadway also will be paved and striped by then.

“We are working as quickly as possible to get the fourth lane open,” Aurelio Matos, Florida Department of Transportation senior project engineer for the interchange, told residents at a town hall meeting hosted by Mayor Scott Singer. “By the end of the month, we will have the final configuration.”

The fourth lanes will allow traffic to move more quickly through the interchange and improve safety, officials said.

That was welcome news to residents. One complained it took him 23 minutes to navigate the interchange in one direction and nearly 20 minutes in the other.

The project won’t be completely finished until May 1 though. Still to be completed are the removal of old ramps and creation of drainage ponds, which will be graded and sodded.

Work is continuing to synchronize the interchange’s traffic signals to further alleviate delays and congestion.

The FDOT and the city have five cameras on the project, which allows them to make tweaks as they go. Matos said there have been no issues with people driving in the wrong direction.

The project was launched in March 2021. The new interchange opened in “temporary condition” on Jan. 30.

By Joe Capozzi
 
Technological improvements planned for Boynton Beach Fire Rescue’s dispatch center mean Briny Breezes residents can expect faster response times in their tiny coastal community. 
The average response time in Briny Breezes last year was 6 minutes and 53 seconds, said Hugh Bruder, chief of Boynton Beach Fire Rescue, which provides services to Briny under a $453,000 annual contract. Although that’s lower than the recommended national response time of eight minutes, Bruder said he thinks his department can do better. 
“We don’t even like the 6 minutes and 53 seconds. We always try to be better. We want to get here as quickly as we can,’’ he told the Town Council on Feb. 23.
Improvements are on the way. 
Fire Rescue plans to purchase an improved dispatching system that will shave up to 60 seconds off response time, Bruder said. The cost of the system could range from $750,000 to $1 million, money he said would come from a combination of grants and state appropriations.
There is no date for when the system will be up and running.
“The timetable is I wish I had it yesterday,” he said after the meeting. “We’re in the process of searching for grant money.”
That 60-second difference “is huge,’’ he told Briny officials. “As you can imagine, for someone with cardiac arrest who needs oxygen, that’s a very big deal. We are making a lot of moves to try to reduce response times where we can.’’
Bruder reminded the council of another recent addition to his department that benefited Briny. A high-water vehicle, acquired last year, “had a very heavy presence” in November when flood water stirred by Hurricane Nicole swamped the coastal community. 
“That high-water vehicle came in handy and assisted several of your residents,’’ Bruder said. “We are pretty proud of that equipment.’’ 
Fire Rescue also is planning a massive expansion to its dive-rescue program over the next two years, including the purchase of a 26-foot boat, he said.
In other business:
• Ocean Ridge Police Chief Richard Jones informed the Town Council that he will be resigning by May 11 to take a job in the nearby coastal town of Gulf Stream. Ocean Ridge provides police service for Briny. 
“Thank you for what you’ve done,’’ Mayor Gene Adams said. “You’ve done a wonderful job at Ocean Ridge and Briny Breezes for sure. I’m personally glad you’re staying on the island.’’
• Briny Breezes Corporation announced vote results at its annual shareholders meeting Feb. 22. Only 27.1% voted yes to give the corporate board direction to market the park for sale. And 61% percent of the park’s shareholders voted to change the number of shares required to put future petition items to the community for a vote. What had required 10% will now require 35%.
• The Town Council will hold its annual organizational meeting at 3 p.m. March 21. The next regular Town Council meeting is March 23.

The Delray Beach Tennis Center hosted the Delray Beach Open in February, with American Taylor Fritz (far court) defeating Miomir Kecmanović of Serbia for the title. The stadium will have Team USA vs. Austria in the Billie Jean King Cup in April, with hopes of landing the 12-nation finals in November. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

City part of international event with local players set to compete

By Brian Biggane

Five years after turning professional, Coco Gauff plans to play her first significant hometown tennis event when the Delray Beach Tennis Center hosts a Billie Jean King Cup qualifier April 14-15.
The matches between the U.S. team and Austria are a big catch for Delray Beach. What would be bigger — much bigger — is for the center to land the 12-nation finals, scheduled for November.
Formerly known as the Fed Cup, the largest women’s team event in the world annually plays a weeklong final tournament. Prize money awarded last year totaled $11.4 million, with $2 million going to the winning team.
Gauff, ranked No. 6 in the world in women’s singles, isn’t the only local tennis star who will play for the United States. Boca Raton’s Jessica Pegula, 29, ranked No. 3 in the world, committed to play on Feb. 21, although U.S. captain Kathy Rinaldi said she would not finalize her team until mid-March.
Gauff and Pegula could handle the two singles matches each day, then team up in doubles — as they have done for the past several months ­— if necessary.
The Austrian team will face a daunting task. Its only player ranked among the top 100 is No. 91 Julia Grabher, and Austria has never advanced to the finals of the BJK Cup.

Crowds arrive for a match at the men’s Delray Beach Open last month. Women will take over the courts in April for Billie Jean King Cup matches. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

City is a tennis hot spot
Delray Beach, which has built a worldwide reputation as a tennis hub, has previously hosted qualifiers in 2005, 2007 and 2013 as well as Davis Cup qualifiers, the male equivalent of the Billie Jean King Cup.
City Manager Terrence Moore said a full stadium in April would send a message to the International Tennis Federation, which will pick the finals site in late April after the qualifiers are complete, that the city and stadium are up to the challenge to be finals host.
“That would be fantastic,” Moore said.
DBTC manager Jeff Bingo said the facility did $2.6 million worth of business last year, up from $700,000 just five years ago.
The crowds for the 2023 Delray Beach Open played last month were another indication that the region is ready for a major tennis event to go along with the Miami Open, which starts March 19. Attendance for the week was a tournament-record 63,072, with four of the individual sessions sold out and all box and veranda seating also sold out for the week.
City officials teamed with the Palm Beach County Sports Commission to land the April matches after they were held three of the past five years in Asheville, North Carolina. The economic impact of the first two years in Asheville registered $8 million, giving Delray Beach an expectation the qualifier will bring an impact this year in the $4 million range.
Sports Commission Executive Director George Linley said the partnership with the city and Tennis Center could be renewed during future opportunities.
“Our Sports Commission will look at every opportunity to bring sports to this county,” Linley said. “It’s always based on the amenities and facilities we have. So, we will work to bring the best tennis events we can.”

Coco Gauff (right) of Delray Beach with doubles partner Jessica Pegula of Boca Raton. Photo provided by WTA Tour

Gauff eager to play at home
Gauff, who turns 19 on March 13, said the April event will be special and the prospect of Delray Beach’s hosting the finals would be even more so.
“Delray Beach has truly been a home for me and I’m always happy to come back here,” Gauff said. “It gives me an opportunity to represent my country at home.
“There was a lot of support when I was here (as a fan) in 2013 and I hope there will be even more this time.”
Asked about the prospect of hosting the finals, Rinaldi, a Palm City native who has been captain since 2017, added her support.
“Obviously, how great would that be?” she said. “Coco is super-excited to play in her backyard and have her family and friends come to support her.
“It’s nice to play at home in the United States; it gives us an opportunity to share tennis with the community, and get out and grow the sport, and everybody gets so excited when they can root for the Unites States.”
Last year’s Billie Jean King Cup finals were staged at Emirates Arena in Glasgow, Scotland, where the capacity of 8,200 is identical to that of Delray Beach. Gauff, who made her debut in the event when the U.S. failed to advance past the Czech Republic and Poland in group play, said that the indoor arena felt smaller than Delray Beach’s outdoor stadium.
Bingo said Delray could “absolutely” meet any criteria it would get from the ITF to serve as finals host.
“We have the stadium court plus five practice courts, and for the ATP 250 we turn a pickleball court into another practice court, so we have six,” Bingo said, referring to the Delray Beach Open. “And if they told us ahead of time, we could convert clay courts as well.”
As for housing tennis fans coming from all over the world to see some of the game’s brightest stars, Delray Beach Chamber of Commerce CEO Stephanie Immelman said the timing of the matches in November would be a plus. She said Delray boasts 1,400 hotel rooms and that Boca Raton and other nearby coastal cities could handle any overflow.
“That’s our shoulder season and we’re just starting to get busy in November,” she said.
“I’m sure the city would be delighted to host the finals, and I know the USTA is very friendly toward Delray Beach, probably because Coco lives here, but they like working with the city.”

U.S. is an 18-time champion
Launched in 1963 as the Federation Cup and changed to the Fed Cup in 1995, the annual event was rebranded the Billie Jean King Cup in 2020, when it was expanded from a two-team final to the 12-team format featuring nine winners of qualifiers, the top two finishers from the previous year and a wild card, which often is the host country.
Last year 110 nations competed. While the U.S. has hosted six times, its last such experience came in 2010 in San Diego.
The U.S. has been champion 18 times, including seven straight from 1976-82, but its last title, in 2017, was its first since 2000. The Czech Republic has won six times in the last 11 years and is second to the U.S. in overall wins with 11. Switzerland won for the first time last year. Russia, which won for the fifth time in 2021, and Belarus have been banned from competition since the invasion of Ukraine.
Gauff, who traveled from the WTA Finals in Fort Worth, Texas, to Glasgow last year to play in her first BJK Cup finals, said the Miami Open will be her previous event to the April qualifier, so she should be better rested.
“Home court is definitely an advantage,” she said. “The crowd can really sway the way the matches go, especially in this type of event.”
“We’ve played in all different spots — Hawaii, Washington, San Antonio, Asheville, Tampa — and all have been sold out,” Rinaldi said.
“It’s an incredible experience for our team, our staff, and for the fans because whether you’re a huge tennis fan or just want to come support the USA, it’s been a lot of fun.
“When you’re representing your country it’s a whole different emotion. Anything can happen because everyone’s playing for your country, and there’s no greater honor.”
Single- and two-day ticket packages are available through ticketmaster.com. Visit usta.com/billiejeankingcup for more information.

Tropical Drive resident Taylor Nixon was among those who spoke to the Town Commission against the placement of No Trespassing signs on the beach by the Turtle Beach condos. They said the signs make it appear as if the entire beach is closed to public access. Photos by Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

By Joe Capozzi

Town commissioners, responding to complaints about blight and intimidation, will consider a new ordinance regulating the placement of “No Trespassing” and “Private Beach” signs on the beach in Ocean Ridge. 
The decision to consider the sign rules emerged from a broader, ongoing dispute over public access rights on the town’s beachfront — for years a controversial topic in Ocean Ridge and many other coastal communities across Florida. 
The Ocean Ridge debate has gotten particularly nasty over the past several months, pitting neighbors against neighbors, with accusations flying like blasts of sand.
Caught in the middle is Mayor Susan Hurlburt, who lives in Turtle Beach of Ocean Ridge, a 26-unit condominium community on the battle’s front line — a roughly 300-foot stretch of beach between Tropical and Hersey drives. 
Hurlburt is seeking another three-year term as commissioner on March 14, and the dispute has become cannon fodder for her political opponents, including two commissioners who have endorsed a challenger and who support public access rights directly east of Turtle Beach.

One of the Turtle Beach "Private Beach" signs.

Police Chief Richard Jones identified 141 signs on or near the beach, on roads and crossovers. Of those, perhaps 90 or so signs are on the beach, which is where commissioners are focusing their possible regulatory measures. 
While a sign-placement law may not answer the broader question over public beach access in Ocean Ridge, commissioners hope new rules might help extinguish the lingering tensions that boiled over Feb. 6 when more than 100 angry residents packed Town Hall.
“It has gone too far with this hostility,’’ said Lacey Siegel, a Tropical Drive resident who said she considers the beach “sacred land” where she meditates, practices yoga and sunbathes. “The signs are breaking us apart.’’
Turtle Beach says Siegel and others are trespassing because the beach is the condo’s private property through deeded beachfront access rights. The condo says it erected “No Trespassing” signs to discourage unruly beachgoers who have littered, played loud music and even left underwear on the signs overnight as acts of defiance. 
Those claims are disputed by residents living just north and south of Turtle Beach who have circulated a “Stop Sign Pollution” petition urging commissioners to ban signs below the dune/vegetation line. 
They say the signs are purposely placed in a manner that misrepresents public access rights and are part of a campaign to intimidate anyone who doesn’t live at the condo. 
“The sole purpose of those signs is ‘we are going to intimidate you rubes out there into not using your beach,’’’ said Christopher Currie, who has led the fight on behalf of Tropical Drive residents.
Siegel was one of three women who complained to the commission about harassment from condo residents aiming cameras at beachgoers.
“I have felt violated,’’ said Taylor Nixon of Tropical Drive. “I have been out there in my bathing suit relaxing, reading my book and I have been getting videotaped by some of the neighbors probably to use as evidence of being in their property. That is very stressful and a little aggressive.’’
To bolster their concerns, residents point out that “Keepoffmybeach” is the name of a Wi-Fi network — presumably belonging to a Turtle Beach resident — that is visible on a smartphone near the condo.
Mark Feinstein, president of the Turtle Beach of Ocean Ridge Condominium Association, disputed the comments by Tropical Drive residents as “misinformation” by “a very vocal minority” of residents. He criticized the Town Commission for “giving them a soap box” and an “air of credibility” by even considering a sign ordinance. 
“It’s all a ruse,’’ he said. “What they are attempting to do is make all private beach public beach.’’
The signs, approved by the town, “are necessary because of the transients who would be steered to our beach by the Tropical gang,’’ he said. 
Elliot Zank, who lives on Old Ocean Boulevard just south of Turtle Beach, said he often sees ride-hail drivers dropping off beachgoers at the end of Tropical Drive, even though a sign posted at that spot on Old Ocean Boulevard prohibits drop-offs.
“The signs are necessary … to prevent a major influx of nonresidents from crowding the beach,’’ said Zank, one of several speakers who agreed with Feinstein but were still outnumbered Feb. 6 by people against the signs.
“Removing the signs would violate owners’ First Amendment rights,’’ he said.  

County complained before
Residents living near Turtle Beach aren’t the only ones who have complained to the town about signs on the beach in Ocean Ridge. 
In February 2022, a Palm Beach County government supervisor complained to then-Town Manager Tracey Stevens in a letter about town “signs indicating limits to public accessibility” north and south of Boynton Beach Oceanfront Park.  
The signs “may incur significant financial liability for the town by restricting public access to publicly funded beach areas with active easement agreements in place. The signs should be removed immediately to prevent any further public perception that access is limited within the project area,’’ Andy Studt, a program supervisor for the county’s Department of Environmental Resources Management, said in the letter.
The signs referenced in the letter, which was included in the backup material to the commission’s Feb. 6 meeting, were installed in 2019 at the unanimous direction of the Town Commission to replace previously posted signs that had been damaged or removed. The signs near Oceanfront Park are no longer on the beach, although a town sign at the south end of Ocean Ridge near Briny Breezes still stands.
The ERM complaint was not discussed Feb. 6. Although there are dozens of “No Trespassing” signs at crossovers along Old Ocean Boulevard, it’s the signs on the beach that a majority of commissioners are targeting for rules on where they can be placed or whether they should all be removed. 
“I believe in personal property rights and I also believe in the rights of the public,’’ said Commissioner Geoff Pugh, who said there are probably at least 40 signs that “need to be removed posthaste. It’s blight.’’
Pugh said he has no problem with beach signs against the dunes west of the wet and dry sand. 
“My problem,’’ he said, “is once you get past vegetation line and you see a sign and have to walk around it, that’s when it becomes, why are we splitting the community up?’’ 
Pugh said, “We should create an ordinance for those signs and get them removed because the beach is for all of us.’’  
Hurlburt, the mayor who lives in Turtle Beach, has tried to stay out of the public fight, restricting her comments on the topic at commission meetings. 
Hurlburt and Commissioner Martin Wiescholek are running for reelection March 14, with Carolyn Cassidy the challenger. The top two vote-getters win three-year terms.  
But on Feb. 6, Hurlburt took offense when Commissioner Steve Coz said that the offending signs were posted in the wet sand. Hurlburt said the signs are farther west, 10 feet from the dune in dry sand. 
Coz, a political opponent of Hurlburt who has endorsed Cassidy, blamed Turtle Beach for creating the discord by posting signs in a manner that misleads members of the public into thinking they can’t walk north or south along any part of the beach east of the condo. 
“To have one community cause this horrible rift in the haves and have-nots, among neighbors, among Ocean Ridge residents, it’s just sad,’’ said Coz, who at one point was interrupted by Feinstein shouting at him.
“I’ve never seen anything like this and to think one community can do this to this town really upsets me and makes me angry,’’ Coz said.
Wiescholek said he’s glad the town is finally taking a look at regulating beach signs.
“We had this on our agenda two years ago but we didn’t take action, unfortunately,” he said. Town Attorney Christy Goddeau said she would study case law and present the commission with options for regulating signs. But she warned against an outright ban of signs, which she said would violate First Amendment rights. No date has been set for further commission discussion.
Pugh, noting how residents have complained about the signs at commission meetings since at least November, said it was long past time for the town to be proactive. 
“I’m not going to sit here and not do something because the town might get sued,’’ he said. “Let’s create an ordinance and let’s see what happens down the road."

Related stories: Ocean Ridge: Candidates voice differences at election forum; Highland Beach: Voters asked to submit questions for candidate forum; Lantana: Infrastructure, safety, taxes are top issues in council elections; Delray Beach: Balance of power on ballot in commission elections; Delray Beach: Public safety, park referendums seek $120 million in new property taxes

When it seems as if there are more election signs lining the street than the number of people likely to vote, it must be municipal election season. When police are called, lawsuits are filed and social media allegations fly, residents discover just how much nastiness and divisiveness there can be in our beautiful and affluent area.
And why is that? What has turned our communities into boiling cauldrons of bitterness and aggression this spring?
It’s hard to pinpoint — and this may be a generalization looking at ballot choices in five municipalities — but most of it comes down to money and power. Yes, people have thin skin and feel they’ve been insulted or mistreated, wedge issues get inserted to confuse and divide the electorate, and government finds it difficult to operate in the tug-of-war leading up to election day (some employees even quit).
There’s some predictability to each of these things. What’s disturbing is that there are people — most working behind the scenes — who will do almost anything to control the makeup of each commission for their own special interests.
And it’s not hard to do. In most towns and cities all it takes is a 3-2 vote to change the character of where we live.
This March 14 election it seems no one is running alone: Candidates either have endorsements from other commissioners or are running as teams. Neither scenario gives voters confidence their elected officials will listen to their needs without political pressure. And yes, politics creates odd bedfellows with one side often forcing the hand of the other; but no matter how well-intentioned it is, there almost always is a payout at some point.
We’ve seen it happen all around us, especially in our larger cities.
As voters in a nonpartisan election, it’s our responsibility to look beyond who lives in our neighborhood or condo, belongs to our club, comes to our cocktail parties, or supports the same nonprofit organizations.
There are costly issues looming for each of our municipalities: an independent fire station, aging water plants, septic to sewer conversion, sea wall repairs and most important, rising sea levels and increased flooding that endanger homes and public safety response times.
With growing population pressure in fast-developing South Florida, we need to ask our candidates if they are willing to let the residents vote on big-ticket initiatives or lifestyle-changing legislation. If they tell you no, it’s not necessary, they were elected “by the people” to make the big decisions, challenge them.
They know making lifestyle-changing decisions on their own isn’t the most open way to govern. It’s just the easiest way to achieve their personal goals — or those of their supporters. Push them on their goals and motivations. Look at who endorses them — or funds their campaigns — and ask yourself how they, too, stand to gain. That is sometimes the best tell of all.
Granted, it’s difficult to be an informed voter in today’s divided and politicized climate. At best it requires pulling our boots out of the mud, sorting through the fog of campaigning and voting for the candidates most likely to support the long-term preservation of our community.
Or at worst, we can decide our future by not asking the hard questions and simply going out and counting the yard signs.

— Mary Kate Leming, Editor

Eddie Ventrice — at home with his wife, Elyse, and golden retriever, Bronx — works with the George Snow Scholarship Fund and Men Giving Back. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Faran Fagen

Eddie Ventrice was thrilled to make it through Boca’s Ballroom Battle in one piece, without falling, dropping anyone or breaking anything.
“It was many weeks of practice leading up to the event, and not knowing exactly how we would fare against the competition was nerve-racking,” Ventrice said of the 2019 battle, which he won as top fundraiser.
“To have the support that I did, to give back to the community and be announced the winner was just pure elation, with friends and family cheering me on.”
Ventrice, or “Steady Eddie” as he’s known to his friends and Boca Raton neighbors, raised more than $250,000 for the George Snow Scholarship Fund, which benefits college students.
It’s one of the many nonprofits the community service devotee has supported while living in Boca Raton with his wife and five children.
Ventrice is a founding member of BV Group, a team with more than $2 billion in assets under advisement. He has more than 27 years’ experience in wealth management, supporting the needs of corporate executives, business owners, multigenerational families and professional athletes.
Ventrice received a community service award during the Snow foundation’s Boots & Bling Cowboy Ball event on Feb. 11. But the award won’t lead to any break in his fundraising for the organizations that rely on him.
“After many years of working, I can give back to the community,” said Ventrice, who turned 60 on Feb. 17. “I’m enjoying the success raising funds from the Ballroom Battle to now Men Giving Back.”
The mission of Men Giving Back (www.mengivingback.org) is to fund grants to nonprofit initiatives that positively influence South County.
The organization has surpassed Ventrice’s “wildest dreams” and continues to grow. It raised $500,000 last year with 160 members and is on target for 200 members and $700,000 this year.
“We were able to award grants last year to some of the most deserving nonprofits,” Ventrice said. “We also appreciate the opportunity to bring the community together.”
Ventrice understands what it means to be a struggling young man. He was born in the Bronx, New York. His parents got divorced, and his mom moved the family to Florida, which Ventrice said “was a good move, looking back.”
He grew up in Deerfield Beach, and worked at the then Boca Raton Resort and Club, flipping burgers in high school before attending the University of Florida and majoring in accounting.
Today, he’s nationally recognized as a top adviser by Barron’s, Forbes and Financial Times. Ventrice holds the CPA, CFP and the CIMA designations through Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania.
His favorite pursuit is using his position to help young men faced with similar challenges to his own. Boca’s Ballroom Battle and Snow foundation provide this purpose.
“It’s a great charity,” Ventrice said. “The money raised sends many deserving children to college. I relate to this since I came from the same background and had to pay for my college with student loans and working 30 hours a week in college.”
In 2019, becoming a dancer in Boca’s Ballroom Battle was “so much work,” he says. When a friend finally persuaded him, he immersed himself in it. He took dance lessons three times a week for five months, concentrating and practicing the routine nearly every day.
He said the attributes that have contributed to his prowess in the community are love, people, passion and drive.
“I laugh every day and I enjoy meeting people from all different diverse backgrounds,” Ventrice said. “Anyone that knows me can tell you that I do have a very serious side, but I’m also able to find the humor and the fun of everyday life. I love interacting with my clients — most I have known for years.”
Ventrice’s hobbies are travel, pickleball, tennis, golf, food, wine and reading.
His wife, Elyse, and their five children — Alec, Zach, Taylor, Chase and Cole — like to travel together. They also enjoy relaxing with a movie on the couch and playing basketball, tennis or chess.
Before founding the BV group, Ventrice was a practicing CPA.

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Related story: Ocean Ridge: Three top officials leaving in latest Town Hall turmoil

By Steve Plunkett

Richard Jones will leave his job as Ocean Ridge’s police chief by May 11 to take the same position in nearby Gulf Stream.
Gulf Stream town commissioners approved the new hire Feb. 10. His two-month-old contract with Ocean Ridge requires him to give up to 90 days’ notice, Jones said.
“I have already started to look for a replacement to fill the position that I am vacating so I can move that process along as quickly as possible,” he said. “I could potentially start sooner depending on what type of replacement I have and what kind of transition we think is necessary.”
Jones, who wore a business suit to the Gulf Stream meeting rather than a uniform, said he would solve the problem of recurrent vacancies in Gulf Stream’s 14-officer police force by building morale and making it “the go-to law enforcement agency in the county.”
“We should be the agency that everyone else is looking to, not only to see what we’re doing operationally and with our vision, but also what we’re doing with our technology and how we treat our staff,” he said.
He would boost morale, he said, “through a method that I believe in — being a worker, not just a police chief.”
“I believe in putting my feet on the ground and doing what I ask my officers to do, to demonstrate to them that I’m with them every step of the way. … It makes them realize that there’s value in their leader and I’m not asking them anything that I’m not willing to do.”
Jones, whose duties in Ocean Ridge include being police chief for Briny Breezes, also said he would be proactive in recruiting and expand Gulf Stream’s searches for potential hires to military veterans and law enforcement agencies beyond the local area.
Commissioners unanimously approved Jones’ hiring.
“We’re delighted to have you and congratulations on your appointment,” Commissioner Thom Smith said.
Mayor Scott Morgan said he spoke with Ocean Ridge Mayor Susan Hurlburt “and while they are sorry to lose him, she could not have been more enthusiastic in her praise of his skill, his vision, his energy, his administrative skills and his ability to take Gulf Stream, as she said, and move our Police Department legitimately into the 21st century.”
Jones, whose departure came as a shock to Ocean Ridge officials, said he was not actively looking for a job until he learned that Gulf Stream planned to look outside its department for candidates to replace retiring chief Ed Allen.
Jones, 42, is coming to Gulf Stream with 25 years of experience, the last eight in Ocean Ridge, where he rose from road patrol to chief and in 2020 was named the town’s employee of the year.
He and his wife, Erin, make their home in Port St. Lucie. They have two sons: Michael, 22, a Marine veteran, and Matthew, 17, a high school student.
Ocean Ridge gave Jones a three-year contract on Jan. 9 after he had been its chief for more than 16 months. His pay there is $115,763 a year. His salary in Gulf Stream will be negotiated.
Allen, who worked in Gulf Stream almost 35 years, announced in early December that he would leave the department on Jan. 31. He was paid $143,771 annually.
Town Manager Greg Dunham said that he received inquiries and résumés about the job from a Palm Beach County sheriff’s command officer in Wellington, a Delray Beach police lieutenant and a Gulf Stream police sergeant. He explored hiring a headhunter firm for $25,000 to $35,000 and using the Florida Police Chiefs Association for a $10,000 or $20,000 search.
As he did that, the town was approached by Jones. Dunham, Morgan and Assistant Town Manager Trey Nazzaro met with Jones for about two hours, Dunham said.
“I found the chief to be intelligent, motivated, experienced and creative with a high level of integrity, diplomacy and sensitivity,” Dunham said.
Jones’ résumé package included thank-you notes and letters of commendation dating back to 1999 when he was a public safety dispatcher in Clewiston.
In 2015 his predecessor, Ocean Ridge Police Chief Hal Hutchins, commended Jones for performing a plainclothes surveillance at Oceanfront Park after a number of cars had been burglarized.
“Based on your tenacity, caring and dedication to duty, you effectively apprehended a subject responsible for a small wave of crime at the Boynton Oceanfront Park, thereby enhancing the safety of the public,” Hutchins wrote.
And in 2021 John Mitchell stopped by the police station for help gathering details surrounding the death of his mother, Ocean Ridge resident Eileen Pettus, after a car accident in Melbourne.
“I was fortunate enough to meet with Lieutenant Richard Jones who offered me, not only his heartfelt condolences, but invaluable insight into how I might proceed. ... Never in my 50 years have I encountered an officer so kind and empathetic, while offering such incredible help,” Mitchell wrote. Jones started the week of his new hiring by persuading the Ocean Ridge Town Commission on Feb. 6 to approve one-time pay raises and benefits increases for his 15 officers for the rest of the year in an effort to attract more officers and retain current ones.
Jones made the request after compiling a survey that showed Ocean Ridge’s officers made drastically less in salary, benefits and health insurance than those on other coastal police forces in Palm Beach County.
Each officer will get a $7,500 salary bump the rest of the year, a $5,000 lump-sum vehicle reimbursement payment and a 50% health insurance match. Money for the changes will come from $213,186 that was freed up by freezing two vacancies.

Joe Capozzi contributed to this story.

By Steve Plunkett

Town commissioners postponed for a second time their vote on Gulf Stream School’s request to boost its enrollment, but they hope to turn the delay into a teaching moment on civic involvement.
Dr. Gray Smith, head of the school, won permission on Jan. 13 to raise the limit from 250 students to 300 for this school year. But Gulf Stream commissioners held off on making the higher student cap permanent without more input from residents and promised to alert them via newsletter.
The six-page newsletter dated Feb. 2 was signed by Mayor Scott Morgan and was packed with information on the town’s accomplishments, but made no mention of the school’s request. That prompted one resident to contact Assistant Town Manager Trey Nazzaro, asking to be part of the discussion.
“This individual said I know that a few residents have concerns and would like to be included in the conversation. So, it wasn’t ‘I oppose it, I think it’s a bad idea,’” Nazzaro told commissioners at their Feb. 10 meeting.
He also noted that Smith’s request to raise the enrollment cap was reported in The Coastal Star.
Commissioner Paul Lyons, whose grandchildren attend the school, said townspeople should keep themselves better informed.
“If a resident wants to know what’s going on they should be looking at the agenda,” he said. “We’re not going to send them a letter every time that something’s going to come up.”
Morgan agreed. “Every time there’s a contentious issue, we can’t be tabling it,” he said.
Morgan had attended a gathering the night before where he said “everybody was talking about it. So informally at least the word has gotten out.”
But Commissioner Thom Smith, who as a school trustee in 1994 helped negotiate the 250-student cap, said he too had heard from people, “and it wasn’t all positive.”
“I’m not saying they’re outraged,” he said. “I think that maybe they would like the chance to come speak.”
Commissioners agreed to table the vote until March 10 and to send each household a postcard after Lyons suggested that the mailing teach residents how to keep up with the town’s decision-making.
“If we could just educate people on, procedurally, if you want to know what’s going on, A-B-C, so they don’t say I didn’t know; i.e., look at the agenda, if you missed the meeting you can see the videos, et cetera, et cetera. So people understand how they can stay in touch with the town.”
Commission agendas are posted outside Town Hall and online at www.gulf-stream.org; the commission generally meets at 9 a.m. on the second Friday of the month; videos of the meetings are available on YouTube.
The school has 293 children enrolled this year. Gray Smith said it needs 300 to make a “modest” budget surplus. He also wants to erect a food storage building to be able to offer on-campus lunches.
“Gulf Stream School is committed to being a uniquely small community school and to being the best neighbor that we can possibly be to everyone in this neighborhood,” Gray Smith said.
In other action, commissioners heard a presentation on placing license plate recognition cameras in the town and will consider a formal proposal at their March meeting.

My family purchased a 100-by-100-foot lot in Ocean Ridge in 1956, and 10 years later built our house at 16 Tropical Drive. Our extended family visited our home many, many times in 60 years. As time passed, and families grew and changed, I finally made this my year-round home for over 20 years. 
One of the greatest joys all my family relished was being able to walk the short distance to the dune, cross over and then smell, hear and see that great Atlantic Ocean. We all feel it is a very cherished freedom. 
In recent years, we realized that we have new neighbors on either side of us with very differing opinions from ours about accessing the beach. We who live on Tropical Drive are not trying to camp out on anyone’s private land. We all just want to cross the dune, not see all those unwelcoming signs saying No Trespassing, Private Beach etc., etc., and walk out to the sand. We only want to ingress and egress as we have been doing for the past 70-plus years that I have witnessed.
Also, from what I have seen through many years at the beach, those signposts could very well interfere with all the sea turtles who might be wanting to lay their eggs exactly there!

— Patricia Kropp
Ocean Ridge