Related: Obituary: David Allen Hutchins

Filling commission vacancy — Ocean Ridge town commissioners plan to discuss in July the filling of a vacancy on the commission created by the death of Commissioner David Hutchins on May 18. 

Commissioner Hutchins was appointed to the board in 2024, won election to a two-year unexpired term that same year and was elected without opposition this year to a full three-year term that runs until March 2029. 

During the commission’s June 1 meeting, Mayor Geoff Pugh said commissioners will begin identifying potential candidates and discuss them at the board’s next meeting, scheduled for July 8. 

The commission can appoint someone to fill the position — or it can remain vacant — until the March 2027 municipal election. 

The March 2027 election will be for a two-year unexpired term. Anyone appointed to the seat — or anyone else — wanting to run for the unexpired term would have to file for the seat during the November qualifying period. 

Keeping the community beautiful — The Ocean Ridge Garden Club is marking 60 years of beautifying and preserving the coastal town.

Founded in 1966, the club allows residents to share a love of nature while supporting conservation initiatives in the community. The group hosts monthly meetings and educational events for residents. 

“We really appreciate everything the garden club does, not just the beauty that they bring to the town, but also the community you create inside your organization,” Mayor Geoff Pugh said at the Town Commission’s May 4 meeting.

Traffic safety review — Speeding in Ocean Ridge is raising safety concerns among residents, and Police Chief Scott McClure agreed to study an area of concern.

Matt Fronzaglia, who lives on Oceanview Drive, made a public comment during the May 4 Town Commission meeting about speeding issues on Oceanview and Douglas Drive, which are connected one-way roads between State Road A1A and Old Ocean Boulevard. 

The resident said delivery drivers and ride-sharing workers who may be unfamiliar with the area either miss the 10-mph speed limit sign off of A1A or ignore it. Because the streets don’t have sidewalks, pedestrians are forced to share the space with vehicles. 

“It’s a matter of time before something happens there,” Fronzaglia said.

He sent letters to other homeowners, with 15 responses in favor of requesting a traffic safety review to which McClure agreed. 

— Sephora Charles

By Sephora Charles

State lawmakers recently passed legislation that will affect how even the smallest of towns, including Ocean Ridge, put together their annual budgets. 

Among the new laws is House Bill 1329, which requires local governments to perform a budget reduction exercise to see what would have to be cut to lower the cost facing municipal taxpayers, said Bonnie Landry, president of Bonnie Landry and Associates Professional Planning Services, during an Ocean Ridge Town Commission workshop meeting on May 4. 

Once the commission prepares a tentative budget for the coming fiscal year, this new law requires officials to meet at least 14 days before the final budget is adopted to consider a reduced plan. During that meeting, commissioners will create an alternate option that would make the upcoming budget 10% smaller than the current budget — without compromising essential services, such as police and fire departments.

From there, officials must decide whether “it’s worth it,” Landry said. Municipalities are not required to adopt the reduced budget, but they must publish it and the town’s proposed budget for residents to see and compare before the town adopts a final budget. 

While the new requirements do not take effect until 2027, Town Manager Michelle Heiser plans to give them a trial run this year before a final budget is adopted in September.

The purpose of HB 1329 is to get officials to evaluate spending efficiencies and alternatives. 

The bill also mandates that officials be more transparent about their finances online. 

The last six years of budget records must be displayed online, making local budgets easier for residents to access and understand. HB 1329’s requirements also force local governments to justify their spending. 

“Normally, the stuff you see in private will have to be up there for public consumption in the future and available on the website as well,” Heiser said during the meeting. 

At the June 1 meeting, she proposed a five-year capital improvement plan. The total for 2027 was $6 million, but the commission discussed changes to reduce it to $4 million. 

Pearlman accused of inflaming public with false messages

Related: On a day for remembrance, city sets the record straight  | New ordinance gives residents their say over public lands

By Mary Hladky

Less than three months since Save Boca founder Jon Pearlman won election, fellow Boca Raton City Council members’ frustration with what they call misinformation from him but that he insists is fact has spilled into the open.

The council, now also including two other Save Boca members, pushed back against his statements that they say are inaccurate at a May 26 workshop meeting.

The council was to give city staff direction on building and financing a new police headquarters after voters on March 10 voted against financing the construction of a $190 million headquarters complex.

Reasoning that voters would be more likely to approve the project if it cost less and was more modest, staff has reduced the headquarters size to 94,000 square feet, or about one-third larger than the current outdated and undersized headquarters, and pared the price tag to $120 million.

But Pearlman was adamant that the final turnkey cost will remain at $190 million. Save Boca said the same on its Facebook page and in emails.

“Despite voters turning down the police station bond on March 10th, city staff indicated last week their intention to proceed with the $190 million Taj Mahal police station and without any RFP (request for proposals),” it said.

Mayor Andy Thomson and Council member Yvette Drucker, as well as Save Boca members Deputy Mayor Michelle Grau and Council member Stacy Sipple, disputed that and agreed the revised cost is $120 million.

After the Save Boca communications, council members said they were flooded with emails from angry constituents.

“We don’t need to be firing up members of the public with information that is not true,” Thomson said.

Grau, a certified public accountant, said the Save Boca information was very misleading.

“I am very concerned,” she said. “I am very frustrated.”

Council members, she said, are not blindly following city staff recommendations. They are re-evaluating the size and cost of the headquarters and “trying to determine what residents are willing to support.”

Drucker was even more pointed. “Basically, one of our council members is calling us liars,” she said. “I find that very troubling.”

“It is unacceptable,” Sipple said. “I responded on Save Boca that the information is not accurate.”

Pearlman did not back down, asserting that even if the cost is temporarily reduced, it will return to $190 million once construction begins.

What followed was a digression into who posted the information.

Pearlman did not directly answer a question from Thomson on whether he wrote or approved the Save Boca post and emails, saying the Save Boca political committee is responsible.

But when Thomson stated that Pearlman is chairman of Save Boca Inc., Pearlman confirmed that.

Beyond the matter of cost, Pearlman said the city need not finance the building with a bond issue because the city has up to $200 million available to pay for it.

Hearing that, Drucker said, “We have gone completely off the rails.”

City officials previously have said that they have nowhere near that amount readily available to spend and that most city accounts have strict spending restrictions.

The council voted 4-1 in favor of holding a vote on bond issue financing, with Pearlman dissenting.

But they delayed a recommendation on where the building should be located, saying residents should be allowed to weigh in.

Pearlman, however, has clearly signaled that he is not backing away from his efforts to convince residents that the new police headquarters is a boondoggle.

More emailed criticism
A Save Boca email sent out two days after the council meeting again criticized the purported $190 million cost and credited Pearlman for being the only council member to oppose the project and the bond issue.

The email featured a rendering of the other council members on a Monopoly board, with Thomson throwing Monopoly money into the air.

“The city continues to treat your hard-earned taxpayer dollars like monopoly money” to build the police headquarters, the email states.

“You can’t put $190 million on the table and then cut it down to $120 million and then say this is reasonable,” it said. “You’re still gouging the tax payers for something they didn’t ask for.”

The email also criticized Grau and Sipple for their statements during the May 26 meeting.

Police chief’s report
The possible locations for the police headquarters include the downtown campus, where the current headquarters sits, and city-owned land adjacent to the Spanish River Library at the intersection of Spanish River and Broken Sound boulevards.

City officials have long said that a new police headquarters is badly needed to replace the 45-year-old building that is in poor condition and way too small to meet present needs.

Acting Police Chief Seth Dubinsky told the council that briefings must be held outside because there is not enough space inside. One-time closets have been repurposed to house two or three employees. The department no longer has enough room to house all its property and evidence.

Police officials previously have said that various functions now are located in seven buildings, creating inefficiency and coordination problems.

Residents’ second chance to vote on whether to approve a bond issue most likely will take place at the March 9, 2027, city election.

Residents would pay for it with a property tax increase. Officials have not yet said how much it will cost them. But the ballot measure that residents voted down on March 10 would have increased the tax rate by 0.26 mills, or $123.74 a year on a property with an assessed value of $475,000.

Residents will have a chance to voice opinions later this summer and fall. The Community Advisory Council will advise the City Council on what residents want and their reaction to funding the building. If the bond issue goes forward and is approved, construction would be completed in 2031.

Meanwhile, the council is still determining how to improve the downtown campus now that the public-private partnership with developers Terra and Frisbie Group was torpedoed by voters on March 10.

The council on May 11 sidelined Thomson’s proposal to create a task force that would gather the ideas and preferences of residents on a new vision for the area.

Instead, the city will hire a consultant that will conduct wide-ranging efforts to find out what residents would prefer. The council will rank those that applied at a special meeting on June 30 and will award the contract on July 28.

The consultant would finalize its recommendations in January.

I am writing regarding the recent passage of Ordinance 405 by the town of Manalapan on May 12 and the growing trend of municipalities attempting to regulate shark fishing and other fishing activity, despite Florida’s longstanding state preemption over saltwater fisheries management.

This ordinance raises serious concerns not only for anglers, but for anyone concerned about constitutional limits on local government authority and the expansion of municipal power into areas already regulated by the state of Florida and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

FWC already maintains statewide regulations governing shore-based shark fishing, shark permits and education, handling and release requirements, gear restrictions, and beach chumming prohibitions.

Yet municipalities are increasingly attempting to bypass state authority by framing fishing restrictions under vague terms such as “hazardous fishing practices, public safety and shark-attracting activity.”

The issue is no longer simply about fishing. It is about whether local governments can indirectly regulate lawful, state-managed activities through broad and subjective language that may create constitutional, enforceability and preemption concerns.

This concern is not hypothetical. A similar proposal in Marco Island reportedly failed after substantial public opposition and concerns raised regarding legality and enforceability.

Meanwhile, Miami Beach’s recently adopted shark-fishing ordinance generated widespread controversy and legal scrutiny before ultimately being repealed amid growing concerns regarding municipal authority, state preemption, and the legality of local governments regulating fishing activity already governed by FWC.

The public deserves transparency regarding how these ordinances are being drafted, whether municipalities are coordinating regionally, what guidance FWC has provided, and whether local governments are advancing legally questionable ordinances despite acknowledged concerns.

Many anglers support responsible fishing practices, conservation, swimmer safety and proper enforcement of existing laws. However, creating a patchwork of local fishing restrictions across Florida risks confusion, selective enforcement and unnecessary conflict between municipalities and state authority.

I believe this issue deserves continued public scrutiny and further reporting, particularly regarding communications among municipalities, FWC’s position on local authority, and the statewide implications of these ordinances.

— Christopher Dilecce

Melbourne

In several articles, you have mistakenly reported that the termination of Old School Square Center for the Arts (OSSCFTA) was due to financial difficulties. This information is incorrect and does not reflect the actual circumstances.

You previously covered this issue in 2021 and 2022, so you are aware of the factual details. Despite this, the mistake continues to appear in your reporting.

We would like to remind you of the notification issued by the City of Delray Beach regarding OSSCFTA. The narrative suggesting financial difficulties as the reason for termination is inaccurate.

No matter how hard certain parties try to change the history, you should not participate in spreading misinformation. If OSSCFTA had been terminated with cause, we would have been given sufficient time to address and remedy the situation, which was not the plan of those involved.

We respectfully ask that you publish a correction; listing all of the articles that you misreported the wrong information and inform the public with accurate and factual events.

— The Board of Directors

Old School Square Center for the Arts

Editor’s note: The Delray Beach City Commission, desiring to end the Old School Square Center for the Arts contract, followed its attorney’s advice to do so “without cause.” However, the commissioners who took that action made clear their concerns about financial unaccountability as motivating their decision. 

I would like to comment on the May article “Saving lives: What more to do?”

I go to Gulfstream Park every Sunday for a beach walk and ocean swim, and I find the Palm Beach County lifeguards to be extremely on point and attentive. 

Any information that is not already written on the conditions board, the lifeguards are happy to answer. They are very knowledgeable and glad to share that information with locals and tourists alike.

I’ve lived in Palm Beach County for many years and Gulfstream Park is my favorite beach. One of the main reasons is how safe I feel on their watch.

Please interview some of the PBC lifeguards at Gulfstream, and let’s hear what they have to say.

— Char Conklin 

Boynton Beach

My dream began in 2019. I envisioned a small coffee place in and of Briny Breezes. 

Not just another business, but a welcoming, modest, coastal-style coffee shop that fit the spirit of Briny Breezes — a place for coffee, pastries and conversation, a warm gathering space for residents and visitors. 

Because I believed so strongly in that idea, I submitted a proposal in 2019 and another in 2025 — even while the beauty salon was still in operation — hoping that space might one day be available. 

When the beauty salon lease was not extended, I submitted a third proposal and continued to work seriously on the concept.

This was never just an idea or a wish. My husband and I worked hard to create a business concept for Briny Breezes Coffee Co. Our presentation showed a simple, community-style coffee place with pastries, light offerings and a relaxed coastal atmosphere. We worked on the business structure, planning, concept and presentation because we wanted to show that our vision was well-grounded. 

There was only one chance to present, and, due to unfortunate timing, I had to do it alone. I was nervous, but presenting something I believed in and had worked toward for years.

Another applicant, a younger businessman who already owns Deke’s Coffee, made a strong presentation and the board chose him — the more established operator — for what it described as business and sustainability reasons. 

I understand that experience is often seen as the safer choice, and I respect that a board must make the decision it believes is best.

But what was painful to me was this: We were not outsiders who suddenly appeared when the space opened. We were shareholders with a vision that had lived in our hearts since 2019.

What hurt most was the feeling that being a startup counted against us more than the depth of our commitment counted for us. Every established operator once needed a first chance. I had hoped that our years of belief in this location, our community connection, and our seriousness of purpose would matter.

I share this not to attack anyone or create conflict. I respect that the board made its decision. I simply believe there is a human side here that deserves to be seen. 

In small communities, decisions like these are not only business decisions. They also touch questions of belonging, fairness, local identity — and whether a resident’s long-held vision ever truly had a chance.

— Griselda and Dennis Gebhard

Briny Breezes 

Coffee roaster turns to Briny in opening his second shop

Deke’s in Delray owner Nico Manuel stands in what he plans to make another coffee shop come early July. The gutted building used to house the Briny Hair Salon. Photos by Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Patrick Sherry

When Nico Manuel, owner of Deke’s in Delray, drove along scenic State Road A1A, he saw an opportunity to create a new community hub in Briny Breezes. After starting his coffee-bean roasting business in his parents’ garage a few blocks away in Ocean Ridge, he is now working to create a one-stop shop for high-quality offerings in the barrier island community.

Deke’s in Briny Breezes is expected to have its grand opening on the Fourth of July weekend. The new coffee-and-more business will replace the Briny Hair Salon, 4800 N. Ocean Blvd., which closed its doors in April after 34 years in business. The new shop will serve customers specialty coffee, baked goods, and locally sourced grocery items. 

“I love that area; it’s one of my favorite stretches of A1A,” Manuel said. “I just thought Deke’s would be a perfect fit for that community.”

Before deciding to open Deke’s in Briny Breezes, Manuel had spent years of holidays and school breaks vacationing near the community. His parents owned a home in Ocean Ridge, which they later moved to full-time. He remembers visiting the now-closed Seaside Deli & Market, spending time at the so-called Dog Beach, and enjoying the “old Florida” atmosphere along A1A. These experiences inspired him to open a new space to re-create that type of community gathering place he felt had been lost. 

“I’ve been here for a while, and I knew what the deli was like,” Manuel said. “When I saw the vacancy here, for rent, I thought we could really expand the Deke’s brand here and fulfill the hole that I knew the community had lost.”

Nico and his family  — wife Danica and 8-month-old ‘Baby V’ — and staff at the downtown Delray Beach location of Deke’s. 

Manuel has operated Deke’s in Delray off East Atlantic Avenue in downtown Delray Beach since 2020. After moving to his parents’ Ocean Ridge home, he started roasting coffee beans in their garage, which led him to open the brick-and-mortar location. The coffee shop and espresso bar focus on roasted coffee and a high-quality cafe menu. The existing Delray Beach shop will be the flagship location, with the management team using some of its infrastructure to support the new shop. Deke’s plans to roast the coffee in Delray Beach and deliver it to Briny Breezes while using part of the new building for a bakery and grocery outlet. 

The team’s proposal beat out five other prospective tenants for the lease of the location after the co-op’s management company decided not to renew the hair salon’s lease. Officials from Briny Breezes Inc. selected Manuel’s proposal based on its success at its flagship shop and familiarity with the area. 

“They will be very local, community-focused; Nico from Deke’s… is very well known in the community,” said Michael Gallacher, general manager of Briny Breezes Inc. “They are a family-oriented and community-oriented business. I look forward to seeing lots of community support for Deke’s in Briny Breezes.”

The team plans to start by serving beverages and some pastry items, then expand more into food production. One of the main goals is to eventually begin selling products from local vendors to support nearby businesses. 

“Introducing local food that is going to make you feel good and support the local economy, I think, is pertinent now more than ever,” Manuel said. “The ethos ultimately is with quality and secondarily with local support.” 

Since signing the lease in May, the shop’s team has been in Briny Breezes regularly and working with partners to get everything ready for July. The team is hoping to make the new shop a community center where residents can gather and socialize. 

He’s also paying homage to the past, keeping the “Briny” ­— from “Briny Hair Salon” — that was emblazoned on one of the store’s windows, and incorporating a pair of old hair dryer chairs from the salon in the new decor. 

“Overall, the community is excited to have a business there that more residents will patronize and enjoy. … This will be a nice opportunity for Briny residents and guests,” Gallacher said.

Manuel and his team started a GoFundMe to raise funds for the new location. Their goal is to raise $85,000, and patrons had donated $11,000 as of May 20. The money from the fundraiser will be used for general construction, equipment, and other business fees. 

To learn more about Deke’s or its fundraising campaign, visit dekesindelray.com.  

A 27-year-old woman stole this black Hyundai sedan at a gas station in Delray Beach and led police on a chase that ended on State Road A1A in Briny Breezes, according to Gulf Stream Police Chief Richard Jones. As Delray Beach police officers followed the driver northbound on A1A, Jones and other Gulf Stream officers moved to intercept her. The driver appeared to try to run over Jones after he had deployed stop sticks on A1A at the Gulf Stream Golf Course. The chase ended in Briny Breezes when two Gulf Stream officers, including Sgt. Michael Balak (center), used a Precision Immobilization Technique — called a PIT maneuver — to bump the car and force it off the road and to a stop. The driver was taken to the hospital. Delray Beach police were handling the report on the incident. Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

By Jeffrey Cassady

New croquet courts might be coming to Delray Beach, but city commissioners want to know more about the costs and impact of bringing the game to city recreational facilities before they decide if — and where — to build.

The commission directed city staff at its regular meeting on May 19 to develop a plan that includes costs, building timelines, site plans and potential funding sources for new croquet facilities — with Mayor Tom Carney urging they be built at Veterans Park. 

The discussion, which occasionally sparked heated exchanges among commissioners, comes after the commission asked city staff last year to begin researching the feasibility of bringing croquet to the city.

“We have an idea here, but we have no plans,” Deputy Vice Mayor Tom Markert said at the meeting. “You can’t possibly expect any of us up here to make a decision on this today. I mean, I gotta see a business plan.”

Croquet is a growing sport in South Florida, said David McCoy, chair emeritus of the West Palm Beach-based Croquet Foundation of America. At the meeting, McCoy gave a presentation about croquet’s appeal and its history in the area.

At least nine resorts and private clubs between Pompano Beach and West Palm Beach — including The Boca Raton resort — play host to croquet clubs, according to material in McCoy’s presentation. Even in Gulf Stream, where polo mallets once ruled the town’s social season, croquet mallets are now swung on courts at The Little Club and at St. Andrews Club.

McCoy said he estimates that about a thousand croquet players are associated with those various clubs.

Veterans Park and the city-owned Delray Beach Golf Club emerged last year as leading candidates to play host to Delray Beach’s proposed croquet facilities. 

“It’s consistent with your mission of providing recreation and a meeting place for the community,” McCoy said of croquet courts at Veterans Park. “I think you can expect a very high utilization.”

McCoy estimated that installing croquet courts would cost $200,000 each. He added that using artificial turf for the lawns could help keep ongoing maintenance costs down.

“I think putting in artificial turf is the way to go there,” McCoy said. “You have room for two beautiful courts.”

Carney said croquet could benefit both Veterans Park, a waterfront park at 802 NE First St., as well as the surrounding area by attracting more people.

“All the demographics suggest that this will be a great success,” Carney said. “It’s something that will bring people downtown.

“And when they’re downtown, (they’ll) stay downtown and go utilize the facilities around it,” Carney added. “And because it’s a low-impact sport, you can be 9 or 90” years old.

Veterans Park currently boasts shuffleboard and lawn bowling courts, either of which may be affected by the introduction of croquet.

Commissioner Juli Casale said parking poses a challenge at Veterans Park and that the city should consider putting croquet lawns at the golf club instead.

She also expressed concerns about how installation and maintenance of the croquet facilities would be funded and whether it made sense to have city staff continue to work on potential plans for croquet before funding sources could be identified.

“We don’t have the money,” Casale said. “I don’t understand where we’re going to find it. … Until we have the money, I don’t think we should have another meeting on this.”

Carney proposed using excess park-improvement bond funds as a way to pay for the croquet lawns without affecting the general budget.

However, City Attorney Lynn Gelin said installing croquet lawns at Veterans Park might not be an appropriate use of those funds.

Carney, also an attorney, disagreed, saying a plain-text reading of the bond’s language provides flexibility to fund additional projects. Gelin said she’d investigate the issue further.

Carney also raised concerns about how placing the croquet lawns at the Delray Beach Golf Club could affect bond issuance associated with that property.

The golf club is undergoing $28.5 million in renovations. It is expected to reopen in November, according to the golf club’s website.

Further, by installing the croquet lawns at the golf club west of Interstate 95, the downtown area would miss additional business that croquet players could bring there, Carney said. 

“If you put it at the golf course, you are not doing anything to help downtown,” Carney said. If croquet players “have to get into their cars to go to lunch, they’re not driving downtown.” 

Mayor, not liking discussion, ends meeting — Rather than allow Delray Beach city commissioners time at their June 2 meeting to decide whether to request the Palm Beach County Commission on Ethics investigate him, Mayor Tom Carney adjourned the meeting.

Commissioners Juli Casale and Tom Markert wanted the City Commission to request the investigation after a May 27 Sun-Sentinel editorial questioned the mayor’s decision to contact city Planning and Zoning Board members regarding a development before them that he previously represented and his brother now has a stake in.

Casale had given Vice Mayor Angela Burns, who said she had not heard about the editorial, a copy of it and was asking to see if she would agree to the request when Carney unilaterally ended the meeting without a motion to adjourn even being made.

— Larry Barszewski

Free off-street parking Wednesdays — The City Commission on May 19 unanimously approved free parking at city-owned garages and surface lots downtown every Wednesday this summer.

The promotion started June 3 and runs through Aug. 26. Parking at eligible lots will be free all day and night. On-street parking and private lots are not included. For maps and information about downtown parking, visit downtowndelraybeach.com/parking.

City worker raises coming — The City Commission voted unanimously at its regular meeting on May 19 to approve cost-of-living wage adjustments for city employees and retirees.

The 3.5% adjustment for current employees will go into effect Oct. 1. It will affect about 400 non-probationary general employees, who are employees not represented by a union. The city estimates the adjustment will cost about $1.2 million.

The commission also unanimously approved a 2.5% cost-of-living adjustment for general retirees.

— Jeffrey Cassady

Bulldozers and backhoes work the grounds of The Little Club as part of the remake of the property. Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star 

By Steve Plunkett

Just as road and drainage construction winds down in Gulf Stream’s Core area, members-only The Little Club has torn up its golf course in a major restoration of its tee boxes, fairways and greens.

At the opposite, south end of town, the Gulf Stream Golf Club is launching a redo of its clubhouse. 

The Little Club golf course was constructed in 1968, according to documents filed with Gulf Stream and with the South Florida Water Management District. 

Changes are being made to its drainage, which consists of interconnected lakes that convey runoff to the northwest corner of the golf course, where two pumps discharge water to the Intracoastal Waterway.

The club plans to excavate 0.93 acres of new lake and fill 0.77 acres of existing lake for a net increase of 0.16 acres of lake. Minor changes will be made to the existing grading of the golf course to facilitate better drainage collection and runoff, the documents said.

The town’s Architectural Review and Planning Board approved a landscaping plan in late March to let The Little Club clear the land and remove 36 trees from within 100 feet of its property boundaries. They will be replaced with 74 new trees: specifically 21 green buttonwoods, 11 silver buttonwoods, four date palms, 13 royal palms and 25 sabal palms. Additionally, 35 trees will be transplanted, while 159 will stay where they are. 

“Tree health, invasive species, proposed site grading, golf course layout adjustments, and maintenance concerns are the primary reasons why trees are being removed or transplanted,” landscape architect Aaron Elswick wrote in the club’s ARPB application.

As for the Gulf Stream Golf Club, work is planned for the southeast corner of its 102-year-old, Addison Mizner-designed clubhouse after Town Commission approval of a small modification on May 8.

The commission first approved the golf club’s plan in June 2023. 

“We’re increasing the setback from the ocean. … We’re actually reducing the square footage of the addition, but we’re bringing that addition a little bit further north,” club attorney Jamie Gavigan said. 

By Jane Musgrave

When Daniel Hassan looked at the long abandoned Ocean Ridge home of one of the ex-wives of notorious automaker John DeLorean, he didn’t focus on the peeling paint, the rotting wood or the plywood covering the windows.

“It’s a gem,” the 43-year-old Boca Raton real estate investor declared days after plunking down $3.6 million on May 28 for the oceanfront home that town residents have long derided as an embarrassing eyesore.

Then, acknowledging the home’s reputation in the community, he laughed.

“I’ve been called crazy a few times,” he said.

Rather than tear down the home that sits at an odd angle on an overgrown lot on Old Ocean Boulevard just south of Tropical Drive, Hassan said he plans to renovate it to recapture its half-century-old charm.

“Why tear down a perfectly good house?” he asked rhetorically. “Wow, this is a home from the 1950s.”

An artist’s rendering illustrates his vision for the home, which was long ago converted into a duplex. It shows a white house under a shake-tiled roof with blue shutters and window boxes brimming with flowers.

Daniel Hassan, above, has started the daunting task of rehabbing the former DeLorean duplex on Old Ocean Boulevard in Ocean Ridge. Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

He plans to restore it as a 1950s-style bungalow, below. Rendering provided

While the property may one day be developed into something far more grandiose, that is years into the future, Hassan said.

“Our intent is to rehabilitate it and keep it in the family portfolio as a beach bungalow,” he said. “We want to restore it to what it was back in the 1950s.”

Ocean Ridge resident Terry Brown, who for years has pushed the town to raze the home and turn it and an adjacent parcel that Hassan purchased into a natural area, questioned the viability of planned renovation.

“Water comes up from the dune into the structure,” he said. “It’s been filled with water and sand on at least two occasions.”

Still, he said, if Hassan can figure out a way to keep the ocean at bay and comply with myriad other state and local regulations, it would be an improvement.

“Fixing it up is better than looking at it the way it is now,” Brown said.

Hassan said he has met repeatedly with town officials. “The tone from city hall has been extremely professional,” he said.

Real estate agent Dorian Hayes, who represented owner Howard Goldsmith in the sale, said she is convinced Hassan’s plans will become reality.

“He’s prepared to go through town approvals and do whatever needs to be done,” said Hayes, who works for Douglas Elliman.

Since Goldsmith put the house on the market last year for $5 million, Hayes said she has fielded numerous phone calls from would-be buyers. Given that the property is on the ocean, the interest wasn’t unexpected. 

But, given the oddities of the property, those who followed through had to be creative. One man suggested that he would raze the house and build a cabana for his family to use when they came to the beach on weekends, she said.

Little has been done to the house since Elizabeth DeLorean purchased it in 1980, roughly 11 years after her 14-year marriage to the famous automaker ended. But the deeds became more complex.

In 1984, now retired Boynton Beach contractor Robert Larkie, who was renting half of the duplex, convinced DeLorean to divide the house so he would own half and she would own the other half.

Then, in 1987, DeLorean and Larkie bought the adjacent lot. That meant that three different pieces of land were involved in the recent sale.

Eventually, Larkie said he tired of paying high taxes for land that he couldn’t do much with. He couldn’t touch the vacant lot because it is environmentally sensitive land. Further, town officials insisted he couldn’t build a bigger house than the existing one.

Disgusted, in 2000 he sold his half to John Dragonas, who had befriended DeLorean. Roughly four years before her death in 2004 at age 81, DeLorean did the same.

But, Dragonas encountered the same resistance from Town Hall that had confounded Larkie. With no air conditioning in the house, he slept in his van in the driveway. His health suffered.

In 2023, Goldsmith purchased the three parcels for $2.6 million after Dragonas defaulted on a loan. The Boca Raton real estate investor didn’t want to develop the property, Hayes said. He just wanted to sell it.

After Hassan bought the property, he spent the weekend cleaning out long abandoned artifacts from past owners. Most of what he recovered was owned by Dragonas and returned, Hassan said. 

While the house is unconventional, Hassan said it is ideal for him.

A self-described car guy, who converted a former Baer’s Furniture store in Tamarac into a car museum called the Patina Collective, he said he was intrigued that the house had been owned by DeLorean.

He is also intrigued by old Florida and wants to protect what remains of it.

“I’m an anti-development real estate guy,” Hassan said. “Since COVID, everyone who moves here wants to tear things down and build something bigger.”

He said he isn’t convinced bigger is necessarily better.

“Not everything has to be a megamansion,” Hassan said. 

By Mary Hladky

All but one southeastern Palm Beach County community saw their property values increase this year — though most performed below the countywide growth percentage.

South Palm Beach’s values declined for a second consecutive year.

The county’s taxable property values increased by nearly 7% over the past year, according to data released on May 27 by Property Appraiser Dorothy Jacks.

The preliminary estimates, which will be revised at the end of June, show that while the countywide taxable value jump of 6.9% was below the 7.7% increase recorded last year, it still is a healthy rate of growth.

In southeastern Palm Beach County, Briny Breezes led the way with an 11% taxable value increase, followed by Gulf Stream with a 7.7% jump, the only two in the area to outpace the county. 

In order of growth, the other municipalities experienced the following increases: Delray Beach 6.9%, Lantana 6.7%, Ocean Ridge 6.3%, Boca Raton 6.2%, Boynton Beach 4.9%, Manalapan 4.8%, and Highland Beach 4.1%.

South Palm Beach, the only one of the county’s 39 municipalities to see its values decrease, posted a 1.24% drop — double last year’s 0.62% decline. The year before that, the town posted a 10% increase.

Jacks said the county’s overall increase was assisted by almost 4,000 new residential units — including single-family homes, condominiums and townhomes — added to the tax roll.

“Somewhat similarly to 2025, we are seeing value increases focused in the new construction space, particularly in new residential construction,” Jacks said.

Last year, a total of 2,700 single-family homes and 22 new apartment complexes were added to the tax roll for a gain of 3,773 units. 

Taxable values dropped countywide after the 2008 economic crash, but recovery started in 2013. Since then, taxable values have gained every year. Of the county’s municipalities, Boca Raton continues to have the highest taxable value, at
$42.5 billion, followed by Palm Beach’s $37.5 billion.

Taxable value increases are welcome news for municipal leaders as they work to finalize their budgets for the new fiscal year that begins Oct. 1.

Local governments use taxable values to calculate how much property tax money they can expect. They then set annual budgets and tax rates.

An increase in taxable value means they will collect more money from property owners even if they keep their tax rate the same as the previous year. 

Unless governments lower their tax rate, homeowners will face higher property tax bills at a time when inflation and rising interest rates are straining family budgets.

To prevent a tax increase entirely, elected officials would have to use the “rolled-back” rate, which state law requires them to calculate. That rate would generate the same amount of property tax revenue as the previous year, not counting any taxes that come from new construction.

Municipalities rarely go to the rolled-back rate because of their rising costs.
For example, Boca Raton usually lowers its tax rate by a minuscule amount, which allows city leaders to say they have cut the rate while the city still benefits from increased tax revenue.

Homeowners with homesteaded properties, however, don’t feel the full impact of rising values because state law caps the taxable value increase to 3%. Non-homesteaded properties are capped at 10%.

Taxable value numbers are based on market conditions as of Jan. 1, so they do not reflect any changes in 2026. They will be submitted to the Florida Department of Revenue once finalized at the end of June. Local governments set their property tax rates in September.

But there’s a wild card this year that could reduce the amount of revenue governments can collect from homeowners in the future.

Gov. Ron DeSantis has said he would like to see property taxes eliminated for almost all homesteaded properties.

State lawmakers on June 2 passed his initiative calling for a November ballot measure to amend the state constitution to allow the legislature to reduce property taxes on a large portion of homesteaded properties through property tax exemptions.

The potential for a massive revenue loss is deeply concerning to local officials who are expected to provide a host of services ranging from running water and maintaining parks to providing public safety. 

 County takeover would affect Ocean Ridge, Briny Breezes and Gulf Stream

By Larry Barszewski

Coastal towns relying on Boynton Beach for their drinking water or for fire-rescue services could find themselves dealing with Palm Beach County instead if the city moves forward with a plan unveiled by City Manager Dan Dugger in May.

Dugger, who told city commissioners they “have the possibility to create a municipal utopia,” suggested the way to do so includes selling off the city’s water utilities to the county and merging the city’s fire-rescue department into the county’s.

Money gained from the sale and merger — potentially upward of a half-billion dollars — could be placed into a “municipal endowment fund,” with the city using about $25 million to $40 million in annual interest from the fund to pay for city projects and to reduce property taxes until they eventually are eliminated, Dugger said.

“The endowment fund means a stable income even if our tax base does shrink,” he told commissioners. “The ultimate goal is to lower our millage rate continually, year after year after year, while maintaining the same level of services.”

He also said no city employees would be laid off under the plan that calls for a smaller workforce. Those affected would be transferred to the county, while other positions would eventually disappear through attrition.

The commission will have to determine if Dugger’s plan is the “no-brainer” that Vice Mayor Thomas Turkin said it was, or if the math behind the city manager’s “transformative property tax reduction” doesn’t add up.

The fire-rescue merger would create net annual city property tax savings of about $20 million, Dugger said, though a separate municipal services taxing unit (MSTU) would be created and would offset any of those savings for property owners. However, the city would be able to eliminate a $145-a-year fire assessment fee charged to homeowners — a fee that Dugger said may need to rise to as much as $350 a year if no merger takes place — and about $100 million from the sale of fire-rescue equipment and buildings to the county could start amassing a city endowment fund.

Dugger estimated the endowment fund would get another $375 million to $470 million or more by selling its water utilities to the county. If the county doesn’t take over the water utilities, the city could face a $300 million bond issue in the not-too-distant future to pay for needed upgrades.

Dugger said the endowment fund, in addition to other possibilities, could also be used to buy up land in the city — to give the city more control over what gets developed and to reduce the impact of state laws that have made it harder for cities to prevent high-density housing developments within their communities.

The changes would impact three coastal towns that get or plan to get services from Boynton Beach: Ocean Ridge and Briny Breezes receive their water and fire-rescue services from the city; Gulf Stream is planning to tap into Boynton Beach’s water supply beginning in about a year.

There’s a long way to go before any plan is reality.

“I envision that we will have lots of conversations with the residents about this,” said Commissioner Aimee Kelley, while acknowledging some of the motivation behind the plan, including state efforts to cut back on how much municipalities — except for public safety — use property taxes to cover their costs.

“Being up here over three years, you know we hear the common thread, that of ‘don’t raise the taxes but keep providing services. We want more, but we want to pay less,’” Kelley said.

Dugger’s plan includes elements for restructuring the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency, which would see its city property tax revenues reduced. It also addresses city pension liabilities and having the city switch the services it continues to provide to more of a fee-based model. 

Construction work is still not completed at the Mandarin Oriental. The condo residences, with plastering, are to the left and the hotel is to the right. Photos by Larry Barszewski/The Coastal Star

By Mary Hladky

Would-be buyers of Mandarin Oriental condos in downtown Boca Raton once again are filing lawsuits seeking return of their deposits because construction of their units was not completed by the deadlines set in their purchase agreements.

The first wave of litigation took place mostly in the summer of 2024 when four couples and an individual filed suits. After a filing slow-down, seven additional buyers have sought court relief from late 2025 and continuing through this spring.

The recent litigants put down deposits that generally ranged between $1 million and $2 million. They also are seeking their attorneys’ fees and interest.

Most signed purchase agreements in 2022. Those documents state that their units “shall be” completed and delivered to the buyer within three years of the estimated completion date.

But those 2025 deadlines passed and their units still weren’t ready. Failure to meet the deadlines would place Penn-Florida in default of the agreements.

When they sought return of their deposits, they either did not hear back from developer Penn-Florida Companies or were told they were not entitled to get their money back, their suits state.

Many of the recent litigants are represented by attorney James Ferrara, a former Palm Beach County Circuit Court judge who also represented a number of the initial litigants.

Ferrara, who spoke with The Coastal Star in 2024 about that year’s cases, did not respond to the newspaper’s recent inquiries.

Attorney Adrian Alvarez of De Biase|Alvarez in Boca Raton, who represented a Highland Beach couple in 2024 who eventually entered into a confidential settlement agreement with Penn-Florida, now represents Jack Fiorella III, who put down a $1.65 million deposit for a unit in 2022.

When it was not ready for occupancy three years later, Alvarez and his client tried to resolve the matter but were unsuccessful, leading to the filing of a lawsuit in April.

“They have not been in communication at all,” Alvarez said of Penn-Florida and the company’s attorney Robert Sweetapple.

“I think it is extremely disappointing that a developer who is dragging their feet in construction isn’t willing to have more direct conversations with the purchasers,” Alvarez said.

“The developer has received all the benefit of all the interest that could have been accrued on the money, yet these purchasers have gotten zero return on their money.”

A look south on Federal Highway shows the incomplete Mandarin Oriental condo residence construction, followed by the less finished hotel portion of the project, and then the first-phase Via Mizner apartment complex completed in 2016 just north of Camino Real.

Asked why purchasers have resumed filing lawsuits, he suggested that the reason is the Dec. 23 bankruptcy filing by Penn-Florida affiliates on the 164-room Mandarin Oriental hotel that is being built next to the condo building on Federal Highway, just north of Camino Real.

The affiliates filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection after they were unable to repay lenders about $210 million at loan maturity.

That bankruptcy filing “has gotten everyone worried the condominium development is next,” Alvarez said.

One couple who has abandoned plans to move into a Mandarin Oriental condo is Nilesh and Liliana Undavia of Boston. They relocated to a condo in Boca Raton in 2022 but decided they wanted a larger one.

Based on what they were told, they had expected to be able to move quickly into the Mandarin Oriental.

They have pursued a different litigation strategy than other prospective owners, filing a seven-count lawsuit in 2024 whose allegations include fraudulent inducement and constructive fraud.

“We feel we were fraudulently induced into the purchase and sale contract,” Nilesh Undavia said. “Had we known all the facts, we would have never bought.”

Prospective condo owners aren’t alone in going to court. Contractors that have done work on the hotel and condo building also have filed suits seeking to be paid for their work.

In response to questions from The Coastal Star, Penn-Florida said, “…we remain committed to delivering one of the finest urban resorts in America.

“The overwhelming majority of our future Residents are excited to be a part of this exceptional development. However, we understand that, over time, circumstances may change for a small percentage of Residents. In such cases, we will continue to not only honor our agreements, but endeavor to be as flexible as possible in accommodating their needs, just as we have done thus far.”

Sweetapple did not respond to two requests for comment. A Mandarin Oriental media contact also did not respond.

But in court filings, Sweetapple contends that a unit completion date is an estimate, not a guarantee, that is subject to revision due to delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, including supply chain disruption, inflation and contractor price increases.

That interpretation, prospective owners contend, is invalid and contradicted by clear contract language.

Sweetapple also citied hurricanes Ian, which hit Florida’s southwest coast, and Nicole, which struck Vero Beach, in 2022 and impacted the supply chain and labor market.

The Mandarin Oriental project, announced with fanfare in 2015, has been exceedingly slow to rise from the ground. The completion date has been pushed back repeatedly and many city residents consider the construction site an eyesore.

After little construction took place for long stretches, the work on the 12-story condo building has moved more quickly in recent months. The hotel building, however, remains a shell.

In its most recent status report to the city, the developer expected the condo tower to be substantially complete by the fourth quarter of this year and the hotel tower by the third quarter of 2027.

But two bankruptcy filings have revealed financial strains.

The first Chapter 11 filing came in early 2025 to head off an auction of Penn-Florida’s 101 Via Mizner luxury apartment building located immediately south of the condos and hotel.

Penn-Florida faced losing that 366-unit building because it failed to pay off a $195 million senior loan provided by an affiliate of Blackstone Mortgage Trust in 2022.

That problem was resolved last summer when Cardone Real Estate Acquisitions — led by real estate investor and social media celebrity Grant Cardone — purchased the building for $235 million and creditors were repaid.

Meanwhile, Mandarin Oriental retains its interest in Palm Beach County. The company announced development of Mandarin Oriental Residences West Palm Beach, a 31-story building, in February. 

The town no longer needs to borrow $7 million — or even 7 cents — to finish its 10-year capital improvement project and hook up to Boynton Beach’s drinking water system.

Gulf Stream has already paid $12.9 million for the Core area’s portion of the capital improvement plan and will owe $1.6 million more as work finishes, Town Manager Trey Nazzaro told town commissioners May 8.

He and Chief Financial Officer Mark Bymaster also estimate spending $1.8 million on the water connection, $4 million on resurfacing roads in Place Au Soleil and $900,000 for similar work in Hidden Harbour. But those costs will not be paid until next year and later, Nazzaro said.

“So, because of this time delay, Mark believes the loan is not needed at this time, if ever,” Nazzaro said. “And if we were to draw any money on the loan now, we would just be paying interest unnecessarily while maintaining healthy reserves well in excess of the $4 million.” 

Mayor Scott Morgan called it a “remarkably favorable result.”

“It’s what we always had intended to do, was to not have to borrow money for these projects, to pay for them as we go and maintain solid reserves,” the mayor said.

Gulf Stream may still ask Seacoast Bank to extend the potential loan’s draw period another 12 months, commissioners decided.

— Steve Plunkett

By Larry Barszewski

Manalapan officials are intrigued by new environmentally friendly technologies being used in sea wall creation and shoreline protection, but they know it will be up to town residents to decide whether to have them installed on their properties.

Representatives from Miami-based Kind Designs made a presentation to commissioners at their May 12 meeting about the living sea wall and offshore wave attenuation devices their company produces that can foster an environmentally improved Intracoastal Waterway and impede the erosion of shorelines.

But in a town where all the beaches are private, the town doesn’t own any sea walls, either.

Instead, the town is looking to publicize the benefits of the products that are out there and potentially create incentives for property owners to consider those more environmentally friendly products.

“The town is kind of an intermediary in this situation,” Town Manager Eric Marmer said during a May 27 interview. “We did some exploration. This is just one company. … They make things that help mitigate some of the risk that the town faces.”

Those risks come from seasonal king tides impacting properties along the Intracoastal and from passing storms that pound the coastline and erode beaches.

Unlike the ubiquitous smooth sea walls that have been built historically, Kind Designs and other manufacturers promote walls with caves and crevices — or specialty tiles with the same features that can be attached to existing sea walls. They  promote growth of oysters and other sea life, or can include mangrove plantings. 

The idea behind living sea walls is to repopulate the Intracoastal with organisms that will filter the water and begin to turn it from murky brown into a clearer shade of blue — while also protecting properties from rising seas and growing king tides.

Living shorelines, on the other hand, seek to protect the coastline. Kind Designs uses 3D printing to create structures that can be placed offshore and promote reef-like coastal environments while also protecting nearby beaches. 

“With 3D printing, we’re able to create any shapes, sizes,” Kendall Jaquez of Kind Designs told commissioners. “It’s pretty easy to install as well.”

At the May 12 meeting, Mayor John Deese, who called in from a cruise off the coast of Africa, suggested the town hold a public meeting for residents on the subject, maybe at the town library.

Marmer said an information session will probably be held in the fall, going over the opportunities that are out there.

Manalapan isn’t the only coastal South County municipality taking a deeper dive into the living sea wall and living shoreline opportunities. 

Presentations have been made on the subject recently to commissions in Ocean Ridge and Boynton Beach, and other communities have explored the subject as well. 

Representatives from the USMC 4th ANGLICO Color Guard, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office Honor Guard, the Boynton Beach Fire Department Honor Guard, the Lake Worth High School Air Force JROTC, Santaluces High School Army JROTC, Cub Scouts of America Pack 241, Boy Scouts of America Troop 395, Girl Scouts Troops 24341 and 24547, and the Lantana Explorer Post take part in the procession to start the Memorial Day service. Photos by Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

RELATED: PHOTOS: Memorial Day ceremony; Boca Raton Cemetery — May 25

Greg Parkinson and Don Lanman, representatives of the Sons of the American Revolution, perform the wreath presentation.

Brenda Fritz, of the Daughters of the American Revolution, proudly displays her pins.

Members of the Santaluces High School Army JROTC, Cub Scouts of America Pack 241, and Boy Scouts of America Troop 395 gather prior to the ceremony during the assembly of colors.

Marine 1st Sgt. Adelynn Montano and Lanman salute during the Pledge of Allegiance. 

Related: PHOTOS: Memorial Day ceremony; Boca Raton Cemetery — May 25 | Save Boca founder at odds with rest of City Council | New ordinance gives residents their say over public lands

By Mary Hladky

Memorial Day is a somber occasion, honoring those who made the ultimate sacrifice on behalf of their nation.

And so it was on May 25 in Boca Raton, as about 300 residents came to the Boca Raton Cemetery to pay their respects and reflect on the freedoms that those lost to war preserved.

“To the families of the fallen, we offer our deepest respect and gratitude,” said City Manager Mark Sohaney, who served 37 years in the U.S. Navy. “To veterans, thank you for continuing the legacy of service and sacrifice.”

“Let us never forget their sacrifice,” said Mayor Andy Thomson, whose father served in the Vietnam War. “We pray for them and the veterans who served alongside them.”

Yet, in light of a nearly year-long campaign by Save Boca to preserve the city’s downtown campus from development, including the portion named Memorial Park in honor of World War II veterans, it is not surprising that some of the fraught politics intruded.

That was most apparent at a second ceremony held outside City Hall to unveil a new plaque — costing $3,778 — for Memorial Park.

It replaces one debuted in a March 24 ceremony hastily arranged by then-Mayor Scott Singer one week before he left office.

Veterans criticized it for containing inaccuracies, taking place at an event not open to the public, not making clear the original plaque specifically honored World War II veterans and for including the names of City Council members in place in March, and not those who actually created Memorial Park in 1947.

In addition to making corrections, the new plaque recognizes residents who worked to preserve Memorial Park, culminating in a March 10 vote in which residents overwhelmingly voted down the campus redevelopment plans.

Many of those attending the event were Save Boca members, including founder and now City Council member Jon Pearlman, and many wore Save Boca T-shirts.

For them, the plaque re-do was an acknowledgement of their efforts to preserve not only the name Memorial Park but also the open space and recreation facilities that it contains.

“The rededication of this park nearly 80 years later is a testament to how important it is to protect this special and historically significant part of Boca,” Pearlman said after the ceremony.

Once the unveiling concluded, attendees celebrated and gathered for group photos.

Thomson acknowledged that the history of Memorial Park has been largely forgotten, and he thanked residents for correcting that.

“I am so thankful to be able to dedicate and unveil this Memorial Park plaque today for the first time in a meaningful way so that everyone from this point forward knows that this city loves its history and we care about our country,” he said.

Sohaney said: “As we move ahead together, I believe there’s a shared commitment to ensuring this park remains a place of remembrance, reflection and respect for generations to come.”