Nicole Von Paris looks inside the sailboat Tayana that washed ashore in Delray Beach. Police spokesman Ted White said the 41-foot sailboat, first spotted on Dec. 15, is thought to have lost its mooring in the multiday storm that hit the area with heavy rain and high winds starting on Dec. 14. As of Jan. 2, the boat was still trapped in the sand, according to Delray Beach Ocean Rescue. White referred questions about the situation to the U.S. Coast Guard, but officials there and at the state Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said they had not received any calls about a sailboat run aground in the corresponding area in the last two weeks of December. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

The Subculture Group is seeking approval to paint murals on the east and south sides of its future coffee shop on northbound Federal Highway in Delray Beach. Rendering provided

A place for art? — The City Commission has agreed to review the Public Arts Advisory Board’s approval of murals on two sides of the Subculture coffee shop that will open at 302 NE Sixth Ave. The Downtown Development Authority had recommended against the murals, voting that the proposal did not encourage economic development and did not promote “the downtown as a prosperous downtown area.”

Several commissioners were concerned about the murals in an area that is not an arts district. They were also upset that the owners had begun work on the murals before the commission rendered its final decision. Commissioners voted 3-2 to review the decision, with Commissioners Adam Frankel and Rob Long voting to let the approval stand.

A place for lawn bowlers and shuffleboarders? — The Delray Beach Preservation Trust is opposed to plans to pave over the lawn-bowling and shuffleboard courts at Veterans Park to relocate parking at the park. The existing parking spaces on the west side of the park are to be turned into additional park space that will link the existing park to the Atlantic Crossing project now under construction.

The trust said the courts are part of the historic character of the park. Vice Mayor Ryan Boylston said there are options for the future. “If there is a huge demand to bring back any bocce or lawn-bowling, two different things I’ve learned, we’re going to have all this extra new park space. If we want to put in a few courts because demand is just through the roof, we can do that,” Boylston said.

Town halls start in January — City Manager Terrence Moore is planning quarterly town hall gatherings to discuss topics of interest with residents. The first is scheduled for 5 p.m. Jan. 25 at the Delray Beach Golf Club, 2200 Highland Ave. The topics for the town hall are still to be determined.

Let there be light — Delray Beach has been experiencing delays in getting street lights replaced because a Florida Power & Light subcontractor has fallen behind on reported problems, Public Works Director Missie Barletto said in a Dec. 6 email to the city manager.

“The largest issue was on Ocean Boulevard across from the Municipal Beach, where an issue with a transformer had cut power to both the street lights south of Atlantic Avenue and to the meter on the east side of A1A, affecting both the pedestrian lighting and irrigation along the Beach Promenade. Issues to the north of Atlantic Avenue also were reported,” Barletto wrote.

She said all the problems have been fixed, but five turtle-friendly street lights on A1A “were inadvertently replaced with bright white LED lighting between Thomas Street and the Orange Grove parking lot.”

FPL promises to have those corrected by the start of turtle nesting season March 1, she said.

Parks project gets no takers — No one bid on the city’s Pompey Park construction project, which went out to bid in August. That’s “likely due to the scale and complexity of the project,” a city spokeswoman said, so officials have regrouped.

“Since that time, we have adjusted the methodology to a construction manager at risk approach, which will allow for much more collaboration between the owner’s representative, architect on record, and contractors,” said Gina Carter, the city’s communications director.

The city will now select an owner’s representative from among several submitted proposals with the goal of rebidding the project by mid-2024, Carter said.

The project is being paid for by the Community Redevelopment Agency, not the parks bond approved by voters in March. The CRA’s $40 million budget for the project this year is double the size of the $20 million parks bond.

— Larry Barszewski

By Steve Plunkett

Paul Lyons Jr., a seven-year veteran of the Gulf Stream Town Commission, vacated his seat on Dec. 8 with a simple “I resign, effective tomorrow” followed by a round of emotional thank-you’s to his colleagues on the dais, the town’s staff and its police officers.

“It’s been very rewarding,” Lyons said, offering no reason at the commission meeting for quitting and pausing frequently to compose himself. “Sorry for being emotional. I didn’t want to be.”

Commissioners did not say when they would fill Lyons’ seat, but historically they have quickly appointed someone from the town’s Architectural Review and Planning Board.

That’s what happened when, at the same meeting Lyons resigned, commissioners elevated ARPB member Robert Canfield of Place Au Soleil to fill ex-Commissioner Thom Smith’s seat until the 2026 election. Smith resigned a month earlier.

Lyons and his wife, Susan, bought their home on Polo Drive in April 2007. When an opening popped up on the ARPB four years later, he submitted a letter of interest and got the seat.

After not quite five years on the ARPB, he was appointed to the commission on Mayor Scott Morgan’s recommendation. Morgan at the time noted as an asset Lyons’ background in finance and business.

The mayor said the town had delegated several projects to Lyons, which included plotting a path to pay for Gulf Stream’s ambitious 10-year capital improvement plan without raising taxes or borrowing money. The town is now considering taking a loan to finish the project, another balancing act that Lyons helped devise.

“Your financial acumen has been very helpful to the town,” Morgan said. “The town owes you a debt of gratitude.”

Lyons is also the treasurer on the board of directors of the prestigious Gulf Stream Golf Club. He and his wife also have homes in Southampton, New York, and Vail, Colorado.

Their daughter, Olivia, and her husband, David Endres, are building a new home on North County Road.

The mayor said he hoped to keep Lyons involved with the community. The commission did something similar for Smith at the meeting, elevating Canfield to Smith’s former seat and returning Smith to the ARPB that he previously chaired.

In selecting Canfield, commissioners ended Place Au Soleil’s absence from the dais.

“I feel that we should have somebody from Place Au Soleil with that opening. I spoke to Malcolm, who is uncertain what his plans are going to be,” Morgan said, referring to Malcolm Murphy, the ARPB chairman.

Murphy in turn recommended Canfield.

“He’s steady, he’s young, I think he’d be a good member of our commission,” Morgan said.

“I think it’s important to have someone from Place Au Soleil. Last time we couldn’t,” Commissioner Joan Orthwein said.
Canfield, who bought a home in Place Au Soleil in 2015, joined the ARPB as an alternate in May 2021 and became a regular member in April 2022.

“I … would welcome the opportunity to work with the group (ARPB) to have a say in the exciting, yet controlled growth within the town,” Canfield wrote in his 2021 letter of interest in being appointed to the board.

By Larry Barszewski

A broken valve has blocked the flow of water to the fire suppression system at the Villas of Ocean Ridge, which is now relying on human eyes to look out for potential fires until the town is able to repair the valve.

Town commissioners approved an emergency expenditure Dec. 21, estimated between $65,000 and $75,000. It covers the cost of the replacement valves needed to restore full water flow to the fire sprinkler system at 5900 Old Ocean Blvd., with its 26 condominium units in three buildings between State Road A1A and Old Ocean Boulevard.

While the individual units don’t have sprinklers, the three common parking areas under the buildings do. The sprinkler piping was replaced in the parking areas of two of the buildings in October, Boynton Beach Deputy Fire Chief Jake Brant, whose city provides fire rescue services to Ocean Ridge, said in an email to The Coastal Star.

Ocean Ridge plans to make the repairs by installing three valves, instead of just replacing the broken one. The extra valves will prevent a water outage during the repairs that would affect a larger group of residents along a half-mile stretch of A1A between Corrine Street and Woolbright Road, Public Works Director Billy Armstrong told commissioners.

Without the extra valves, “it could be a period of eight to 10 hours that every resident — which would probably affect a couple hundred residents — are going to be without water,” Armstrong said.

Town Manager Lynne Ladner said the problem was discovered during flow testing for the villas.

“It was discovered that the valve on our main that goes to their fire line had dropped its slug,” Ladner said. “The slug [the internal parts of a valve] is dropped and therefore the valve is in a frozen closed position, not allowing ample water through for fire protection. They are not able to get it to reopen and thus we are needing to go in and make a replacement in that area.”

Officials do not know how long the valve has been broken, but Boynton officials said they had received test results as recently as October showing the pressure to be fine. At the time of the meeting, the town was in the process of seeking bids for the valve repair work, which would be approved by Ladner on an emergency basis and brought to the commission’s Jan. 8 meeting for ratification.

Commissioner Carolyn Cassidy asked if the work would be covered by a water main replacement project that the town plans to fund with American Rescue Plan Act grant monies.

Ladner said it could, but it is not in the northern area of town where those funds are expected to be used to replace aging water mains. Also, the town can’t wait on the grant, she said.

“We’re not going to be able to hold off because with this valve in the condition it is in now, that development has been put on what is called Fire Watch … because they don’t have ample water if something happens,” Ladner said.

Brant said “a Fire Watch is a temporary measure intended to ensure continuous and systematic surveillance of a building, or portion of the building, by one or more qualified individuals for the purpose of identifying and controlling fire hazards, detecting early signs of fire, activating an alarm and notifying the fire department in the event of a fire.”

A Fire Watch is common, officials said, taking place whenever a fire alarm or sprinkler system is not operational in an occupied building. The villas were under a Fire Watch for two days in October when the previous sprinkler work was done, Brant said. The expense of the Fire Watch is covered by the development.

In a related matter, the town is in the process of seeking a state grant to find, fix or replace buried water valves in town. The grant would cover half the estimated $500,000 cost of the work.

At a July meeting, Ladner told commissioners the town had neglected maintenance on the hundreds of water valves in town and has difficulty finding the buried valves when needed. The town plans to pinpoint the location of the valves, exercise the valves so they don’t lock in the open or closed position, and install concrete collars around the valves that extend to ground level so the valves can be easily found.

By Steve Plunkett

Briny Breezes has a new mayor, Ted Gross, and for the second time, some controversy — at least from Gross’ would-be challenger — about how residents qualify to run for office.

It also has a new Town Council president, Liz Loper; a new alderman, Jeffrey Duncan; and another vacancy on the dais because Sue Thaler resigned her seat Dec. 28, effective Dec. 31.

Gross took his new seat on Dec. 7 after Loper shifted into the council president’s chair. Duncan was unable to attend the meeting because of a death in his family. The council elected Loper as president.

“My family has been part of Briny Breezes since the beginning. I have been coming to Briny Breezes since I was born,” Gross said in his letter of interest in being appointed mayor. “My wife and I became full-time residents of Briny Breezes in 2014 and we love it here.”

Before Gross, the husband of Alderwoman Kathy Gross, was appointed, would-be candidate Keith Black detailed how he was disqualified from running for the position in the upcoming March election.

“I got a report from the (supervisor) of elections stating that five of my petitions were turned down,” Black said.

Briny Breezes requires a potential mayoral candidate to submit 20 petition forms signed by registered town voters. Black, who sits on the Planning & Zoning Board, submitted 23, thinking that was a sufficient cushion, but five were not accepted.

“They were telling me we had an address wrong,” Black said. “One person was not eligible to vote. One signature was not authenticated, and there was one with an invalid date.

“The individual with the signature that was not authenticated, that gentleman had an accident and his signature before and after his accident do not match,” Black said.

He tried to get the Supervisor of Elections Office to cure the problems but was told it only authenticates or rejects petitions and to seek help from the town. But Town Attorney Keith Davis told him neither he nor the town clerk could overrule the supervisor’s office.

Attorney Trey Nazzaro, standing in for Davis at the December meeting, said their office did not help Mayor Gene Adams with a petition problem in 2021.

“The town or the city attorney’s office did not get involved then so, you know, we’re going to continue with the way that we’ve done that,” Nazzaro said.

Black appealed again to the elections office, sending copies of three petitions with notarized statements from the signees that these were their signatures. Elections officials accepted one, leaving Black one short of the 20 he needed.

Gross and Duncan both were appointed to fill vacancies created by the resignations of Adams and Council President Christina Adams, the council’s previous husband-and-wife team. They announced in October their intentions to resign.

Because no one besides Gross qualified to run for mayor, he was automatically elected and will take the post for a full two-year term in March. The mayor is a non-voting position on the council.

Duncan will have to be reappointed if he is to serve beyond March. He did not file to run for the seat, which is up for election then, and neither did anyone else.

Kathy Gross was reelected automatically when no one challenged her. That means no town offices will be on the ballot during the presidential primary in March.

A notice posted in the town’s post office said the council would fill Thaler’s seat at its Jan. 25 meeting and encouraged people to send letters of interest in being appointed by Jan. 18.

“There will not be an election,” Davis said, adding that the Town Charter dictates that the council fill what he called Thaler’s “mid-term” resignation. Thaler would not have been up for election again until 2025.

Black said he planned to submit a letter of interest.

Thaler and the Adamses did not say why they resigned, but Town Manager Bill Thrasher blamed Form 6, the state’s new requirement that municipal officials detail their personal finances online.

“The effect of Form 6, with respect to all our newly appointed council members, in essence the effect of Form 6, the Town of Briny Breezes lost 23 years of experience or will lose 23 years of experience with people that sat on this board,” he said.

Thaler joined the council in 2012, Christina Adams in 2015 and Gene Adams in 2019.

Town manager’s report
Thrasher noted that he starts the fifth year in his position on Jan. 8.

“It’s my intent to continue serving as your town manager as long as I can,” he said.

But there will be changes, he said, including more face-to-face interaction with county commissioners, the League of Cities and state officials as he tries to find money for sea wall and stormwater upgrades.

“My emphasis going forward next year hopefully will be outreach,” Thrasher said. “Not concentrate so much on working within the Town Hall. I’m working outside Town Hall.”

Thrasher is contracted to work an average 25 hours a week, and he works remotely in the summer. Council members, who will evaluate his job performance at their Jan. 25 meeting, praised his output.

“I also think that when you do go to North Carolina we don’t even know you’re not here. So that’s a compliment,” Alderman Bill Birch said.

Thrasher also reported that the town has completed the rehabilitation of all seven of its sewage lift stations.

By Tao Woolfe

A developer from Greensburg, Kentucky, has been selected to design a new U.S. post office for downtown Boynton Beach.

Maple Tree Investments — one of two developers seeking to design and build a 3,490-square- foot retail post office at 401-411 E. Boynton Beach Blvd. — was approved by the Community Redevelopment Agency board on Dec. 12.

“I have experience in property acquisition, design and construction of postal properties in Kentucky, North Carolina, West Virginia and Oklahoma,” Todd R. Conley, owner/manager of Maple Tree Investments LLC, told the CRA board.

“These properties range in size from 3,200 square feet to 20,000 square feet. They encompass sorting, delivery and also retail.”

Maple Tree was competing with DMR Construction Services Inc., which has offices in Delray Beach and Waldwick, New Jersey, and has completed residential and commercial projects in Boynton Beach and surrounding communities.

Although the city commissioners, in their role as the CRA board, said they were familiar with DMR, they seemed impressed that Maple Tree has already built post offices in Kentucky, North Carolina and West Virginia.

“Postal construction is different from regular commercial construction and we’ve been down that road multiple times,” Conley said.

“If I had to make a choice tonight, it would be Maple Tree,” said Commissioner Aimee Kelley.

As it turned out, she did have to vote that night, and her colleagues agreed unanimously that Maple Tree should get the job.

The downtown post office was asked by the CRA to vacate its current home — at 217 N. Seacrest Blvd. — because the CRA wanted to sell the building to a mixed-use or commercial property developer. The CRA then solicited proposals for a new post office to be created for a building the agency owns on Boynton Beach Boulevard.

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

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

The CRA re-advertised the bids and received the latest two responses in September.

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

The proposal selected by the CRA board calls for a single-story, stand-alone building.

The post office, represented by U.S. Postal Service real estate specialist Richard Hancock, has said all along it wants to stay downtown and, with the right concept, would lease that space on a long-term basis.

Under the new proposal, the post office would be offered a 10-year initial lease with two five-year renewal options. The CRA board voted unanimously to extend USPS’s lease for its current home on North Seacrest to Jan. 31, 2025, but raised the annual rental rate 5% to $189,000.

CRA and city officials have said there may be few people willing to build to suit — and to serve as landlord — for a government entity.

Conley said Maple Tree’s role will be like that of a general contractor, and that the financing for the $1.3 million project has already been secured. He estimated that the total cost for the new building would be about $2.9 million, which includes construction, permitting and design. No estimate for a completion date was given.

Conley also said he personally monitors all his company’s projects. “You call, you get me,” he said.

LEFT: Jakob Thompson, a 17-year-old student at Santaluces High School, leaps into the water flowing out the Boynton Inlet to rescue a woman who was being swept out to sea in November. Video and photo provided

VIDEO: https://thecoastalstar.com/videos/boynton-beach-hero

BELOW: In recognition of his heroics, Thompson was invited by Boynton Beach’s fire rescue team to tour the station, where he was met with a surprise: Sarah Perry awarded him the Aden Perry Good Samaritan Scholarship. Perry started the foundation after her son (also 17) died while attempting to rescue someone from a lake. Thompson will receive a scholarship for him to become a firefighter EMT. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

Utilities Director Poonam Kalkat praised the quick work to fix and clean up the leak at the east end of Boynton Beach Boulevard. But the state is investigating the leak and could penalize the city. Tao Woolfe/The Coastal Star

By Tao Woolfe

The corrosive power of saltwater seeping into a junction box caused a sewer pipe spill last summer that dumped millions of gallons of sewage into the Intracoastal Waterway.

The incident has cost Boynton Beach about $1.6 million so far, and could cost much more, as the city investigates other potential infrastructure problems in a system whose oldest pipes date back to the 1970s and ’80s.

Those were the conclusions of Poonam Kalkat, utilities director for Boynton Beach, who delivered the report to city commissioners on Dec. 19.

Then on Dec. 21, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection sent a “warning letter” to the city, adding another potentially expensive layer to the repair process.

The letter states that due to a broken city meter, approximately 22 million gallons of untreated wastewater discharged “into the waters of the state affecting water quality,” and that the city could be liable for damages and restoration. The breach occurred July 3 and the leak was stopped July 6.

The warning is part of a DEP investigation and is preliminary to the department’s taking action in accordance with state statutes, the letter says.

Earlier, a department spokesman said the DEP was “pursuing formal enforcement in this matter, in the form of a consent order, which may include civil penalties.”

“The consent order will also include corrective actions and solutions to avoid future discharges, with timelines for completion.”

At the Dec. 19 City Commission meeting, Kalkat gave a dramatic accounting of how Boynton Beach utilities staff, as well as emergency contractors called in to help, spent days and nights at the spill site — at the far eastern end of Boynton Beach Boulevard.

Divers worked hours against unusually high tides to access a so-called conflict box designed by the Florida Department of Transportation. The box enabled an 84-inch DOT stormwater pipe to intersect with a city force main pipe bearing sewage from a lift station.

“Divers arrived on site to do repairs as this was considered the fastest way to stop the spill,” Kalkat said. “A team of divers attempted to repair the damaged pipe, using a repair clamp; however, after trying for over 10 hours the divers were unsuccessful as the back pressure in the pipe, and the tidal water, did not allow the repair clamp saddle to be tightened completely.”

While divers worked to repair the pipe, city staff contacted other municipalities asking for help and parts — scarce with the July 4 holiday approaching, Kalkat said.

The conflict box was filled up with water twice a day, Kalkat said. The brackish water running in and around the storm pipe corroded the pipe bearing wastewater and caused sewage to leach into the ICW.

City officials originally estimated that some 12 million gallons of wastewater emptied into the Intracoastal following the breach, a lesser estimate than that of the Florida DEP.

Kalkat said at the time that the 50-year-old clay piping that ran beneath Boynton Beach Boulevard was on the books to be replaced, but had not been.

To reduce back pressure, the emergency contractor’s crews decided to install a 20-inch line stop downstream of the break. The action alleviated pressure, which would theoretically allow the dive team to repair the leak during low tide, Kalkat said. But divers failed at that attempt, too.

City staff removed 38 truckloads of water and material. Meanwhile, the DEP and the state Health Department monitored the situation and sampled the water every day. Clean Harbors, a Boynton-based waste removal service, placed booms and turbidity barriers around the spill and removed another 37 drums of waste, Kalkat said.

“Over 900 linear feet of above-ground bypass hose, along with a 20-inch by 12-inch wet tap, was installed by the contractor, successfully stopping the spill,” Kalkat said.

Department of Health signs posted near entrances to Mangrove Park warned visitors to avoid contact with canal and lake water “due to high amounts of bacteria.” The city report said water was sampled until Aug. 10 at the point of entry, upstream and downstream of that point, at the city boat ramps to the north and the Woolbright Road bridge to the south.

Kalkat said she was pleased with how the city staff — and contractors — worked steadily until the repairs were made.

“I’m so proud of how our staff responded,” Kalkat told the commissioners. “It took two weeks to clean up completely.

“The city’s quick response prevented further damage.”

But Mayor Ty Penserga said the city had received many complaints from people who live near the spill. The city was slow to let residents know what was happening, and whether their water was safe to drink, he said.

Better communication and response times are needed, he said, because lack of communication sows distrust.

Four work permit extensions have been granted for the 1.5-acre spec estate at 1460 S. Ocean Blvd. Anne Geggis/The Coastal Star

By Christine Davis

The long-running saga of a construction eyesore in Manalapan has another chapter: The Nigerian oil mogul who sank millions into the property gave it up to his lender who had filed to foreclose on it.

A week after the deed was recorded in December, the new owner of 1460 S. Ocean Blvd. took his turn in front of the Manalapan Town Commission, seeking a fourth permit extension for the work that started in 2018 on the 1.5-acre, lake-to-ocean property.

Commissioners agreed to move the Dec. 26 construction deadline back another half year, until July 1.

But it didn’t happen without some grousing first.

“It looks like you’ve got a lot of site work left to do,” Mayor Stewart Satter observed, addressing the new owner, Ed London of London Financial South Ocean LLC, Key Biscayne, who acquired the property for $21.5 million, court records show.

Many of the twists and turns — and delays — have been due to former owner Onajite Okoloko’s financial state. “Domestic problems,” London told commissioners.

Later he clarified: That means “divorce.”

Okoloko purchased the property in 2017 for $12.4 million. Over the years, he borrowed $48.5 million (and paid off $20 million of that) to build the house, official records show.

London Financial’s foreclosure case against Okoloko, chairman and CEO of Nigerian-based oil and natural gas producing and exploring companies, was still open at the end of December, court records show.

But London said the project’s completion is on the horizon — it really is.

“Structurally, the house is done,” London said.

The latest $37,877 fee for the permit extension brings the total Manalapan has collected for permit fees on the project to $583,038.

“In a spirit of cooperation, the commission extended the permit request until July 1st,” Satter said. “If the project is not completed by July 1st, they will be required to apply for another permit extension.”

The first permit was pulled in 2018 and construction began in 2019. The unfinished home is now on the market for $87.5 million, bumped up from Okoloko’s asking price last summer of $79.5 million. An online description of the property shows it will be nearly 20,000 square feet, with six bedrooms and 11 baths.

At the last request for an extension on the construction permit, the project’s representatives blamed Florida Power & Light for the delays. London said the electric company’s work on the property still could prove a wild card that prevents the project’s completion before the new permit’s expiration.

Whatever he and the construction company can control, they’ll be striving to meet the deadline, he said.

“We don’t want to be back here,” London said.

-- Anne Geggis

***

Kenneth A. Himmel, president and CEO of Related Urban, a company that develops mixed-use properties nationally, was the keynote speaker during Palm Beach State College’s 2023 fall commencement ceremony in December, which was held at The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches, West Palm Beach.

Degrees and certificates were given to more than 2,000 graduates. George T. Elmore was presented with an honorary degree. Elmore founded and is president of Delray Beach-based Hardrives Inc., a paving construction company. Elmore has been a longtime donor and a board member of the college’s foundation since 2011.

Among properties developed by Related Urban are The Square in West Palm Beach; Time Warner Center and Hudson Yards in New York; the Grand Avenue redevelopment project in downtown Los Angeles; and Related Santa Clara in California.

***

Real estate agent Shelly Newman has joined The Corcoran Group and is now affiliated with the company’s Palm Beach office. Newman, one of RealTrends Top 1.5% producers nationwide, was previously with William Raveis Real Estate. Her expertise covers land sales to oceanfront, waterfront and Intracoastal properties.

***

Following the Boynton Beach Chamber of Commerce’s merger with the Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce in 2019, Rick Maharajh, chairman and CEO of RM Logitech, co-founded the Boynton Beach Professionals networking group. Along with 35 other members, the group has since driven more than $900,000 in business sales among its members. 

Recently, Maharajh founded the Boynton Beach Online Chamber of Commerce.

“The BBOC’s mission is to drive business and promote a ‘Downtown Destination’ while preserving the historic fishing village vibe. To stimulate economic development, work with our city to promote, educate and engage our businesses and residents, we will connect our business network to the Boynton Beach community,” Maharajh said. “By fueling our chamber members with a powerful internet platform, social media and online exposure, our reach will develop a more interconnected environment, as far as the internet goes.”

For more information, visit www.bbocflorida.com.

***

Airline passengers have returned following the pandemic, and Aerospace Technologies Group, an aviation industry supplier headquartered at Florida Atlantic University Research Park, can attest to that.

The company recently secured Emirates international airline as the launch customer for its aerBlade window shades, which are to be installed in the airline’s Airbus A350 and Boeing 777X fleet.

The aerBlade is an electronically operated window shade system that passengers can control from clear to sun-blocking to full blackout with the touch of a button. Crew members can automatically lower and raise all window shades on the aircraft from their own panels. 

Emirates had already introduced electric window shades when it launched its A380 fleet. With its A350 and B777X fleet, it will expand the shades to new cabins. 

“Commercial air travel is through the roof and many carriers are taking old airplanes they would have retired and refurbishing them to bring them back into service,” said

Aerospace Technologies Group CEO Mario Ceste. “One of the things they need is new window shades.”

Over the past year, the 25-year-old company has nearly doubled its employee count to 190 to fill orders from new and existing customers in the charter and commercial airline industries.

***

John Elder, a longtime volunteer and board member of Adopt-A-Family of the Palm Beaches, has assumed the position of board chair, with Elizabeth Morales serving as first vice chair, Heather Ferguson as secretary, and Jonathan Bain as treasurer. Joining the board of directors are Stephanie Gitlin and Takelia Hay. 

Also, Chris Oberlink was unanimously elected as the board’s first lifetime emeritus director, honoring her nearly 30 years of service to Adopt-A-Family.

***

Erin L. Deady P.A., a Delray Beach legal and consulting firm that focuses on solving environmental and land-use challenges, is celebrating its 12th anniversary. President Erin Deady, a licensed Florida attorney and certified land planner, primarily focuses her practice on public-sector government representation, but she also has private sector clients. The practice includes resiliency, adaptation, environmental restoration initiatives, water management, energy, climate, local government, administrative law and land-use issues.

***

The YMCA of South Palm Beach County recently announced that it had raised a record-breaking $1,076,571 at its annual Giving Campaign victory celebration, held at FAU Stadium’s Acura Club. The donations will support the YMCA’s programs and resources for youth and families.

***

The League of Women Voters of Palm Beach County will host a Hot Topic Luncheon on Jan. 17 at Mounts Botanical Garden, 559 N. Military Trail, West Palm Beach. Three co-founders of Stet Media Group, an online newsletter, will discuss the crisis in local journalism and the ongoing erosion of fact-based civic engagement.

They are Carolyn DiPaolo, a Palm Beach Post editor and manager of the news operation for 20 years; Joel Engelhardt, investigative reporter, editorial page writer and columnist at The Palm Beach Post for 28 years; and award-winning journalist Pat Beall.

Cost to attend is $25. The deadline to register is Jan. 10, and registrations, lunch choice and payment must be made online at https://lwvpbc.org/event/january-hot-topic-2024/.

Anne Geggis contributed to this column.

Send business news to Christine Davis at cdavis9797@gmail.com.

The community-based nonprofit that provides food and financial and medical assistance to people in need welcomed more than 60 guests to the Heart & Spirit Society Open House. The Heart & Spirit Society is a group of Boca Helping Hands ambassadors dedicated to spreading the word about the organization’s work and recruiting new supporters.
ABOVE: (l-r) Bonnie and Gary Hildebrand, Suzan Javizian and David Dweck hold donation checks for Boca Helping Hands. Photos provided

Mary Donnell (l-r), Kathy Adkins, Tandy Robinson, Victoria Matthews and Robin Deyo.

Susan Brockway (l-r), Leslie Klion and Patricia Damron.

Zoe Lanham and Rochelle LeCavalier.

Artists group finds inspiration, enjoyment in ever-changing hues of South Florida outdoors

TOP: Resting on the grass at Mizner Park, the palette of plein air painter June Knopf awaits another brushstroke.
MIDDLE: Susan McKenna List, another member of the Palm Beach Plein Air group, paints a table umbrella from Max’s Grille.
BELOW: Delray Beach Public Library visitors walk through the Plein Air Palm Beach show in the second-floor gallery.

Photos by Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

True nature shines through in exhibit at Delray Beach library

By Tao Woolfe

It seems counterintuitive to go indoors to see an exhibit of light-filled outdoor art, but given the soggy start to winter, it may be a blessing.

Another blessing: The plein air exhibit is on the second floor of Delray Beach’s cool public library at 100 W. Atlantic Ave., which boasts a forest in its children’s department and is a treat in itself.

The formal name of the exhibit is Plein Air Palm Beach Fine Art Show and Sale. It runs until Jan. 31.

This year the exhibit has more than 65 pieces of plein air — or impressionistic studies of outdoor scenes — painted by members of the Palm Beach Plein Air group, which formed about 13 years ago.

This is the second year the group has exhibited in the Delray Beach library’s gallery.

“Everything is done on location around South Florida,” said Donna Walsh, one of the group’s founders. “It’s a lot of fun. Our members get to paint outdoors with their friends.”

The en plein air movement originated in France’s famed Barbizon School in the 1830s, when students — including Theodore Rousseau — strove to capture the rapidly changing outdoor light in their work, according to published histories.

At the time, artists often mixed their own paints from natural substances. It wasn’t until 1841 that the collapsible paint tube was invented by American painter

John G. Rand, who freed himself and his colleagues from studio confinement.

By the 1860s renowned artists such Claude Monet and Pierre-Auguste Renoir had joined the movement. They enjoyed painting in the countryside with colleagues.

The movement expanded to Italy, England and eventually to the United States, where the Hudson River school of artists used the technique to paint scenes depicting the Hudson River Valley, and the Catskill, Adirondack and White mountains.

Marcia Riopel and Harolyn Larsen enjoy the camaraderie of the Palm Beach Plein Air group.

In South Florida, plein air artists have the ocean and flat land as endless outdoor backdrops, said artist June Knopf, of Delray Beach.

“Painting outside is a huge challenge because everything changes. … Cars, boats and, of course, people come and go. Lighting conditions and shadows change continually. You learn how to paint very quickly when you’re painting outside,” Knopf said.

“Plein air paintings have a vibrancy and spontaneity that makes you feel that you are there.”

Members of Palm Beach Plein Air say they prefer to make quick, impressionistic sketches of an outdoor scene and then bring their paintings back to their respective studios to add finishing touches.

Several members of the group were in Mizner Park on a recent Sunday, sketching people and cafés in the rapidly changing afternoon light.

The palette of Susan McKenna List, from Boca Raton, who says plein air painting ’gives you a heightened sensitivity, like meditation.’

Among them was Susan McKenna List, of Boca Raton, who was dabbing a red table umbrella onto a small canvas.

“Plein air painting is fast and intuitive,” List said. She described herself as an English major who discovered plein air art while in California and never looked back.

Painting in nature, she said, has given her a new way of looking at the world.

“It gives you a heightened sensitivity, like meditation,” List said. “It’s a great gift.”

Walsh and co-founder Ralph Papa had been organizing outings for separate entities — the Palm Beach Watercolor Society and a Delray Beach plein air group. They decided to merge and call the group Palm Beach Plein Air, according to the group’s website.

Its members say the group is very friendly and welcomes all artists, no matter what stage of expertise they have reached.

“We welcome resident artists and visiting artists at all levels to come out with us to paint and document today’s landscapes that contribute to tomorrow’s history,” the Palm Beach Plein Air website says.

If You Go
What: Plein Air Palm Beach Fine Art Show and Sale
Where: Delray Beach Public Library second-floor gallery, 100 W. Atlantic Ave.
When: The show runs until Jan. 31. Library hours are 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday‑Wednesday; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday-Saturday; and 1-5 p.m. Sunday.
Cost: Free

Co-chairwoman Natalie Beck (in pink) with (l-r) her husband, Connor Beck; mother, Loretta Parker; and Arlene Herson at the 2023 gala. Photo provided

By Amy Woods

Boca Ballet Theatre will open the curtain on its 33rd season during the signature “A Starry Night” Gala Dinner on Jan. 7.

In the company’s three-plus decades of dance, it has grown from a grassroots group started by local parents for a corps of fewer than 20 to a powerhouse of more than 500 enrollees.

One of the early students was Natalie Beck, who trained with the troupe while attending Dreyfoos School of the Arts in West Palm Beach. After studying dance at Butler University in Indianapolis, Beck returned to South Florida and became an instructor at the theater. This year, she is co-chairing the Jan. 7 fundraiser.

“The most important thing about this event is that it is a unique opportunity to see stars of dance come together from around the country while supporting your local dance school,” she said.

The event will begin at 3 p.m. at University Theatre at FAU with a show featuring former New York City Ballet principal dancer Daniel Ulbricht’s touring Stars of American Ballet. The stage will come alive with professionals from New York City Ballet, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Ballet Hispánico and Broadway.

Following the dance spectacular is a dinner at The Boca Raton, where the recipient of the Steven Caras Achievement Award will be announced. The award recognizes exceptional service in promoting, preserving and perpetuating the art of dance in the 21st century.

“Boca Ballet Theatre does a world of good in educating young dancers in classical ballet as well as provides excellent outreach programs for youths in need,” Beck said. “Come out and support the stars of tomorrow.”

If You Go
What: Stars of American Ballet and ‘A Starry Night’ Gala Dinner
When: Jan. 7 (3 p.m. show; 5:30 p.m. dinner)
Where: Show at FAU's University Theatre, 777 Glades Road, Boca Raton; dinner at The Boca Raton, 501 E. Camino Real
Cost: $75 for the performance, $400 for the performance and dinner
Information: 561-995-0709, ext. 225 or bocaballet.org

Among those attending the American Humane fundraiser televised on Thanksgiving Day were (l-r) Gail Worth, Frank Orenstein and Christine Lynn. Photo provided by Capehart

Philanthropist Marc Leder’s $2 million pledge to “Keeping the Promise — The Campaign for Boca Raton Regional Hospital” has pushed the near-concluded effort further past its $250 million goal. The gift will be recognized with a naming opportunity within the Toby and Leon Cooperman Medical Arts Pavilion.

“It is a measure of the power of our vision for the future when one of our family of donors returns to make a subsequent substantive gift,” said Boca Raton Regional Hospital CEO Lincoln Mendez, referring to a prior $1 million gift Leder and Rodger Krouse pledged to the campaign. “Marc’s belief in our campus initiative is matched only by our gratitude for this overwhelming demonstration of generosity.”

For more information, call 561-955-4142 or visit donate.brrh.com.

American Humane gives Hero Dog Awards
Christie Brinkley headlined American Humane’s 13th annual fundraiser that later was nationally televised on Thanksgiving Day.

The Hero Dog Awards Gala, known as the “Oscars for Canines,” also starred TV personality Carson Kressley and was presented by Lois Pope.

“Christie has spent her entire life advocating for animal welfare, and that’s exactly what we do here at American Humane,” President and CEO Robin Ganzert said. “It was an honor to have her join us as we celebrated these heroes on both ends of the leash.”

For more information, call 800-227-4645 or visit www.americanhumane.org.

Gift establishes legacy for Pops, Maestro Lappin
Florida Atlantic University has received a gift worth more than $5 million to enhance its music programs and establish a legacy for the Palm Beach Pops and Bob Lappin, its founder and director.

The funds were donated by the Legacy Foundation of Palm Beach County, an extension of the Palm Beach Pops, and include an extensive library consisting of more than 1,600 titles and scores.

“For the past three decades, the Palm Beach Pops was an integral part of the performing cultural-arts and music education in South Florida,” said Jon Lappin, president and executive director of the Legacy Foundation of Palm Beach County. “This donation preserves the legacy and extraordinary accomplishments of the maestro — my father, the late Bob Lappin — and the Palm Beach Pops.”

Send news and notes to Amy Woods at flamywoods@bellsouth.net.

Men Giving Back of South Palm Beach County distributed $530,000 to two dozen local nonprofits during its third annual event. Nearly 250 members, nominees and guests enjoyed cocktails, music, a raffle and dinner as they honored representatives of the charities selected for the grants. ‘It’s hard to describe the joy we all feel as a group to have an opportunity to help so many impactful charities,’ founding member Dr. Nathan Nachlas said. ABOVE: (l-r) Alan Ferber, Robert Snyder, Jon Sahn, Evan Farrell, William Marino, Nachlas, Marc Malaga, Eddie Ventrice, Derek Witte and Bill Donnell. Photo provided by Carla Azzata

More than 275 attendees celebrated Impact 100 Palm Beach County’s annual event, highlighted by an engaging interview with the co-chairwomen of the Grant Review Committee. Ingrid Kennemer, Noreen Payne and Shannon Moriarity delved into a discussion about the review process undertaken by members who carefully assess each grant-making decision. ABOVE: (l-r) Linda Gunn Paton, Anita Colombo, Nicole Grimes, Tonya Notaro and Mimi Meister. Photo provided by Warner-Prokos Photography

Child advocate Melissa Haley organized a gathering for the Center for Child Counseling where new and existing members learned more about how to advance and improve children’s mental health, safety and well-being. They also learned more about Haley’s vision of making lasting changes in the lives of families affected by childhood trauma and advocating for brighter futures. ABOVE: (l-r) Renée Layman, Haley and Roberta Mann. Photo provided by Tracey Benson Photography

The Sovereign Order of St. John of Jerusalem Knights Hospitaller’s Palm Beaches Commandery offered a solemn ceremony to recognize inductees for their achievements and contributions to their community as well as their desire to contribute to the goals of the organization. Following a bagpipe processional, hymn and the singing of the national anthem, the installation of the new members began. A celebration followed with food, drinks and fellowship. ABOVE: (l-r) Janet Lee Miller, Walter Jones Jr., Adam Wimmer and Dave Barninger. Photo provided by Capehart

A pup-tacular time was had by all at the annual benefit for Tri-County Animal Rescue that featured cute boutiques, photos with (and without) pooches, an extravagant brunch, a doggie buffet, live music and lots of raffle prizes. Funds help rescued pets and strays that need medical care in Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties. ABOVE: (l-r) Diana Maune with dog Lucy, and Arthur and Mara Benjamin with dogs Charlie and Lexi. BELOW: (l-r) Rita Rizzuto with Stephen Verses, 3-year-old Lee Verses, Nicola Verses and their dog Cowboy. Photos provided by Capehart

Indoor and outdoor dining at Polpo in Manalapan provides panoramic views of the Atlantic Ocean. Photo provided

By Jan Norris

At last! Cooler weather is upon us. Finally, it’s comfortable enough for outside dining.

Plenty of options exist, thanks to changes during the pandemic. Here are some that may be below your radar.

Palm Trail Grill, 800 Palm Trail, Delray Beach. Phone 561-865-5235. A large outdoor patio with tropical plants and decor accommodates diners here. A steak and seafood grill menu features the popular entree snapper oreganata. It’s a nice, quiet spot to take visitors.

Jimmy’s Bistro, 9 S. Swinton Ave., Delray Beach. 561-865-5774; online jimmysbistrodelray.com. This small, chef-owned restaurant has a menu that changes often and draws mostly locals to the tables. Fresh catch is just that: seafood from local purveyors daily. Limited sidewalk seating.

Papa’s Tapas, 259 NE Second Ave., Delray Beach. 561-266-0599; papastapasdb.com. Authentic Spanish tapas plates, perfect for sharing, are found here. Paella is the signature dish, however — and it is made to order. If you go, order it first and enjoy sangria and small bites while you wait. Happy hour is a best bet, too.

Bamboo Fire Cafe, 149 NE Fourth Ave., Delray Beach. 561-749-0973. Go island style and find unique menu items at this family-owned spot. Food is served family style — share large portions of curried goat, oxtail pepper pot and jerk chicken, among other Caribbean mainstays. Take care in ordering the level of spice, which is offered as American or Caribbean (where Scotch bonnet peppers live).

Phyllis G’s Enigma Bistro, 2717 N. Federal Highway, Delray Beach. 561-243-6377. The enigma refers to the fusion on the menu — a little Cuban, Italian, Caribbean and American grill. Seafood is a star; the hazelnut grouper and Havana snapper win raves. A don’t-miss is a slightly spicy conch chowder. A white sangria is the drink to order.

Ravish Off Ocean, 210 E. Ocean Ave., Lantana. 561-588-2444; ravishkitchen.com. There’s plenty of outdoor seating at this popular gathering spot for fun-lovers. Cocktails are made with fresh ingredients. Vegetarians and dessert fanatics have options, as do carnivores and pescetarians. Large groups are accommodated here, and Ravish regularly hosts events and entertainment.

Latitudes, 2809 S. Ocean Blvd., Highland Beach. 561-278-2008; opalcollection.com/delray-sands/restaurants/latitudes/. An upscale seafood and American grill is beachside in the Delray Sands Resorts. The Ocean Terrace seating is what you want when you take visitors for that “I live in paradise” brag. Also open for breakfast and lunch. For early risers, the sunrise setting can’t be beat. Vegetarians and vegans accommodated.

SeaSpray Inlet Grill, 999 E. Camino Real, Boca Raton. 561-226-3022; seasprayboca.com. Overlooking the Intracoastal Waterway with a tropical-patio vibe, the restaurant within the Waterstone Resort serves up American favorites. Plenty of main-dish salads, including gluten-free options, are served along with churrasco chimichurri, salmon with an Asian-tropical flair and casuals such as fish tacos and wagyu burgers. Come by boat, if you wish.

Polpo Palm Beach, 100 S. Ocean Blvd., Manalapan. 561-540-4923; polpopalmbeach.com. An import from Connecticut, Polpo brings upscale seafood and Italian offerings to the oceanfront restaurant within Eau Palm Beach Resort. Lunch and brunch are good options (ocean views aren’t as nice at dinner). Go for the traditional panzanella — chilled bread soup — and an authentic northeast Italian pizza. Vegans have choices off the main menu.

The Butcher and the Bar, 510 E. Ocean Ave., Boynton Beach. 561-903-7630; butcherandbar.com. A small, “clean food” butcher shop — emphasis on small, so seating is limited — also serves small plates off a limited daily menu. Lunch features sandwiches made right from the meat cases. The shop offers house-made everything, including ketchup and sauerkraut. A Sunday brunch and prime rib night are popular; good idea to call ahead, and you can even order in advance. Hot dog lovers, take note: The owners are going national with their wieners, a big favorite. Be aware of the “no substitutions” policy. Have it their way, or …

Al Fresco, 2345 S. Ocean Blvd., Palm Beach. 561-273-4130; golfontheocean.com/palm-beach-restaurant/. Overlooking the ocean, the terrace on the restaurant at the Palm Beach Par 3 golf course is another of those places you want to take visitors on a winter’s day. Watch the duffers play through below. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, it offers an Italian and American grill menu. Thin-crust pizzas are notable, and a gluten-free version is available. Salads and gazpacho also are favorites.

Rapoport refreshes Delray’s Deck 84
Deck 84 in Delray Beach has a refreshed menu and has undergone a staff shake-up after owner Burt Rapoport noted complaints about the food.

First, however, he had to deal with a foul odor in the restaurant that put off diners in November.

The smell was coming from under the restaurant, but king tides prevented plumbers from rooting out the cause.

Once waters receded, workers determined that a broken pipe from the kitchen was the culprit. They sealed the leak and spread enviro-safe enzymes to soak up the spill.

After that, Rapoport fired the top tier in the kitchen and hired chef Fernando Marulanda and a new chef de cuisine, Katt Dreyfuss.

Marulanda brings a New York pedigree that includes Per Se, the Thomas Keller group’s Michelin-star restaurant, and a chef de cuisine post at Tavern on the Green. Dreyfuss comes with her own fame as a February winner on Guy’s Grocery Games, Guy Fieri’s Food Network competition.

Rapoport wanted to assure diners things were better all around and invited those who left poor reviews to come in and dine — on his dime.

New menu items include a roasted beet and arugula salad (gluten free, and if you ask for no goat cheese, it can be vegetarian); a Hawaiian chicken-fried rice with a pan-Asian medley of flavors; a miso-glazed corvina, and Southern-fried schnitzel.

The restaurant offered a stellar seat for the boat parade last month, and with tourists and returning snowbirds, it’s back to seasonally crowded once more.

In brief
The newest grocery sensation is Euroland in Deerfield Beach. It’s a 25,000-square-foot store stocked with international foods, emphasis on Europe, including a bakery, a hot food buffet, and café. Two aisles have chocolate, candy and cookie offerings. The store has canned/jarred foods; gourmet items including caviar and foie gras; a deli with dozens of sausages, smoked fish and cheeses; plus fresh produce and breads. European football plays on TVs at the café. It’s at 1835 W. Hillsboro Blvd. Open daily at 8 a.m.

Jan Norris is a food writer who can be reached at nativefla@gmail.com

Kids race during a family day for the Islamic Center of Boca Raton, which calls itself an open religious organization for all and does not keep any membership. Photo provided

By Janis Fontaine

The terrible violence in the Middle East has forced many of us to rethink what little we know about Islam. It’s easy to be mind-boggled by all the players in the conflict: Hamas, the Palestinian territories, Israel, the Palestinian Authority and the Muslims, Jews and Christians who are affected.

This is complicated by the U.S. government and the media, which at times change their attitudes about which side of conflicts to take.

“The U.S. government labeled Hamas as a terrorist organization,” said Florida Atlantic University Professor Bassem Alhalabi, a Muslim and U.S. citizen. “Still, we need to wait and see, as the American government has the tendency to make friends out of enemies after a while. As for the Palestinians, they are perceived as the only group who is resisting the occupation.”

To a Muslim or a Jew living in Palm Beach County, these issues don’t feel half a world away, and most local Muslims want to share their knowledge and their faith.

At the Islamic Center of Boca Raton, they welcome visitors to discuss the intricacies of Islam. “No force,” said Omar Uddin, “just an invitation to learn.”

On a recent Thursday night following prayers, about 30 people gathered to talk about Islam at the monthly open house hosted by the center.

“Brother” Omar welcomed the group with a smile and a friendly demeanor. He handed out copies of the Quran to anyone who wanted them.

“The thing people don’t realize,” he said, “is that we believe in Jesus too.”

Islam recognizes that the Virgin Mary was chosen by God to bear the Messiah. Just as Christians trace their religious lifeline back to the Old Testament, Muslims trace theirs back, too, through the teaching of Jesus Christ to the Old Testament. The God the Muslims call Allah is the same God of the Christians and Jews.

Muslims believe deeply in the Gospels, and they honor Jesus with the words “Peace Be Upon Him” whenever they speak his holy name. He is so important he is mentioned 25 times in the Quran’s 6,236 verses. As Muslims see it, theirs is just the continuation of Jesus’ story. In a Muslim’s view, there’s the Old Testament, the New Testament, and the Quran, the "Last" Testament.

The words in the Quran were given to Muhammad by the Angel Gabriel, the same angel who told Mary she would be a mother to God’s son.

These messages from Allah were dictated to Muhammad, who was admired for his honesty and trustworthiness but who was illiterate. Poets were plentiful but God wanted a common man. Scribes were called in to write down the stanzas of holy poetry that he recited with the eloquence and beauty of a gifted writer.

Some scholars say you can only truly understand the Quran in its original Arabic, and in Arabic, the Quran is like a long rhyming poem with stanzas of different lengths. Rhymes were a common tool used to make difficult information easier to remember. The writings are gathered together by theme rather than chronology.

“As an American Muslim, I want people to know how familiar Islam is to what they already know,” Uddin said. “A lot of people think we worship a foreign God, not the same God they worship.”

Professor Alhalabi says the biggest misconception about Islam is that it preaches violence. It doesn’t. It encompasses all of Jesus’ teachings about compassion and loving your neighbor as yourself, and it goes further.

“Islam emphasizes compassion, justice and moral conduct in personal and societal aspects. Islam encourages seeking knowledge and fostering a balanced and harmonious lifestyle. And Islam condemns terrorism and promotes peace, coexistence and respect for all human beings,” Alhalabi said.

But Hamas found a way to corrupt Islam, to bend it to say something different, which only perpetuates the myth. Its 1988 charter said, “Israel will exist and will continue to exist until Islam will obliterate it, just as it obliterated others before it.”

When the charter was re-written in 2017, they changed the enemy to the Zionist movement and blamed Europe and the United States for the antisemitism in the world.

That charter says, “The Zionist movement...is the most dangerous form of settlement occupation...and must disappear from Palestine.”

The word Hamas is an acronym for an Islamic resistance movement founded in 1987 during the first Palestinian uprising protesting the Israeli occupation of Gaza and the West Bank. Despite being officially designated as a terrorist group by the U.S. State Department in 1997, Hamas won the parliamentary elections in 2006 (the last election ever held) and seized control of the Gaza Strip from the Palestinian Authority.

Jeanine Santucci wrote in USA Today in October, “The group calls for establishment of an Islamic Palestinian state that would replace the current state of Israel and believes in the use of violence to carry out the destruction of Israel.” She reported Hamas army has only an estimated 30,000 fighters whose main source of support is Iran.

But Hamas isn’t the only radical, violent Islamic group. ISIS is another, but is fundamentally different from Hamas, according to Brian Glyn Williams, professor of Islamic history at UMass Dartmouth. ISIS is considered the world’s deadliest terrorist group, but it disagrees with Hamas mostly because the two are on opposite sides of Islam's Sunni versus Shia branches.

Being prejudged according to the myth that Islam-equals-violent-extremists is something Muslims deal with every day. Alhalabi says it feels “normal” for people to be suspicious of him. That’s a feeling most other non-white Americans say they have felt themselves.

But just as Christians don’t want to be judged by the behaviors of radical self-professed Christian groups like the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas, which is classified as a hate group, Muslims don’t want to be judged for Hamas’ acts.

Westboro’s members spread vitriol during public protests against homosexuals, including showing up at military funerals with signs that say, “Thank God for dead soldiers.”

Violence gets media attention, which is one of the things extremists want.

Alhalabi said, “It is crucial to recognize that such actions go against the fundamental teachings of Islam...and the majority of Muslims worldwide reject and condemn terrorism.”

At the very least, with accusations of genocide being leveled against Hamas and Israel alike, and the ongoing attempts at genocide in China, Darfur and Myanmar, we must agree that any group of humans whose goal is to annihilate the existence of another group of humans cannot be tolerated.

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

Islamic worship and information centers
Islamic Center of Boca Raton: 480 NW Fifth Ave. 561-395-7221 or icbr.org
Al Amin Center: 8101 S. Military Trail, Boynton Beach. 561-880-7806 or facebook.com/alamincenterflorida
Muslim Community of Palm Beach County: 4893 Purdy Lane, West Palm Beach. 561-969-1584 or mcpbc.org or email info@mcpbc.org
Islamic Institute of Palm Beach County: 1876 Donnell Road, West Palm Beach. 561-248-7356 or iiopbc.org
Islamic Center of Palm Beach: 101 Castlewood Drive, North Palm Beach. 561-623-7647 or www.PalmBeachMuslims.com

Religious facts from around the world
Palm Beach County:
• In a county with a population of 1.5 million and rising, about 600,000 people are ’affiliated’ with a religion.
• An estimated 15% of the population practices Judaism, or about 225,000. (Estimates range from 167,000 to 238,000, but most of that data is a few years old.)
• According to the Muslim Community of Palm Beach County, about 30 Muslim families lived in the county in the mid-1980s.
• By the late 1990s, fewer than 1,000 Muslims total lived in the county, according to the Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies, an organization that collects data from American faith groups.
• The best guess is about 1% of Palm Beach County currently practices Islam. That’s about 15,000 people.
• A few groups practice other religions, like Hindu or Shinto, but the balance (350,000 or so) are Christians.

Florida:
• Floridians tend to be less religious overall than the general U.S. population, with less than 40% calling themselves ’affiliated.’
• Florida has the 12th-largest Muslim population in the U.S., with about 127,000. New York has the largest Muslim population with about 724,000.
• Florida’s Muslim community is primarily Arab, South Asian and African American.

United States:
• According to WorldPopulationReview.com, the U.S. Muslim population in 2023 was about 4,444,000.
• The United States is largely Christian. About 64% of affiliated Americans identify as Christian, but 50 years ago, 90% were Christian, according to a Pew Research Center study from 2020.
• People are no more or less religious today than they were 50 years ago. The percentage who were ’affiliated’ with a religion in 1971 was 48.7%. In 2020, it was 48.6%.

World:
• Worldwide, Islam is the second-largest religion with about 1.8 billion people, compared with Christianity’s 2.42 billion. Judaism has about 16.2 million followers.
• Based on population estimates prepared by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, there were about 14.3 million Palestinians in the world in 2022.
• About 5.35 million of them lived in the Palestinian territories (Gaza and the West Bank), split almost 50-50 between males and females.
• According to the Institute for Middle East Understanding, about 93% of Palestinians are Sunni Muslims and about 6% are Christian.
• Less than 20% of Muslims are Arabs, but 85% of Arabs are Muslims.