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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

— Staff report

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

By Larry Barszewski

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Beach signage

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

By Steve Plunkett

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

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

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

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

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

Florida had moved the line farther west in 1997.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Construction is anticipated to take place in spring 2025.

By Larry Barszewski

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

By Larry Barszewski

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

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

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

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

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

Jones said McClure will make a fine successor.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

By Faran Fagen

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Vice Mayor Bill LeRoy concurred.

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

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

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

In other business:

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

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

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

By Mary Thurwachter

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mayor Karen Lythgoe agreed Waste Pro did a good job.

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

So, why the change?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

— Staff report

By Larry Barszewski

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Minimum wage raise suggested

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

— Brian Biggane

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

By Steve Plunkett

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mayor Scott Morgan was pleased with the progress.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

By Rich Pollack

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Commissioners unanimously approved the new contract.

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

By Tao Woolfe

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

By Tao Woolfe

The city has given the developers of a restaurant — to be created partly on the site of the historic Oscar Magnuson house — until November to resubmit their site plan application.

Developer Anthony Barber, who also owns Troy’s Barbeque restaurants in Boynton Beach and West Palm Beach, asked for the extension to work with city staff on the application process.

Barber had submitted two site plan proposals for the property at 211 E. Ocean Ave. to the planning and development department in January, but they were rejected as incomplete.

The City Commission, sitting as the Community Redevelopment Agency board, unanimously agreed to the extension in June.

About a year ago, Barber told the commission he wants to redevelop the Magnuson house into a 3,000-square-foot, full-service American-style restaurant consisting of the home and five shipping containers.

The restaurant would be open seven days a week and would be called Pauline’s, Barber said, to honor his grandmother.

He said he plans to renovate the two-story Magnuson house, built in 1919, for inside dining. Before completing that, Barber plans to use shipping containers for the kitchen area, walk-in food storage, restrooms, an artisan bar, and a rotisserie grilling area.

Barber, whose Boynton Beach barbecue restaurant is located on Federal Highway south of Woolbright Road, told commissioners last year he has lived in Boynton Beach for 35 years and wanted to open a restaurant in his home city’s downtown.

The restaurant will employ some 30 people, Barber said, and he will not seek a loan to finance the venture. Barber’s partner, Rodney Mayo of the Subculture Group, has said he is providing $1 million in financial backing. The partners’ development company is known as 306 NE 6th Avenue, LLC.

BOYNTON BEACH —Virginia W. “Ginny” Foot enjoyed a life active in professional accomplishments, baseball fandom, travel and her church. She died June 17, a year after her cancer diagnosis. She was 81.

Born July 19, 1941, to Joseph White and Jane Montgomery White, Ginny was raised by her grandmother, Marie White, with adoring “brothers” Dr. Ed and Dr. Ike White, and helped by grand-uncle Roland Somers. She grew up on Virginia’s Eastern Shore and attended Mary Washington College.

Mrs. Foot worked in radio in Accomac and Richmond, Virginia, before becoming a stewardess with Central Airlines from Kansas City. For 10 years she was wife of Frank Messer, a baseball announcer, and found lifelong friends among the Oriole and Yankee clubs, before becoming a Marlins fan.

In 1977, she married Bob Foot, who helped her start the Art of Framing Inc. in Boynton Beach. In 29 years in business, Mrs. Foot served as president of the Chamber of Commerce of Boynton Beach and as a member on some of the city’s advisory boards.

The church was important to her and she provided leadership in Holy Spirit Episcopal Church, West Palm Beach, and served as lay director of the diocesan Cursillo Secretariat.

The couple voyaged from Sitka to Dutch Harbor and Kotzebue and midpoints in Alaska on several trips and enjoyed tours in Europe and China.

On Memorial Day 2022, she was diagnosed with cancer and undertook treatment.

Mrs. Foot leaves Bob, his daughter Sarah, nieces Lee Kilduff (Bill), Laura Anderson (Scott), Carrie White (Paul Campsen), Somers Farkas (Jonathan), Kellam White, and nephew Ned White, Bob’s brother Ted Foot (Pat), sister-in-law Karen Foot and other nieces and nephew and grand-nieces and -nephews and many friends from the churches, neighborhood and beyond.

A celebration of life is scheduled for 10 a.m. July 1 at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, Lake Worth Beach. Committal will be in the family plot in Parksley, Virginia.

Memorial donations may be sent to St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, 100 N. Palmway, Lake Worth Beach, FL 33460, or American Cancer Society, P.O. Box 13300, Tampa, FL 33681-3300.

— Obituary submitted by the family

BOYNTON BEACH — Thomas Edwin Kaiser, a tireless activist for fellow veterans, died May 17 in Delray Beach. He was 95.

Born Jan. 29, 1928, in Mount Vernon, New York, Tom enlisted at 17 in the Navy, in January 1945, after losing his beloved brother Bob on the USS Trout in 1944.

Mr. Kaiser worked diligently for veterans of all wars and was instrumental in the creation of the Veterans Park on Federal Highway in Boynton Beach. The Boynton Beach Veterans Council recently named the park for him.

His beloved wife of 69 years and the mother of his children, Jean, predeceased him on April 11, 2017. He is survived by his daughters Cathy Weil and Debra Kaiser; son-in-law Michael Coyne; grandson Kevin Coyne and his wife, Julie Kennedy; granddaughter Jordan Mills and her husband, David Mills; his brother Charles Kaiser; nephews Ronald Kaiser and Russell Kaiser and niece Roberta Ritchie and their families.

He also adored his two beloved grand-dogs, Goldie and Mo, and his grand-cat, Luna.

Burial will take place at the South Florida National Cemetery, 6501 S. State Road 7, Lake Worth.
In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate donations to Trustbridge Hospice or Honor Flight Southeast Florida.

— Obituary submitted by the family

OCEAN RIDGE — Marvin H. Ginsky of New York, Florida and Connecticut, died peacefully June 8. He was 92.

Born in New York City on Aug. 2, 1930, Marvin spent his high school years hanging out at Pete’s Pool Room in the Bronx, then worked his way through New York University, earning a bachelor’s degree in economics and a scholarship to New York University Law School, where he made Law Review in his first year and graduated in the top percentile of his class.

Mr. Ginsky was admitted to the New York State Bar in 1955. He was an attorney at Paramount Pictures, New York City, from 1955 to 1960. He was then employed for 37 years by Champion International, where he headed the legal department as general counsel and executive vice president. In retirement he worked as an arbitrator in New York and Connecticut.

Mr. Ginsky was a masterful storyteller. He had a gift for turning a phrase and writing limericks for all occasions. He loved entertaining, fine wine and food, art, travel, music and theater. He was a member of the International Wine and Food Society of New York, the Chaine des Rotisseurs of New York and Connecticut, the Shakespeare Society, and the Trollope Society. He also enjoyed social croquet in Florida.

He is survived by his beloved wife of 46 years, Rita, his daughter Andrea and her husband, David, his grandson Dillon and daughter-in-law Christine. He was preceded in death by his son Mitchell. He made friends wherever he went and will be missed by many.

Memorial donations may be made to the Hertzberg Palliative Care Institute, Box 1070, Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York, NY 10029 or at www.mountsinai.org/care/palliative-care.

— Obituary submitted by the family

By Mary Thurwachter

Lantana residents got a first look at the town’s completed master plan June 14.

Dana Little, the urban design director for the Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council who spearheaded the effort, appeared at a special Town Council meeting to present the $169,800 plan, a year in the making.

“Tonight, I want to focus on the things that haven’t been presented before,” which came directly from work with Town Manager Brian Raducci and Development Director Nicole

Dritz and her staff, Little said. “And it’s a much better plan for it.”
Little identified three planning districts: the Lantana Beach District, the Downtown District along Ocean Avenue from the Intracoastal Waterway west to U.S. 1, and the Town Center District, where Town Hall is located.

The beach

“We think the beach is, if not your primary asset, it’s in the top two or three,” Little said. “It really needs some investment. We were out there, and the restaurant was packed. The

Dune Deck is one of the very few places in Palm Beach County where you can literally sit and dine on the beach. But we were quite surprised with the state of the boardwalk, handrails and steps. There are unsafe conditions at the beach which need to be an immediate priority for funding.”

If the beach is the town’s best asset, its upkeep should be a priority, Little said. “It’s like the old broken window scenario, what is the message that’s being sent?” he asked.

Replacing handrails and steps that have been battered over the years with storms will vastly improve the conditions out there and make them safer, he said.

Beyond the decking and handrails, his team looked at the landscaping and at what other communities have done.

“In Martin County, they did a full beach-park redo,” Little said. “They got rid of the sod, which never worked very well in those sandy conditions. They replaced it with natives that are sea spray and sea salt tolerant.”

Another recommendation is to landscape the beach entrance at Dorothy Rissler Lane beside Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa. “There are sandbags all over the place and cars are parked all over. With landscaping and design, you can maybe discipline this a little bit. There’s probably an infinite number of ways to do this,” Little said.

Downtown

The master plan recommendations include a “dining incentive area,” Little said. “It’s the parcels that are on Ocean Avenue stretching all the way out to North Dixie. That’s really the heart of your downtown and that includes the Key Lime House.

“We heard over and over again about the parking challenges and we’ve come up with recommendations about how you might provide parking to the north and the south.”

Little said Dritz identified parcels “on Third Street and then the FEC parcel south — right along the FEC corridor south of Ocean Avenue — which has some opportunity.”

There is an existing municipal parking lot at North Third Street, just north of the library, to the west of U.S. 1.

“It’s missing sidewalks and is not clearly signed,” Little said. “You don’t know if you’re supposed to be there or not. It’s kind of unkempt. We walked from there to downtown multiple times and it’s literally a 41/2- to 5-minute walk. Crossing U.S. 1, North Dixie, is easier than it is in a lot of locations within the corridor. We were able to restripe and get over 60 spaces that are literally within a 5-minute walking distance from your downtown. Not only is that an interesting and perhaps a good idea, but those spaces could be used as an incentive for someone to come and invest.

“Say I want to do a restaurant and go into one of the buildings that’s already there. And the code currently requires me to have five parking spaces on site. Well, guess what?

Maybe it’s a first-come, first-served basis: You invest in the downtown, we will count these spaces off site toward your parking requirement.”

The town needs to do some work such as completing sidewalks and manicuring the municipal lot.

“We did a rendering to show you how you can even take a wall [next to the municipal lot] and do some sort of mural, and turn it into a vibrant place,” Little said. “With a little paint and some signage, people would know this is a safe and legitimate place to be.”

Town Center District

Little’s team said the Town Hall campus deserved additional attention.

“There’s a lot of pent-up opportunity within this beautifully planned municipal campus that you have,” he said.

“You all were designated a Tree City at one point. But over time, many of the trees have gone away. We looked at the Greynolds Circle area and we identified six or seven different locations where there could be key interventions along the circle.

“It might be missing sidewalks, it might be creative crosswalks, it might be providing streetlights and certainly providing landscaping. I just identified one or two of those detailed areas but there are six of them where we’ve got detailed plans which show where new street trees should go, where new sidewalks should go, where additional on-street parking could be beautified and legitimized.”

Little said the circle area should be used for a lot more things. It would be a great place to set an example for re-creating a tree canopy, he said.

Kmart site development

The Kmart site is also an important piece of the master plan.

Little’s team agreed with the council’s decision to reject a recent development proposal for the property.

“Not because the program was wrong, not because we were opposed to a developer bringing in residential, but the way that they were delivering it, creating a sort of gated cul-de-sac community in the middle of a parking lot,” Little said. “You could do better than that. So, we’ve got designs in the master plan with renderings for that and lots of other things as well.”

A vote on whether to accept the plan is expected at a future council meeting.

LEFT: Donald Ross’ original design for the course. RIGHT: Pro golfer Gene Sarazen blasts out of a bunker in the 1950s at the Delray Beach municipal golf course. Photos provided by Donald Ross Society and Delray Beach Historical Society

By Christine Davis

Delray Beach’s deteriorating municipal golf course, built in 1925, should be considered for listing on the city’s local Register of Historic Places, the City Commission unanimously agreed on June 6.

Commissioners also agreed to tell staff to allocate $125,000 toward the restoration of the course to make it eligible to apply for a $500,000 state grant to restore the links — partly designed by Donald Ross, one of the country’s preeminent golf course architects.

The course has languished for years for lack of funding, and frustrated commissioners two years ago proposed to sell 8-10 acres abutting West Atlantic Avenue to a company that would be allowed to build office space, housing and a hotel in exchange for restoring the course.

Six companies offered a variety of plans, but residents, golfers and preservationists protested the loss of green space and the commission, under the public pressure, rejected all the bids.

Proponents of restoring the course urged commissioners to designate the course as historic to secure grant money and consider alternatives sources of restoration funds.

The course is a unique hybrid. Although Ross designed 18 holes, only nine were built. In the 1950s, Dick Wilson, one of the preeminent designers of his generation and a former director of the course, designed what is today the front nine.

Preservationists contend that the Wilson nine is worthy of historic designation. He designed courses around the country. One of his most notable local designs is the Pine Tree golf course in suburban Boynton Beach.

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Miami-based Ocean Bank plans to open its first Palm Beach County branch at 799 Federal Highway, Boca Raton, after a proposed modifying of the current retail zoning to office.

The building is owned by 799 Federal Investments, and the bank would replace a former 2,917-square-foot Boston Market.

The bank’s president, CEO and chairman, Agostinho Alfonso Macedo,  noted that the new bank is scheduled to open in the fourth quarter of 2023.

“The new branch in Boca Raton is a logical extension of our history of lending in Palm Beach County and of our continued expansion plans,” he said in an email. “Boca Raton and Palm Beach County offer strong potential for business growth, and we want to be where our customers are. We continue to look at locations for additional branches in South Florida and other parts of the state to add to our network of 23 branches.”

A large commercial bank chartered and headquartered in Florida, Ocean Bank was founded in December 1982 in a double-wide trailer on Northwest 42nd Avenue in Miami. The site is now the bank’s headquarters.  

Ocean Bank has 20 branches in Miami-Dade, two in Broward County and one in Orlando. The bank’s commercial mortgage originations in 2022 were $1.59 billion, and it has total assets of $5.9 billion.

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The 18th annual ranking of “The Thousand” and “America’s Best Real Estate Professionals,” prepared by Real Trends and Tom Ferry America’s Best Real Estate Professionals and promoted in a Wall Street Journal special advertising section, were released in June. Included are agents and teams from south Palm Beach County who made the lists.

Ranking by sales volume

Local agents: Ralph Harvey, Boynton Beach ListWithFreedom.com, with $998.841 million (#3 nationally, #2 in Florida); David Roberts, Royal Palm Properties, Boca Raton, with $235.47 million (#52 nationally and #12 in Florida); Marcy F. Javor, Signature One Luxury Estates, Boca Raton, with $201 million (#76 nationally and #18 in Florida); and Rochelle LeCavalier, Douglas Elliman, Boca Raton, with $171.3 million (#23 in Florida).

Local small teams: Candace Friis Team, Corcoran, Delray Beach, with $246.4 million (#35 nationally, #4 in Florida); Pascal Liguori Estate Group, Premier Estate Properties, Delray Beach, $165.28 million (#14 in Florida); D’Angelo/Liguori, Premier Estate Properties, Boca Raton, $115.15 million (#24 in Florida).

Local medium teams: Jonathan Postma Group, Coldwell Banker, Boca Raton, with $206.7 million (#61 nationally, #8 in Florida); Senada Adzem Team, Douglas Elliman, Boca Raton, $184.1 million (#12 in Florida); Kilpatrick Team, Corcoran, Delray Beach, $132.7 million (#21 in Florida); Alicia Gold, Compass, Boca Raton, $122.97 million (#25 in Florida); Randy & Nick Team, Douglas Elliman, Delray Beach, $102.76 million (#32 in Florida); Buchbinder Group, Compass, Boca Raton, $94.9 million (#36 in Florida); Julian Soffer Team, Keller Williams, Boca Raton, $91.16 million (#39 in Florida).

Local large teams: Platt Group, Compass, Boca Raton, $151.49 million (#15 in Florida); Atlas Team, Compass, Boca Raton, $131.56 million (#21 in Florida); Rucco Group, RE/MAX Direct, Delray Beach, $100.4 million (#33 in Florida).

The rankings were open to real estate professionals who chose to participate in the project, based on their reported sales volume and other criteria over 2022. To be considered for a ranking, an agent must have closed at least 50 transaction “sides” or recorded $20 million in closed sales volume for 2022, according to Real Trends.

Teams must have closed 75 residential transactions or $30 million in closed sales volume.

Under the rules of the survey, agents and brokers who handled both sides of a transaction — representing the buyer and the seller — were allowed to double the final dollar figure when they calculated their total volume for the sale. For this article, agents and teams were noted up to the top 100 in “The Thousand” and up to the top 50 in Florida of “America’s Best Real Estate Professionals.”

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As of the first of this year, four new technology startups joined the Global Ventures at FAU incubator program at the Research Park at Florida Atlantic University. They are: Biobeat Medical, an Israel-based company that uses artificial intelligence and machine learning for insights into patient care; Ecosign Technologies, a spinoff of Contech Brazil, offering technology that helps control contaminants in the pulp and paper, textile, agribusiness and poultry industries; Isolab USA, a company launched in Germany with manufacturing operations in Turkey that provides products and services used for research activities; and Triangulate Labs, a South Florida-based startup that created Skinmap, a technology that detects changes in the skin that could be early signs of cancer.

Two companies, after graduating from the incubator program, have moved to new spaces in Boca Raton: FloSpine and Gustie Creative. FloSpine  makes 3D-printed spinal fusion implants. Gustie Creative is a retail specialist that provides solutions for small- to medium-sized businesses.

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Shadow Chord, by artist Louise Nevelson, has been restored by the Boca Raton Museum of Art through a grant from Bank of America’s Art Conservation Project. Photo provided

The Boca Raton Museum of Art has completed the restoration of the 1969 sculpture Shadow Chord, by renowned artist Louise Nevelson (1899-1988), thanks to a grant from Bank of America’s Art Conservation Project.

This year, the bank selected  projects from 23 museums globally, with 13 in the United States and only one in Florida. Shadow Chord is on view on the second floor at the Boca Raton Museum of Art, 501 Plaza Real.

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Brothers of the Lambda Alpha Alpha Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. initiated a “Curb Appeal” project in 2020 to ease the burden on caretakers who care for loved ones. On the morning of June 10, they painted a senior’s house and enhanced the landscaping at 1016 NW Fourth St., Boynton Beach. 

The fraternity brothers have committed to paint and landscape 10 properties in 2023, and this is their sixth project. Other Boynton Beach properties that they’ve worked on include: 413 NW Fifth Ave., 607 NW Fourth St., 130 NE Eighth Ave., 1020 S. Seacrest Blvd., and 114 N. Seacrest Court.

For more information, or to have a home considered, contact Dwayne Randolph at 561-441-1186.

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Marita A. Butzbach is now executive vice president of Lang Management’s property management operations. In her 30 years with Lang Management, her roles have included customer service representative, property supervisor and, most recently, supervisor for the company’s 42 property managers.  

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The NonProfit Times partnering with Best Companies Group named The Lord’s Place as one of the 2023 Best Nonprofits to Work For for the seventh consecutive year, noting that it has excelled in creating a quality workplace.

“We are proud of this recognition. Our employees are our greatest resource. We attract and retain a diverse staff who are innovative, compassionate, talented, and share our common passion to help others to end local homelessness for good,” said The Lord’s Place chief executive officer, Diana Stanley.

The Lord’s Place offers services to Palm Beach County’s homeless men, women and children.

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The Loxahatchee Group of the Sierra Club Florida Chapter and Solar United Neighbors will host a Zoom meeting, “Solar 101,” covering the benefits of solar energy for both homes and businesses.

This free online meeting, which is open to the public, is scheduled for 7:30 to 9 p.m. July 27. Special guest speaker Laura Tellez, Solar United Neighbors’ South Florida program associate, will discuss solar technology and economics, answer questions and share resources. Zoom attendees will also learn about solar co-ops.

For more information, visit https://act.sierraclub.org/events/details?formcampaignid=7013q000001QZIPAA4&mapLinkHref=

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

By Mary Thurwachter

Lantana Finance Director Stephen Kaplan gave Town Council members and residents a first look at the proposed fiscal year 2024 budget during a June 12 workshop.

Among the highlights, Lantana saw a 17.1% increase — or $262 million more — in taxable values this year, the highest percentage rise of any South County coastal municipality.

The increase was tied to new construction and the development of Water Tower Commons, the 73-acre mixed-use project with apartments and some retail in one of the town’s most desirable locations — the site once occupied by the A.G. Holley State Hospital.

“For the current year we have approximately $1.5 billion in taxable value, and with the 17.1% increase this year, we’re estimating $1.79 billion for 2023/2024,” said Kaplan, including $77 million in new construction and $70 million from Water Tower Commons.

Unlike last year, when the town upped the tax rate from $3.50 to $3.75 per $1,000 of taxable value — despite a 15.8% increase in the town’s tax base — no rate increase is planned this year, Kaplan said. Property tax revenue, using that $3.75 rate, is expected to bring in $6.4 million, assuming a 95% collection rate.

Money from the county’s infrastructure surtax, or penny sales tax, is expected to bring in $1.05 million to help pay for the ADA ramp at the beach, wooden decking and railings at the beach park, replacing Town Hall windows, renovating the Town Council chambers, paving projects, and constructing classrooms and an emergency operations center at the Police Department.

Lantana has received more than $6.3 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act money. To date, more than $4.2 million of those funds has been committed for various related projects, leaving about $2 million for other projects, Kaplan said, although he didn’t specify the projects.

Lantana has received $2.8 million in grants and appropriations. The bulk of the money — $1.2 million each from the federal and state governments — will be used for water main replacement.

The grant money will also go toward improvements to Maddock Park and the dog park there; a stormwater drainage system and future-needs analysis; an asset inventory and Ocean Avenue vulnerability assessment; and to pay for ADA door openings and parts of the library garden.

On the spending side, Lantana will revise salaries for employees to remain competitive; add an assistant police chief; add a new library manager and a business development specialist.

In the town’s administration department, about $210,000 will be put aside for replacing computers and purchasing three SUVs for the Police Department. Public Services

Department expenditures include $897,500 for town-wide improvements such as landscaping, adding trash receptacles and installing electric lighting along Greynolds Circle (around Town Hall) for holiday events; holiday decorations for Greynolds Circle; community park improvements such as new benches, landscaping, and trash cans; replacing the roof at the Recreation Center; and resurfacing the basketball court at the Sports Park.

The library budget sets aside $35,000 for bookshelves, computers and books.

The second budget workshop is set for 5:30 p.m. July 10 in the council chambers. The proposed tax rate will be set that night, as well. Public hearings on the budget and tax rate will be Sept. 11 and 20.