Montana Tucker’s songs and music videos aim to help people recognize the gift of their individuality. ‘Being inclusive is an important part of my platform,’ she says. ‘I’ve always wanted to inspire people to go for their dreams.’ Photo provided

By Janis Fontaine

Boca Raton native Montana Tucker knows the best way to beat your bullies is to become what they said you’d never be.
The successful singer, dancer, actor and social media influencer works mostly in Los Angeles these days, but still keeps a house in Boca Raton. On Jan. 15, she’ll work where she usually rests, headlining the Concert 4 Kindness at the Kaye Auditorium on Florida Atlantic University’s Boca Raton campus.
By the time she was 8, Tucker was already doing national modeling and commercial work. Around age 12, her natural dance skill was discovered by choreographer Darrin Henson (JLo, NSYNC and Britney Spears) at a dance workshop in Orlando. He encouraged the family to move Tucker to L.A., but Tucker’s mother, Michelle, opened a dance studio and hired top choreographers to teach there. A few years later, Tucker won the World Hip Hop Championships in Los Angeles.
Tucker’s achievements — from playing Serena the mermaid in Barney: The Land of Make Believe to working with Terry Crews, the likable flute-playing football player-turned-actor and lovable host of America’s Got Talent — have kept the doors opening for her.
Tucker, 28, says she has always used her platforms to promote a kinder, more inclusive world and in her first hometown concert, Tucker says her goal is to amplify kindness in South Florida. “Being inclusive is an important part of my platform,” Tucker said by phone. “I’ve always wanted to inspire people to go for their dreams.”
Especially when someone says they can’t.
She was chasing her dreams when she encountered bullying. Her hectic work schedule sometimes made her miss school, and her classmates noticed. “I was a little bigger than the other girls,” she said, “so they called me MAN-tana because of my size.”
Tucker says she began hiding in the bathroom during lunch to avoid bullies in the lunchroom. Their words could have crippled her — “I was so sensitive!” she says now with a laugh — but instead they became her ammunition. She made having a positive body image, accepting people of all shapes and sizes, and not judging others as the weapons in her anti-bullying arsenal.
Tucker knew how to get her message out. She wrote, recorded and released two songs and music videos with her anti-bullying message. I’m Not Alone, released in 2018, was Tucker’s debut single. The video features dancers with dwarfism, Down syndrome, spina bifida, facial deformities and deafness. The song has become known as “the song that saves lives” because its heartfelt message has reached people who were on the ledge.
The second song, Be Myself, released in 2021, features performer Todrick Hall and a flash mob in Times Square in the video. It was written to inspire self-acceptance and help people recognize the gift of their individuality.
Both songs will be featured at the multi-arts concert Jan. 15, which will include other local talent and video appearances by national artists. Performers, who are all donating their time, include Clarence Brooks, director of dance at FAU, BriGuel, a renowned bilingual duo from Spain and New York, and the Florida Singing Sons with Chorale Soleil.
Students and their mentors from Nat King Cole Generation Hope, a Boca Raton-based nonprofit that provides music education, mentoring and resources for youth, will also play.
The concert was organized by Bonnie and Jon Kaye of Kaye Communications in Boca Raton. Bonnie has been friends with Michelle Tucker since middle school.
“What impressed me about Montana was how she uses her platform for change. Who better to change the next generation than a truly authentic person like Montana?” Bonnie Kaye said. “I’m hoping this concert will start the year off with a message of kindness, diversity and peace.”

Challenge is uphill
The effort to stop bullying is valiant, but in the last 10 years, experts say not much has changed. A 2020 study by the Cyberbullying Research Center on tween cyberbullying is cringe-worthy: 49.8% of tweens 9 to 12 years old said they experienced bullying at school and 14.5% of tweens said they experienced bullying online. Nearly 70% of the tweens who were cyberbullied said it hurt their feelings about themselves and almost one-third said it affected their friendships.
To fight back, Tucker says, “I never respond to negative posts and messages, and I don’t let negativity win. I have thick skin.”
And whenever possible, she tries to educate others. In 2022, Tucker was named one of Maria Shriver’s Sunday Paper Architects of Change for her work educating people about the Holocaust.
“Montana Tucker is on a mission to debunk Holocaust misinformation and denial and put an end to antisemitism, one TikTok viewer at a time,” wrote Meghan Rabbitt, an editor at the paper.
Tucker filmed a series of 10 two-minute videos called How To: Never Forget, a Holocaust education docu-series for the TikTok generation. Tucker took her followers on a journey retracing her maternal grandmother’s steps to the camp at Auschwitz.
Tucker would stop bullying tomorrow if it were that easy. It’s not. She says, “I want kids to know if someone is going out of their way to hurt you, they’re not confident or happy with themselves. It’s about them.
“And one more thing: It’s going to get better.”

To share story ideas about Tots & Teens email Janis Fontaine at fontaine423@outlook.com.

If You Go
What: Concert 4 Kindness
When: 4 p.m. Jan. 15
Where: Carole and Barry Kaye Performing Arts Auditorium at FAU, 777 Glades Road, Boca Raton.
Tickets: $10-$20, which will support the Make a Difference Fund for scholarships and programs at the future Kurt and Marilyn Wallach Holocaust and Jewish Studies building on FAU’s Boca Raton campus.
Info: 561-297-6124 or www.fauevents.com.

The oceanfront master suite encompasses an expansive bedroom with wood floor, antique English fire surround and French doors to a wrought iron balcony. Photos provided

When Palm Beach socialite Lila Vanderbilt Webb conceived this Gulf Stream compound in 1931, in partnership with her son and with renowned architect Maurice Fatio, she sourced design ideas from Addison Mizner and materials (from tiles to stonework) from his local factory. Her vision, artfully realized by prominent Palm Beach builder C.G. Warner, had as its focal point a three-story tower residence crowned by the mirador, or lookout, that inspired its name. It was completed in 1933.

The charming oceanview kitchen boasts a slanted tongue-and-groove ceiling, custom cabinetry, marble counters and top-tier appliances.

By 1941, the estate was split into two properties, both of which hold the mirador title. Reimagined in 2014 by architect Mark Marsh and a host of other designers, Miradero has been modernized, refined and expanded without compromising its architectural integrity or historic charm.

The VIP suite of the guest house has a pecky cypress vaulted ceiling, boutique walk-in closet and attached marble bath.

Today’s Miradero has its signature tower residence, the original guest house and a pool house addition, all complete with secure smart-house technology. There are five bedrooms, an oceanfront office, five full and two half baths, a Mario Nievera landscape with private beach access and an outdoor shower.

The estate-sized oceanfront property is electronically gated, hedged and approached by a long paver drive from A1A. BELOW RIGHT: A coral deck and resort-style pool with separate spa lie between the pool house and the tower residence framed with lush tropical gardens.

Offered at $19,995,000. The Pascal Liguori Estate Group, 561-789-8300. Premier Estate Properties, 900 E. Atlantic Ave., #4, Delray Beach; pascal@premierestateproperties.com

Each month, The Coastal Star features a house for sale in our community.
The House of the Month is presented as a service to our advertisers and provides readers with a peek inside one of our homes.

By Rich Pollack

For four and half years the identity of Baby June and the questions of how the tiny 2-day-old infant ended up floating in the Boynton Inlet remained a mystery.

Despite relentless efforts by Palm Beach County sheriff’s detectives searching for anyone who knew anything and tracking down dead-end tip after dead-end tip, there was little to go on.

Now, thanks to the latest advances in DNA analysis technology using public databases, detectives have answers to the questions and a Boynton Beach woman — the mother of Baby June — is in custody on a murder charge.

On Thursday, after an extensive investigation that included a covert DNA collection, detectives arrested 29-year-old Arya Singh and charged her with tossing the baby she had on May 30, 2018, into the ocean.

“There have been a lot of question marks about Baby June’s death and now we have an idea of what happened,” said detective Brittany Christoffel of the sheriff’s cold case unit. “It’s nice to have some answers.”

Christoffel said that the infant was a surprise to her mother and was thrown into the ocean shortly after she was born.

“She didn't know she was pregnant up until the time she gave birth,” Christoffel said.  “When the baby was born, she wasn't sure if she was alive or dead, and that was that. By the time the baby went into the inlet, she was already deceased."

The baby was found by an off-duty Boynton Beach firefighter on June 1 and given the name Baby June by investigators.

Detectives believe that Singh acted alone and kept the birth of the baby and her actions in the aftermath a secret from most, including the baby’s father, a former boyfriend.

“She was fully responsible for the baby ending up in the Boynton Inlet,” Christoffel said.

The father played a key role in helping lead the detectives to Singh.

Using forensic genetic genealogy, the same technology used to identify the Golden State Killer in California a few years ago, members of the sheriff’s forensic biology unit were able to identify relatives of the father.

Armed with the lead, gathered in part through a public database, detectives met with the father and he led them to Singh. 

“He knew nothing about the baby,” Christoffel said.

Once the mother was identified, investigators began building their case with search warrants that showed Singh was at the Boynton Inlet on May 30 — about 40 hours before the baby was found — and had done computer searches for news articles about the finding.

Using DNA found on trash she discarded, detectives were able to confirm that Singh was indeed the mother of Baby June.

Investigators did a subsequent DNA test and conducted several interviews to be certain of their findings before finally filing the first-degree murder charge against Singh.

Sheriff Ric Bradshaw praised the investigators as well as several partner agencies during a news conference announcing the arrest.

“The dedication and tenacity of the people involved in this case is exemplary,” he said.

The long-anticipated launch of Brightline’s rail service to Boca Raton will take place on Dec. 21.

Brightline will host ribbon-cutting ceremonies at the new Boca Raton and Aventura stations on Dec. 20.

Speakers at Boca event will include Mayor Scott Singer and Brightline President Patrick Goddard.

One-way tickets go on sale Dec. 15 for as low as $10 and can be purchased on Brightline’s app or website. Schedule information is available on www.gobrightline.com

Boca Raton officials have eagerly awaited the opening of the station, located east of the Downtown Library at 101 NW Fourth St., saying it will be a “game changer” for the city.

They predict the rail service will lure corporations to locate in the city and will bring tourists and South Florida residents to the city’s cultural attractions, restaurants and other amenities.

City Council members approved a deal that allowed the station and parking garage to be built on city-owned land three years ago.

“This will be a moment of triumph for Boca Raton,” Singer said at the time.

The $46 million station will be smaller than those in Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach, but will be similar in appearance and in the services offered.

Construction began in December 2021 and has moved ahead quickly. In recent weeks, construction crews have been working feverishly to finish work on both the station and garage.

— Mary Hladky

The 60-year-old co-op with 22 units sold for $29 million. Photos provided

By John Pacenti

Duncan Burke fell in love some 50 years ago with the understated individually owned apartments next to Ocean Club of Florida. His godparents owned in Ocean Maisonettes across the street and he bought into the apartments.
“My wife and I loved it. It was small but wonderful,” said Burke, who travels around the globe but is based in Greenwich, Connecticut. But Burke and the other owners at 6855 N. Ocean Blvd. in Ocean Ridge decided to say goodbye. The oceanside complex sold for $29 million on Oct. 18, according to Palm Beach County official records. The money will be split among owners according to the size of their units, 22 in all. The 60-year-old building was a co-op, meaning that to sell it, all owners of the studio and one-bedroom units had to agree. Owners had already agreed not to inhabit the property recently as repairs mounted.
“It ends a long period of uncertainty as to what to do about the building, which was frustrating,” Burke said. “It was bittersweet for those of us who have been down there with family since the 1970s.”
New construction along Ocean Boulevard — be it condominiums or multimillion-dollar spec mansions — represents a confluence of spiking land values, an influx of new year-round residents and new regulations ushered in by the collapse of Champlain Towers South in Surfside in June 2021. 

The sale of the co-op apartments (within dotted lines) to an affiliate of the Edwards Cos. has generated buzz about what’s next, including the possibility that luxury condos will be built. 

It is “Logan’s Run” for aging complexes that once were the backbone of the area’s charm. The co-op follows the path of Wright by the Sea, the historic Delray Beach hotel that sold four years ago for $25 million to make way for the ultramodern Ocean Delray condominiums.
With more than 200 feet of direct ocean frontage, the co-op possesses the same allure of unobstructed ocean views that made Wright by the Sea desirable.
The new owner of the apartments — or more important, the 2.1 acres they sit upon — is an affiliate of Edwards Cos., a Columbus, Ohio-based family-owned holding company that advertises a host of developments: mixed-use urban, multifamily, student housing, condominium construction. 
It is the mixed-use part that has some Ocean Ridge residents alarmed. 
The Edwards Cos., under a limited liability corporation, also is behind Delray Beach’s Atlantic Crossing, a $300 million multiuse project slated to have offices, shops, restaurants and condos. 
The company did not respond to an email for comment.
Also, the Ocean Club — the beach and tennis club next door to the co-op — would not talk about the sale.
Betty Bingham’s father — former Ocean Ridge Mayor H. Peirce Brawner — was one of the original members of the Ocean Club. She said there is plenty of concern among Ocean Ridge residents about what the Edwards Cos. will construct.
“I doubt seriously they will be able to put stores and offices,” said Bingham, who is not an Ocean Club member. 
Ocean Ridge interim Town Manager Lynne Ladner said the zoning is high-density residential multifamily. There is a height restriction of four stories. 
“There has been no permit pulled. They have not started any land development with our building department,” Ladner said. “They haven’t done anything but change ownership. There has been no discussion with the town.
“We have quite a few people who are asking about it and I am telling them the same thing.”
The Edwards Cos. isn’t talking, but the affable lawyer who helped manage the sale said the plans will be to construct up to 20 luxury condominiums after the razing of the old apartments. 
The lawyer, Brad Capas, executive director of Cushman & Wakefield, said necessary repairs in the wake of the Surfside collapse were going to be costly for owners of the apartments.
“Nobody wants a repeat so everybody is paying attention to it,” he said. “In this particular case, residents were not full-time and did not want to pay to do the capital improvements to pass inspections.”

New regs for old buildings
They are not alone. Coastal residential buildings are reckoning with the Surfside tragedy, forcing residents to incur hefty assessments for upgrades or repairs.
The Florida Legislature ushered in reforms last session, mandating that condos and co-ops three stories or taller and within 3 miles of the coast must have a “milestone inspection” 25 years after opening and every 10 years thereafter. The first inspection for those farther from the coast would be 30 years.
Condo associations must have enough money in their reserves by 2025 to fund all necessary repairs to maintain the structural integrity of their buildings. Ocean Ridge Management, which managed the apartments, did not have any comment and efforts to reach board members on the exact nature of pending repairs were unsuccessful. 
“It’s my understanding that the owners voluntarily moved out — out of an abundance of caution,” Capas said. 
There were about five serious bidders for the property, but Capas said it was a complex sale because of the zoning restrictions on it, such as height and easement. 
“The site planning of the property, the design of the building, is a little complicated because there are some obstacles that they have to work through,” Capas said.
He estimated that the new condominiums will run about $2,000 per square foot — about the same as at the recently completed Ocean Delray.
Former Ocean Ridge Mayor Ken Kaleel said Ocean Ridge is no different from barrier island communities throughout South Florida.
“The market value of the land and aging buildings are prompting some developers to come in and take an interest,” he said.
“That has been happening for quite some time. It is completely different than it was 30 years ago. The pandemic just put it on hyperdrive.”
Realtor Nick Malinosky said seasonal residents have been increasingly replaced with families moving primarily from the Northeast, California and Chicago and staying year-round.
He said these older buildings’ time has come.
“They’re ugly to look at, the windows are small. Typically, the vegetation in the landscape isn’t great,” Malinosky said.
“The development, assuming it stays within the standard zoning and regulations, will be a great improvement to the area.”
Duncan Burke represented the typical resident of the apartments. Burke said he and his family used it for two or three weeks in March, maybe a weekend in November and another weekend around New Year’s Day.
It was certainly enough time to create some great family memories.
“It was about as nice as it gets in Florida around there,” he said.

By Joel Engelhardt

Ron DeSantis reached a plateau in Palm Beach County on Nov. 8 that no Republican candidate for governor had reached in 36 years: He tallied more votes than the Democrat.
And on his coattails rode Republicans Peggy Gossett-Seidman to victory over Andy Thomson for a Boca Raton-centered state House seat, and Marci Woodward, a political novice, over County Mayor Robert Weinroth for a County Commission seat.
“Money didn’t matter and it didn’t matter how much you spent,” said campaign consultant Rick Asnani, who worked on both the Thomson and Weinroth campaigns. “Endorsements didn’t matter. Any type of discussion around experience didn’t matter. This was all driven around one very simple thing, did you have an ‘R’ next to your name?”
And much of that was because of the man at the top of the ticket, said Sid Dinerstein, a former chairman of the Palm Beach County Republican Party.
“The No. 1 reason was Ron DeSantis,” he said. “We never had an election, either party, where they won the state by 1.5 million votes. You have to start with the uniqueness of this political figure.”
Thomson, who had to resign his seat on the Boca Raton City Council to run, faced a deluge of TV attack ads paid for by the Florida House Republican Campaign Committee to pound home the message that he raised taxes and was soft on immigration and crime.
“They treated him the way they would any other Democrat,” Asnani said. “They tied him to Joe Biden. ‘He’s a liberal. He’s a Democrat. The other person is not’ and they won.”
Thomson ran attack ads as well, Gossett-Seidman said, a point Thomson disputed.
While acknowledging the importance of the DeSantis effect, Gossett-Seidman said voters were driven by concerns about the economy, a refrain she heard as she walked the district, which includes Highland Beach, Boca Raton and much of west Boca.
“Everywhere we went, everyone is worried about the economy, prices, jobs,” said Gossett-Seidman, who served four years on the Highland Beach Town Commission and is the first former Highland Beach commissioner to serve in the Florida House. “It was totally overwhelming. They want a normalcy to return, in terms of the economy, having freedoms — the free and open Florida.”
But the key to her victory, by 51.7% to 48.3%, was the enthusiasm for DeSantis that drew Republicans to the polls and the apathy that kept Democrats away, Thomson said. He added that he pulled in more votes in his district than Charlie Crist, who lost to DeSantis by a margin of about 3-to-2 statewide.

Nearly a clean sweep
Almost all of the Republican candidates at the top of the ticket scored wins in Palm Beach County, a virtually unprecedented result, thwarted only by U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio’s falling just 2,124 votes short of Val Demings, out of 542,852 cast.
The only time since 1978 that a Republican for governor scored higher than the Democrat in Palm Beach County came in 1986, when Bob Martinez attained 53.8% of the vote to Steve Pajcic’s 46.2%.
Three times in the 1980s Palm Beach County went Republican for president — twice for Ronald Reagan and once for George Bush — but that never happened again.
On Nov. 8, DeSantis won the county with 51.2% of the vote to 48.3% for Crist.
Democrats still have a decided registration advantage in Palm Beach County over Republicans: 40% to 29%.
“Democrats had no enthusiasm and stayed home,” Asnani said. “If you didn’t have a seat that had at least a 10- to 14-point [partisan] advantage, you had no chance to win.”
For example, Democrat Lois Frankel held on to her South County congressional seat, 55% to 45%, over Dan Franzese. Two years earlier, in a similarly Democratic-leaning district, she won 59% to 39%.

Other local races
Democratic state Rep. Joe Casello, running in a solid Democratic House district that includes Delray Beach and Boynton Beach, held off challenger Keith Feit, 55% to 45%. State Sen. Bobby Powell, a Democrat in a district that includes the barrier islands north of the Boynton Inlet, won 55.7% of the vote in defeating Eric Ankner.
Likewise, Democratic state Sen. Lori Berman got 55% of the vote in defeating Republican Steve Byers in District 26, which runs along the coast from Glades Road to the Boynton Inlet.
But Democratic state Sen. Tina Polsky lost Palm Beach County, 52.6% to 47.4%, winning re-election on the strength of her showing in Broward County, which she carried with 59% of the vote.
Republican Mike Caruso won his new House district, which starts north of the Boynton Inlet and runs up to Palm Beach Gardens, defeating Sienna Osta 59% to 41%.

New county commissioners
But for Weinroth, a former Boca Raton City Council member, and Michelle McGovern, a one-time aide to former Democratic U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, the governor’s coattails proved too much even though their County Commission opponents had no big money infusion for TV ads.
Taking over for Weinroth in a South County district that includes all the barrier islands south of South Palm Beach will be Woodward, a Boca Raton resident who had never run for office before. She won with 51.8% of the vote. 
Hailing her election as “proof that a citizen does have a place in local government,” Woodward took the oath of office Nov. 22. She acknowledged the learning she needs to do and pledged “to represent you the way I want to be represented myself.”
Republican Sara Baxter defeated McGovern by a similar margin in the West County district held for eight years by Democrat Melissa McKinlay, who was term-limited from running again.
Incumbent Gregg Weiss, a Democrat, won re-election with 56% of the vote, giving Democrats a reduced 4-3 majority on the new commission. He was appointed to the county’s ceremonial mayor post by his colleagues on Nov. 22.
While Woodward didn’t respond to a request for an interview, her website describes several key moments in her life, particularly her difficult efforts to conceive after marrying Michael, her high school sweetheart. They graduated in the 1990s from the University of South Carolina-Aiken before moving to South Florida in 2004.
It was here that fertility treatments left her facing years of medical issues, now resolved, she wrote.
With the coronavirus pandemic underway in 2020, she wrote, she became aware of the power of the County Commission. She wondered how business could survive the closures and limitations.
“But then came the real question: Who was making these rules?” she wrote. “Who were these new Task Force Officers and to whom did they report? And why, did it seem, the rules that were made ‘for our well-being’ were not being adhered to by those who we elected to represent us?
“They made the rules, but WE suffered.”
When she felt like the county didn’t respond to her questions and she learned Weinroth was running unopposed, she entered the race, raising $48,700, including $16,000 from the county Republican Party and $8,000 of her own money.
Weinroth, who raised $416,000, cited his accomplishments after four years on the commission and four years on the Boca council, but said there was no way to get that across to voters intent on party support.
“They looked at the ‘R’ and the ‘D’ and decided to vote ‘R,’” he said, pointing out that he got 6,000 fewer votes in this election than his previous one, “which means to me the Democrats stayed home.”
As for the two newcomers to the County Commission, he pointed out that it’s not just a one-issue job.
“It’s not just a pandemic or voter integrity. It’s a job with multiple issues thrown at you,” Weinroth said. “I hope they take a breath and learn how our county runs, because they are on the board of directors now for all of Palm Beach County.” 

Peg Heffernan and Phyllis Baxter look through the items for sale at The Southern Handcraft Society, Pineapple Grove Chapter’s 29th annual juried art and craft show Nov. 17-19 in the Fieldhouse at Old School Square. About 55 SHS members participated as vendors. More than 1,000 shoppers strolled through the Delray Beach event. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

It’s hard to ask for money at the holidays. There are so many worthwhile organizations working to meet the needs of those struggling in our community — children, the elderly, animals. Agencies involved in these heart-wrenching efforts need your financial support. Please consider these groups as you plan your year-end giving.
Please also consider financially supporting your free, local newspaper. We realize a newspaper may not appear at first blush to be a critical need. We understand. We are, after all, a for-profit business with support of local, sustaining business partners.
These advertisers are the backbone supporting our ability to enlighten, educate and entertain our unique community — and have been for more than 14 years. We have no plans to change this business model; but with your (tax-deductible) donation, there’s a whole lot more we could provide.
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We promise not to solicit your contribution via email or social media on Small Business Saturday or Giving Tuesday. Instead, we’re making this plea on Page 2 of our print publication in the hope you’ll help us shine a brighter light on our community with your year-end contribution.
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Happy holidays!

— Mary Kate Leming, Editor

Volunteer Carolina Doering of Boca Raton teaches Spanish to preschoolers at the Fuller Center. She previously taught in her native Venezuela and in South County. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Brian Biggane

Not everyone is cut out to teach preschool. Sure, kids can be adorably cute at that age, but they can also cry for their mommies, decide it’s naptime in the middle of class or simply refuse to do what they’re told.
In more than 40 years as an educator— much of it dealing with preschool children— Boca Raton’s Carolina Doering has seen all that and more. And after lengthy stints at schools in both Venezuela and Palm Beach County and ultimately retiring, she’s back at it, teaching preschoolers for the past eight years as a volunteer at the Fuller Center in Boca.
“People don’t realize how important the first years of your life are,” Doering said. “Everything you learn up to 5 years old is going to stay with you for the rest of your life. And these kids have the opportunity to learn so many things, and get to elementary school with a big, big base. That gives them self-esteem, that gives them security. It’s so important what preschool years do for your future.”
The great grand-daughter of a doctor in Venezuela who built a hospital on land he donated to the government, Doering came to the U.S. to earn a degree in education from the University of Florida in the mid ’80s. She then returned home to Caracas before moving to Isla de Margarita in 1986.
“When I moved to the island there were no schools there,” she said. “I started my preschool and more and more people moved there, and the parents proposed we make a big school from the preschool.
“It got to a point where we had 180 kids and 27 people on my staff at the preschool and they bought me out,” she said. “I agreed to stay on for five years, but when that time was over the situation in the country was getting bad and my sister, who lives in Wellington, convinced me to come here.”
She made the move with her two teenage sons in 2005. She tried to start a day care center but that was unsuccessful, so she joined the staff of the now-closed Claremont Montessori School, where she stayed for nine years, teaching Spanish.
Doering, 65, retired in 2013 but felt the need to give back. After exploring the possibilities, she landed at the Fuller Center, a school for underprivileged preschoolers that, as its website claims, gives children a chance “to pave their pathway out of the generational cycle of poverty.”
After a year as a teacher’s assistant, she became the school’s Spanish teacher in 2015 and works with 15-20 children in each of six classes for 30 minutes each one day a week.
“My class is fun,” she said. “If you’re going to teach a language it has to be fun, especially with preschool kids.
“I do a lot of songs (and) I have a lot of resources. I speak in Spanish, and I translate what the song says, but there’s a time when I don’t have to anymore. We sing about good morning, the days of the week and colors. I teach by themes and try to make it fun.”
Several of her kids come from households where Spanish is the first language. “In the beginning of the year they feel good because they have the answers. It’s amazing how they catch on. They don’t have much exposure to the world, but they’re so sharp, so smart. Every year they’re smarter.”
Three or four years ago, Doering and her husband, Craig, adopted a class, which brings the school additional resources. Two years ago, she was offered a spot on the board of directors and accepted. She is also active in America Developing Smiles, a Miami-based nonprofit that raises money to further the education of children in several Latin American countries.
“Life has been good for me, so you have to give back,” Doering said. “I believe you have to give back doing things.
“I say to Craig, ‘I don’t want to give money. Let’s go there and work for them.’ I believe that you have to do it. You have to be involved. That way I keep in touch with kids. I feel young because of that. Being in touch with young kids gives you a good experience.”
Doering said it’s important that the community continues to support the Fuller Center in various ways: volunteering, tutoring, mentoring and fundraising. “Our motto is ‘Tomorrow Begins Today,’ so please help us make a lasting impact in our children and families.”

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By Joe Capozzi

South Palm Beach Town Manager Robert Kellogg said he plans to resign at the end of March, a decision he made a day after a town councilman called for his termination. 
At the Nov. 15 Town Council meeting, Ray McMillan didn’t offer a public explanation for his motion to fire Kellogg, other than to say: “It’s the best thing for the town.’’
McMillan’s motion, made as the council was about to discuss a contract extension for the town manager, got no support from the mayor and two other council members on the dais. Councilman Robert Gottlieb was absent. 
“This is no time to change. We’ve got some big stuff coming up here. We need his experience and familiarity,’’ Vice Mayor Bill LeRoy said.
Instead, the council voted 3-1, with McMillan voting no, to extend Kellogg’s contract another month while the town manager continued negotiating a new contract with the town attorney.
The next day, Kellogg told Mayor Bonnie Fischer and Town Attorney Glen Torcivia that he plans to resign March 31. 
“I think the best thing to do under the circumstances is we move on,’’ Kellogg, 69, said in an interview with The Coastal Star, adding: “I wish (McMillan) nothing but the best.’’
Kellogg has been the town manager in South Palm Beach since 2019, when he replaced Mo Thornton. He is making $105,000 a year. 
McMillan offered a harsh assessment of Kellogg during an interview with The Coastal Star a day after the council meeting.
“My position is, his shelf life has expired. We need to get somebody else, somebody with different ideas, who’s younger,’’ said McMillan, who was elected to the council in 2020 after eking out a 17-vote victory over Elvadianne Culbertson. 
“I didn’t want to bring anything up to embarrass him. I very well could have. There are a lot of skeletons in his closet I could bring out,’’ he said, refusing to elaborate. 
When pressed about what aspects of Kellogg’s performance he had issues with, McMillan mentioned two examples. 
He accused Kellogg of illegally ordering the removal of campaign signs for Republican candidates from the right of way in front of the Town Hall polling place on Election Day. He said he thinks Kellogg is a Democrat and therefore ordered the removal of the signs because they promoted Ron DeSantis, Dan Franzese and other Republican candidates. 
Kellogg said he didn’t instruct anyone to remove any campaign signs, which are prohibited on town property. He said a sheriff’s deputy removed some signs from the right of way, where they are allowed. Those signs “were put back once the error was discovered,’’ he said.   
McMillan also pointed out his dissatisfaction over Kellogg’s handling of a resolution, approved by the council later in the meeting on Nov. 15, that bans the consideration of ESG policies in town finances.
The ban stems from a Republican-led movement across the country that steers public money away from companies that prioritize environmental, social and governance issues rather than solely profits. 
Earlier this summer, Gov. DeSantis announced plans to steer Florida’s state pension funds away from investment managers possessing what he called “woke” ESG policies focusing on issues such as climate change and diversity.
In July, the Town Council voted 4-1 to apply for a state grant to pay for assessing South Palm Beach’s vulnerabilities to flooding and sea level rise. McMillan voted no.
McMillan said he first called for South Palm Beach to adopt the ESG ban in August. He accused Kellogg of purposely delaying the final vote, which he said should have been placed on the agenda at the council’s September or October meeting.
He also accused Kellogg of adding to the agenda’s backup material an article “promoting ESG.’’ 
Although Kellogg conducted an informal survey in September that revealed none of the county’s municipalities have ESG bans, he said he was not involved with the town’s ESG resolution. That was handled by the town attorney.
“I’m not going to take the blame for that because that was all part of the attorney’s process working with (McMillan). Whatever,’’ Kellogg said. 
Kellogg said he remembers adding “an informational piece” about ESG to the agenda material. “I didn’t think it was slanted one way or the other,’’ he said. 
He said he had no idea what McMillan meant by saying Kellogg has “skeletons in his closet.’’ 
Kellogg has had indications that some other council members might not be happy with his performance. At a special meeting on Sept. 23, council members gave him an average score of 3.26 on a one-to-five scale. They called him “acceptable,” but expressed unhappiness with limited staffing at Town Hall and public perception of the permitting process.
Fischer said the council will discuss its search for a new town manager in January. She said she is glad Kellogg is staying through the end of March.
“I certainly didn’t want him fired. He does not deserve to be fired,” Fischer said.
“Partisanship is an issue with Ray and Bob and I don’t think it belongs with respect to the positions in the town, and that goes for the rest of us,” she said.
LeRoy said he supports Kellogg and wishes he wouldn’t resign. “I think he’s doing a great job,’’ LeRoy said.
As for McMillan’s motion to fire the town manager, LeRoy said: “He dropped a bomb on us. Everybody’s jaw dropped open. We had no idea. We were just in shock. That came out of the blue.’’
Councilman Monte Berendes said he’s “kind of” sorry to see Kellogg go, “but if that’s what he feels he needs to do, I would never stand in anybody’s way. I am concerned about the town and what’s going to happen when he leaves.’’
The town is trying to jump-start plans to build a new Town Hall. A vote on a contract with the architectural firm designing the building will be considered at a special meeting at 1 p.m. on Dec. 7.  
“That’s going to take some effort and some direction,’’ Berendes said. “And now, if he does follow through with his resignation, we have to find somebody to fill his shoes.’’

By Steve Plunkett

Two homes at opposite ends of the town will be built after the architects involved made multiple concessions to Gulf Stream’s planning board and Town Commission to make the projects fit better into their neighborhoods.
In an unusual annexation to be finalized this month, the house at 996 Pelican Lane, on Gulf Stream’s southern border, will add a sliver of land roughly 7 feet deep and 100 feet wide to the town’s limits. Town officials had planned to annex the parcel at the commission’s Nov. 10 meeting, but postponed the decision to Dec. 9 so the vote could be properly advertised.
Why the sliver was never incorporated into Gulf Stream or Delray Beach could not be determined, said Cristofer Bennardo, the attorney representing the owners.
“So, for all intents and purposes, we have this small parcel of land … that is in essence a lost parcel,” he said.
The other house will be built at 2775 Avenue Au Soleil. The property used to have a home that was such an eyesore that the Place Au Soleil homeowners association paid to plant a clusia hedge along its western edge so it would not be the first thing people entering the neighborhood saw.
In 2019, town commissioners reduced code enforcement liens that had prevented the heirs of the abandoned house from selling it. Commissioners hoped a new owner would make it more presentable. After a deal for a neighbor to buy it and expand his residence fell through, Chet Snavely, president of the homeowner group, bought the property for $400,000, demolished the house, planted sod and installed sprinklers.
He sold the vacant parcel in March for $890,000, county property records show.
Representatives of new owner Benedetto DiCicco made four trips to the Architectural Review and Planning Board and appeared twice before the Town Commission to get permission to build a 6,970-square-foot Colonial West Indies home.
The ARPB said no to a proposed garage with three vehicle doors facing the street, which is no longer permitted by town code. It recommended approving the plan after the third door was moved to the rear of the garage and after questioning — but leaving in — a request for a special exception for 300 square feet of covered, unenclosed floor area around the backyard pool.
Town commissioners were more critical and sought numerous changes to make the home less of what architect Shane Ames called a “modern interpretation” of Colonial West Indies style. Ames withdrew the request for the extra covered area by the pool and added corbels under the eaves, and blue shutters. He also included a predominantly wood front door with glass instead of a predominantly glass door with a metal frame, as well as garage doors matching the wood door color, more traditional exterior lights, a gray slate roof instead of brown, two windows with shutters instead of a large picture window and no shutters on the front, and two windows with shutters instead of three tall vertical windows at the rear.
He previously added bronze windows, which the ARPB rejected. The architect and owner agreed to swap out white frames for the bronze, and the planning board scheduled a special meeting on Nov. 1 to give its blessing.
The Pelican Lane home faced a similar gauntlet of scrutiny. New owners Joseph and Laura Pehota wanted to build a 3,698-square-foot, two-story Anglo-Caribbean style house but discovered that the back 8 feet of their lot was a separate, unincorporated parcel from their home site.
A previous owner had built a sea wall in line with the neighbor’s sea wall even though legally the lot line was 8 feet closer to the house. That meant a proposed swimming pool would have to be farther from the water, limiting the size of the new house.
Bennardo asked town commissioners to grant variances so the pool could be built as though the two parcels were joined while he investigated the requirements for annexation, but commissioners insisted that the property be annexed before a site plan could be approved.
Then there was the design of the house, which architect Richard Brummer called Anglo-Caribbean but town officials considered “contemporary” and “modern.”
Over the course of three architectural review meetings and four commission meetings starting in June, Brummer increased the slope of the roof and added shutters, window muntins to divide the glass area, a front door with wood, and detail to the space over the garage doors. He also decreased the amount of glass on the rear façade and replaced a glass rail balcony with a Chippendale and picket rail.
Commissioners approved a demolition permit outright on Nov. 10 so the Pehotas could begin construction, but made the land clearing application, as well as a special exception request for 96 square feet of covered, unenclosed floor area for a rear porch and front entry, and the site plan approvals contingent on their December vote to annex the strip of land.
Commissioners, ARPB members and town staff were pleased to have defended the recently enacted prohibition of home projects that appear massive, are dissimilar to nearby residences and do not fit comfortably on their lots. In both cases the commission sent the projects back to the review board with their comments after the ARPB had first signed off.
“I thought it worked out very well,” Mayor Scott Morgan said. “It took a little while, but getting the ARPB on the same page as the commission I thought was as important as getting those two homes right.”

No election required
Five familiar faces will return to the Town Commission for the next three years.
“All the sitting commissioners filed to run again and went unopposed, so Gulf Stream will not have to have an election in March,” Town Clerk Renee Basel said.
It was the first election cycle for incumbent Thom Smith, who was elevated to the commission in April from his post on the town’s Architectural Review and Planning Board after Commissioner Donna White resigned.
Also gaining new terms are Morgan, Vice Mayor Tom Stanley and Commissioners Paul Lyons and Joan Orthwein.Ú

By Tao Woolfe

High-rise buildings will come under closer scrutiny in the coming months thanks to a new Boynton Beach ordinance that mandates thorough structural safety inspections for residential buildings 25 years or older.
The City Commission unanimously adopted the Building Milestone Inspection Program at its Nov. 14 meeting. Some 200 structures — many of them along the city’s eastern edge — could be affected by the measure.
“Most of the buildings along Federal were constructed in the ’70s and ’80s,” city building official John Kuntzman told the commissioners. “There are eight buildings on the barrier island that were all built in the ’70s.”
The barrier island buildings are within St. Andrews, he said.
Boynton Beach, like many other municipalities in South Florida, is strengthening local regulations in hopes of avoiding a building collapse like that of the 12-story Champlain Towers South beachfront condo in the Miami suburb of Surfside.
Building department staff researched how to strengthen recent state legislation that created milestone inspection requirements for multistory residential condominium and cooperatively owned buildings that are 25 years or older and are located within 3 miles of the coastline.
Boynton Beach added other building types that must be vetted — requiring buildings taller than three stories and larger than 5,000 square feet to be included — and increased the reach of the ordinance to all residential buildings 25 years or older within the city limits.
Once homeowner associations have been served with notice from the city that their buildings qualify for recertification, they will have a year to schedule an inspection by a qualified engineer, Assistant City Manager Adam Temple said.
Once the engineer’s report has been submitted to the city, building owners will have 180 days to make the repairs and be recertified for safety compliance.
The city will offer expedited permit procedures for buildings in need of repairs, Temple said.
The state Legislature’s bill makes the repairs mandatory and places the responsibility of ensuring the work is completed on the unit owners and homeowner associations.
“They wouldn’t be required to bring the building up to current standards, but they will have to make them safer,” Temple said.
In answer to a question about how buildings near the ocean are affected by hurricanes, Kuntzman said salt intrusion is a bigger threat than wind.
“Once the salt gets into concrete, it soaks in,” he said. “Sooner or later, the salt will hit the steel.”
The building official was referring to the steel reinforcing rods, or rebar, that strengthen concrete under tension.
The mandatory inspections are expected to include infrared thermography or X-ray that allows inspectors to look beneath surfaces for such problems as moisture infiltration, insulation gaps and separation of wall layers.
The city’s recertification program requirements were suggested by building department staff after “a yearlong effort of coordination amongst all of Palm Beach County’s building officials,” according to the draft proposal.
“The purpose of this new program is to maintain the structural integrity of buildings throughout [their] service life ... so as to not pose a threat to the public health, safety, or welfare,” the proposal says.
Buildings that are exempted from the ordinance include townhomes with three or fewer stories; school buildings; and federal, state and local municipal buildings.

More police to be equipped with body- and dash-cams
The City Commission voted unanimously at its Nov. 14 meeting to sign a five-year, $2.9 million contract with Axon Enterprises, to supply more body cams and dash cams to all Boynton Beach police officers.
At the moment, the department has 80 body cams, which are worn by patrol officers. That number will increase to 125 body cameras under the new contract, Police Chief Joe DeGiulio told the commissioners. Also, 100 dashboard cameras will be placed in patrol cars, which will also be equipped with new Tasers.

Civil suit filed against city by family of dead teen
The family of Stanley Davis III has filed a civil suit against the city of Boynton Beach in U.S. District Court.
The wrongful death suit accuses the city and former Police Officer Mark Sohn of violating the constitutional rights of Davis, a 13-year-old boy who was killed in a dirt bike incident just after Christmas last year.
The boy was fleeing from a patrol car, driven by Sohn, when he crashed into a sign in a concrete median. Sohn was fired in August. He has filed a grievance against the city for wrongful termination and is seeking reinstatement.
The lawsuit alleges that the city should have fired Sohn earlier, especially since there had been numerous complaints about the officer, including another death resulting from a high-speed chase.
Members of the Black community, including the youngster’s family, friends and supporters, had for months asked the City Commission to fire those responsible for the tragedy.
Civil rights attorney Benjamin Lloyd Crump is representing the family and estate of Stanley Davis.

By Larry Barszewski

Manalapan is lucky to have its own water supply, Mayor Keith Waters says, and he wants to protect it from a future commission that might want to sell it off.
At the commission’s Nov. 17 meeting, Waters proposed asking voters to approve a referendum that would require voter approval before any such sale could go through. The earliest the initial referendum could be held is in March 2024, officials said.
The referendum would be similar to how Ocean Ridge voters protected the town’s Police Department. Voters in 2020 approved requiring a referendum before any future proposed merger of the department with another agency — such as the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office — could occur.
“I would like for the town to consider, or the commission to consider, doing something that precludes any future groups that may sit at this dais from making a decision to sell our water without a referendum from the community, without the community having a chance to say yes or no,” Waters said.
“I know in a lot of different cities, the privatization of water is a big issue. We have an asset that is not replaceable and we don’t really have anything in place that precludes six people from sitting up here and making a decision.”
Town Manager Linda Stumpf said there’s not enough time to prepare ballot language, have the commission approve it, and get it to the Supervisor of Elections in time for the March 2023 elections. Manalapan won’t be having a town election in 2023 anyway. Only one candidate filed for each of its four open seats, so those candidates have been automatically elected to the positions they sought.
The next available date for a referendum is March 2024, Stumpf said.
Waters said ownership has become a serious issue in different parts of the country, especially in California, where water prices are increasing.
“I’d like to protect that asset because we are the only barrier island [community] that has our own water. Everyone else is beholden to whoever’s on the other side” of the Intracoastal Waterway, Waters said.
Highland Beach is the only other South County barrier island town with its own water plant.
The commission was supportive of the mayor’s idea and will discuss it with the town’s legal counsel at its December meeting, which has been moved to 10 a.m. Dec. 13 to avoid conflicts with the holidays. “I think the important thing is we really explain this to the town,” Commissioner Chauncey Johnstone said.
In other business:
• The Town Commission authorized spending $84,520 to have consultant Mock Roos & Associates prepare a 30% design for a town sewer system, which would replace the current private septic tanks. The design work is needed to apply for potential grants and to get a better idea of the true cost of the project, which had a preliminary estimate of $10.3 million. The information is also needed for discussions with town residents on whether a switch to sewer is something they support.
• Manalapan’s efforts to entice workers to stay with the town by approving higher salaries hasn’t been as effective as hoped because other towns raised their salaries as well, Stumpf said.
The town will now look at possibly offering higher salaries to new police officers based on their overall years in law enforcement, she said. The town also plans to implement a shift differential that boosts the pay of officers working the midnight shift.
• New security guards are now in place at the guard house on Point Manalapan.
“So far, we’re very pleased with what they’re doing. They’re very visible,” Stumpf said. “There’s one young gentleman who sits outside and waves and smiles to everybody, it’s like amazing. He sits there just smiling, happy as can be. It’s wonderful.”
The mayor suggested providing high-top chairs for the guards, though, so that they’re more readily visible to drivers.

By Jane Smith

An incumbent, a former commissioner and two others have qualified to run for two Delray Beach City Commission seats in the March 14 municipal election.
Deputy Vice Mayor Juli Casale is being challenged by Rob Long, while former Commissioner Angie Gray will face off against Angela Burns for the seat now held by term-limited Shirley Johnson.
The candidates filed papers to run for office by the city’s Nov. 21 qualifying deadline.
Casale, seeking re-election to Seat 2, raised $14,725 as of Oct. 31 for her campaign. She has previously served on the city’s Planning and Zoning Advisory Board.
Long, a civil engineer who also served on the city’s Planning and Zoning Advisory Board, raised $17,800 through October.
Gray, a real estate agent who is currently serving on the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency as a volunteer member, raised $4,818.38 through October in her bid to succeed Johnson in Seat 4.
Her opponent is Burns, a retired public school teacher who raised $11,895 as of Oct. 31.

Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Deputy Michael Ladda carries the American flag into the Town Council chambers, where more than 25 people gathered to honor Veterans Day. The event was postponed from a week earlier because of Hurricane Nicole. In addition to comments from Mayor Bonnie Fischer, World War II veteran Irwin Lebow and Korean War veteran Jack Green spoke to the crowd about their experiences. Light refreshments and a round of patriotic songs led by Betty Sue Shapiro rounded out the program. Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

By Mary Thurwachter

Four candidates will run in Lantana’s Town Council elections on March 14, but the mayor’s race is already decided.
Vice Mayor Karen Lythgoe, who has been acting mayor since Robert Hagerty’s resignation took effect in October, was the only candidate to qualify for the mayor’s race and so is elected automatically. She is 63 and is completing her first three-year term on the council. Lythgoe, who works for LexisNexis, will be sworn in on March 27, according to Town Clerk Kathleen Dominguez.
Mark Zeitler, 66, is seeking re-election to the Group 3 seat as he completes his first term. He is an air-conditioning contractor. His opponent is Raymond Lastella, 32, an entrepreneur with a boat detailing company.
John Raymer and Christopher Castle are vying for the Group 4 seat currently held by Lythgoe. Raymer, 52, a retired Army veteran and the manager at Ace Rental Place in Lantana, finished second in a contest earlier this year against incumbent Lynn “Doc” Moorhouse. Castle, 37, has never sought office before. He is a maintenance facilities director for PetMeds.
Candidates had to submit their qualification papers by Nov. 18. Terms are for three years, and Lantana has no term limits.

By Mary Thurwachter

Lantana Town Council members say it’s time to ditch election runoffs and have approved putting a voter referendum on the issue on the March 14 ballot.
Currently, a Town Council candidate must receive at least one more than 50% of the votes in a race to be elected. If no candidate gets a majority, then a runoff election is held between the two candidates receiving the most votes in the race.
The majority vote requirement has been in effect for decades, but a forced runoff in two council elections this year has council members wondering if that’s the best option. Freshman council member Kem Mason and Vice Mayor Pro Tem Lynn “Doc” Moorhouse both won runoffs in 2022, the first time a Lantana election needed a runoff.
Many municipalities no longer have runoffs. Instead, they use a plurality system, where the candidate receiving the highest number of votes in a race — whether or not it is a majority — is the victor.
Town Attorney Max Lohman said changing the election system requires a change in the town’s charter, something the council cannot do on its own. Voters get to decide the fate of any proposed charter changes.
Mason asked to discuss the issue at the council’s Nov. 14 meeting. He said he had to spend extra money for his runoff, but he said that wasn’t the reason the move toward plurality should be considered.
“It’s costing the town money,” Mason said. He didn’t think it was necessary.
Moorhouse said the extra trip to the polls in 2022 cost taxpayers $50,000 — although Town Clerk Kathleen Dominguez, reached after the meeting, said it was actually $21,728.55 for two runoffs.
“It’s going to save the town some money,” Moorhouse said of the proposal, adding, “A lot of people didn’t even know there was a runoff election.”
Council member Mark Zeitler, who is seeking re-election in March, had concerns that the issue was added to the Nov. 14 council agenda at the last minute.
Zeitler questioned the fairness of plurality. While it may be quick, Zeitler said, more people can vote against the eventual winner than for him or her. He felt the system could be manipulated.
He also said he felt misled following former Mayor Robert Hagerty’s Oct. 12 resignation. At the time, the council decided to continue with four members until the March election. Zeitler said he was told that nothing major would be coming up for a vote before March, only “housekeeping in nature” matters would be addressed.
“I don’t think this is housekeeping in nature,” he said.
Vice Mayor Karen Lythgoe, who is serving as temporary mayor, said she was ambivalent about which voting system was better. “I’ve talked to voters and some are for the change and some are against it. It’s not often voters can make a decision on something we do. This is one time they can.”
The council held a special meeting Nov. 29 for the needed second reading on the proposal. Several residents spoke both for and against the change. The council voted the same as it did at the earlier meeting. Moorhouse, Mason and Lythgoe voted for, and Zeitler voted against, meaning the question will be on the March ballot.

By Larry Barszewski

Vice Mayor Stewart Satter will become Manalapan’s mayor in March and succeed Keith Waters, who could not run for re-election because he was term-limited.
There will be no town election in March because only one candidate filed for each of the four openings on the Town Commission during the qualifying period in November.
Satter was the only person to file for the mayor’s seat. Commissioner John Deese was re-elected when no one filed to run against him.
Former Commissioner Simone Bonutti will return to the commission in March, taking the seat now held by Satter. Bonutti had to give up her former seat last March because of term limits, but is allowed to return to the commission after being off the board for a year.
The final seat up for election goes to Kristin Rosen, who will replace term-limited Commissioner Hank Siemon. Rosen, a town resident since 2015 who moved here from Connecticut, had not previously run for elective office. She is vice chair of the town’s Architectural Commission and secretary of La Coquille Club at the Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa.
Rosen and her husband, Robert, recently retired and now consult on the side. She previously worked for large pharmaceutical and biotech companies, she said.
“I also have had some light schooling in architecture so I believe my background could be useful as a Town Commissioner,” Rosen wrote in an email to The Coastal Star.
Satter sees a busy time ahead for the incoming commission.
“We have a number of strategic planning items to consider & evaluate,” Satter wrote in an email to The Coastal Star.
Those include: adoption of an improved architectural code for new construction, installing a townwide public sewer system, providing the architecture board with the assistance of outside construction professionals, ensuring the long-term viability of the town’s water plant and options for the removal of overhead power lines. He also cited working with the Florida Department of Transportation “to reduce flooding along A1A for the safety of our residents and others.”
Satter said the town rarely has contested elections and some suggested he put his name in for the mayor’s position — given his experience on the commission — since Waters couldn’t run again.
“Manalapan is truly a very special place,” Satter wrote. “I look forward to continuing to serve the residents of our magnificent Town.”

Michael Spencer of South Palm Beach does an inventory of plants in the nursery at Mounts Botanical Garden in West Palm Beach. Since 2016 he has amassed more than 2,000 volunteer hours. He creates succulent and cacti arrangements to be sold at the Gift Shop. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

Those of us with green thumbs already know that Mounts Botanical Garden in West Palm Beach is unparalleled when it comes to the number and variety of herbs and vegetables available for planting our winter gardens.
We also should know when it comes time for a suggestion, or even a class in learning more about the subject, Michael Spencer is the person to see.
Spencer, 64, was named Volunteer of the Year at Mounts, located off Military Trail north of Southern Boulevard. The South Palm Beach resident has for the last six years been a staple in the cacti and succulents portion of the garden, which all told houses more than 6,000 tropical and subtropical plants from six continents.
“We’re in a very unique area because we have so many transplants, especially from the Northeast, who do not realize what can grow here or will not grow that they want to bring down,” said Spencer, who typically volunteers on Wednesdays. “We offer that at our help desk; if you’re not sure what disease a plant has or what it is; we can tell you what grows best in sun, what grows best in shade.”
Spencer said a common mistake people make when landscaping is to plant trees or shrubs too close to the house only to regret it when the roots grow out.
“A coco plum is a tree, but we treat it like a shrub,” he said. “Even treated like a shrub it puts its energy to its roots, which get bigger and bigger and bigger.”
Spencer gained the confidence of the staff about four years ago.
“They saw some designs I did in a greenhouse up in Illinois and gave me carte blanche to do some arrangements, and now I’m doing everything for them.”
“Michael is like a thesaurus for plants,” said Marissa Jacobs, the Mounts community engagement manager. “Everyone loves his classes, everyone loves Michael. He’s a joy to be around.”
Spencer also enjoys gardening at both of his homes, in South Palm Beach and Wellington; and he and his wife, Christine, like to travel to her native France.
Otherwise they spend most of their time at home with their two cats, one a calico Maine coon mix and the other a tuxedo.
Spencer had taught watercolor at his condo during the winter months up to 2020.
“Now that things have calmed down with the pandemic, I plan to restart the class in January,” he said. “I teach the class for two hours every week during the peak season and do it for free. All my students need to do is come with paints, brushes and paper to have fun and learn about watercolor.”

— Brian Biggane

Q: Where did you grow up and go to school? How do you think that has influenced you?
A: I was born and raised in Union Lake, Michigan (a northwestern suburb of the Detroit metropolitan area), attended Central Michigan University and graduated with a bachelor of arts degree in elementary education with a major in German and minors in European literature, European history and biology (botany). I also have a landscaping and greenhouse degree from Southwestern Oakland Vocational Education Center.
Having grown up in what was a rural area at that time, I was influenced by my grandfather and his love of gardening. His yard was full of a variety of fruit trees and every year he planted a large vegetable garden. My parents and my uncle and aunt, whose yard abutted the back of our yard, were also involved. All of my uncles on my mother’s side had a vegetable garden, so gardening was in my blood.
Learning about the different ways to prepare, grow, fertilize and alleviate pests of various sizes and varieties enhanced my will to learn about the environment. Since moving permanently to Florida seven years ago, I have had a vegetable garden every winter where I grow lettuce, carrots, onions, tomatoes, peppers, turnips, beets, radishes, eggplant, green beans, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, chives, rosemary, thyme, basil, parsley and other varieties of herbs and vegetables.

Q: What professions have you worked in? What professional accomplishments are you most proud of?
A: My first job was in a mall in Novi, Michigan, selling Christmas plants from SWOVEC to raise revenue for the Greenhouse and Landscaping program. After that I worked in a plant distribution center for delivery to all the Kmarts and Walmarts in the state of Michigan. During college, I worked at McDonald’s and as a substitute teacher.
At the beginning of my senior year at CMU, I married my wife in her hometown in the Provence region of the south of France. Once I graduated from CMU, my wife and I moved to Louisiana and both of us taught 30 years in the public schools in the metropolitan area of New Orleans.
My favorite achievements are being named Teacher of the Year three times at the school I taught, being nominated by one of my kindergarten students for “Who’s Who Among American Teachers,” being a national board certified teacher in early childhood education, being recognized by the city of Kenner, Louisiana, for the 11 years I served as president for the civic association I represented, and being recognized by Mounts Botanical Garden as their Volunteer of the Year 2022.

Q: What advice do you have for a young person seeking a career today?
A: Learn a foreign language. More and more people are moving to the United States or living abroad. Being a global economy, we must learn that English is not the only language spoken in the world.

Q: How did you choose to make your home in South Palm Beach?
A: My wife and I saw an ad more than 20 years ago about condominiums available on the ocean, and we had always spent part of our vacations when visiting family at the beach in Palm Beach or Lake Worth. In 2003, we found a nice condo to renovate in South Palm Beach. We loved the view from the apartment, so we purchased it.

Q: What is your favorite part about living in South Palm Beach?
A: Being between two public beaches, our little piece of paradise is not as crowded as the public beaches; and we have made many friends over the years here in South Palm Beach.

Q: What book are you reading now?
A: My wife and I love historical fiction and murder mystery books. Agatha Christie is one of our favorites and we are presently reading a series of books by M.C. Beaton, who has two series of detective books that are funny and entertaining.

Q: What kind of music do you listen to when you want to relax? When you want to be inspired?
A: I love all genres except traditional country music. I love pop/rock, hip hop, dance, international music and opera. When I want to relax I tend to listen to soft rock, and when I want to be inspired I love dance, and international singers like Julien Clerc, Umberto Tozzi, France Gall, Laura Pausini, Eros Ramazzotti, to name a few.

Q: Have you had mentors in your life? Individuals who have inspired your life decisions?
A: I was lucky to have my grandfather, who helped raise me after my father passed away in my teens. My mother basically moved in with him and the two of them were very influential in what I do. My mother was a kindergarten teacher and I was a kindergarten teacher for almost 30 years, one of the few in the state of Louisiana.

Q: If your life story were to be made into a movie, who would play you?
A: It wouldn’t really matter, but if I had to think of someone, it might be Leonardo DiCaprio. People said I looked like him when I was young.

Q: Who/what makes you laugh?
A: My nephew, Nickolas. He is so much like me and he knows the right things to say or do to get me out of the doldrums that I can encounter. He has worked so hard in his life and I am so proud of what he has accomplished. 

Briny Breezes is seeking near- and long-term solutions to flooding that happens every fall during king tide season. During the peak impact from Hurricane Nicole, water flowed over sea walls, making it difficult to see where the marina ends and roads begin. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Joe Capozzi

Briny Breezes could be a few years away from starting construction on new sea walls, the initial step of an ambitious multimillion-dollar plan to protect the town from climate change and sea level rise, a consultant said at a town meeting Nov. 15.
But shareholders in the tiny coastal co-op of mobile homes still have tough decisions to make soon about broader long-term measures for protecting Briny Breezes over the next 50 years, said Alec Bogdanoff of Brizaga, a civil engineering firm retained by the town and corporation. 
“We want to figure out how to stop the flooding already existing in the community and then we can talk about how we plan for the long term,’’ he told about 60 people in an hourlong meeting at the Briny Breezes Community Center.
The next step is for Brizaga to conduct a vulnerability assessment that will help in developing an adaptation plan with detailed cost estimates for such construction projects as raising and armoring existing sea walls, expanding the stormwater system and elevating roads and homes.
While the assessment will help town officials rank the most vulnerable assets, it’s also a requirement for different grants Briny will apply for to help pay for construction. 
“Next summer we are applying for a grant to help build whatever infrastructure comes out of this assessment,’’ Bogdanoff said. 
“The hope is that we can apply for grants and start thinking about construction in the next couple of years to really start fixing the assets that need to be fixed the most, which are likely to be the sea walls.’’
Looking beyond the short-term fixes, the town at some point will have to elevate homes and roads, some of which would have to be raised about 2½ feet, Bogdanoff said.  
“Long term you have to elevate. That is really the long-term solution to protecting any community,’’ he said.   

Emergency pumps were deployed to contend with the flooding. Photo provided by Jim Connolly

The meeting was held just five days after Hurricane Nicole made landfall near Vero Beach. Although Vero Beach is 90 miles north of Briny Breezes, the Category 1 storm still sent 2 feet of storm surge into parts of coastal Palm Beach County, including Briny Breezes, where several streets and mobile homes on the west side of town were flooded.
“When this water came in (with) this last storm, it kept us out of our units for days,’’ said Christina Adams, a Briny Breezes Town Council member. “I know section 4 has issues with washouts, but there are people in section 3 that have (wet) furniture on their front doorsteps and in their yards.’’ 
The east side of town, by the Atlantic Ocean, is elevated and not prone to chronic flooding. Most of Briny’s flooding problems are on the west side along the Intracoastal Waterway, where most homes are closer to the water. The west side is divided into two residential districts with many aging sea walls.
Chuck Swift of Heron Drive told Bogdanoff that he’s losing land “to the level where in possibly 90 days I’m gonna be in jeopardy,’’ he said.
“I’m looking to see what your program is going to do in the next 90 days for the properties that are in crisis on Heron and on Ibis (Drive),’’ he said. “I’m about to lose my trailer. My deck is sinking. I have a severe washout.’’
When one speaker said 60% of the town’s shareholders are not impacted by flooding and asked who should be responsible for the mitigation repairs, Bogdanoff urged residents to take a broader look at the community-wide benefits of fixing the problem.
“At the end of the day, if you let half of Briny Breezes flood and you don’t have that property revenue, you don’t have that shareholder, how does that work?’’ said Bogdanoff, who mentioned that all county homeowners pay school taxes even if they don’t have children. 
“Sometimes you pay for things in a different part of the community that may not directly benefit you because there are things you get that they don’t pay for,’’ he said. “It’s a difficult conversation. Presumably if you are applying for grants next summer, that conversation is going to have to occur in the spring at the latest.’’
Initial cost estimates, compiled by Brizaga in a 2021 report, called for up to $16 million in immediate measures such as stormwater improvements and replacing the most vulnerable sea walls. It also called for up to $125 million for long-term solutions such as raising roads and homes. Those cost estimates are expected to rise with the new assessment.
Whatever solutions Briny chooses will likely be paid for with state grants that the town will have to match with money from other sources such as federal grants. The town also might need to consider partnerships with a developer that could pay for improvements then lease the assets to the town.
In 2007, developer Ocean Land Investments reached a deal to buy Briny Breezes for $510 million, but the transaction fell through later that year when OLI was unable to secure financing for the project as the stock market collapsed. 
“The question here is you guys need a lot of money, so how do you get as much money as possible without really changing the character of this community?’’ Bogdanoff said.
“You have decisions you have to make but the good news is you have 15 years to figure it out. You are starting now and you’re ahead of most (communities). You might say, ‘Well, I’m probably not gonna be here in 50 years,’ but we all want to be able to sell our properties or pass this community on to the next generation.’’
Some residents wondered if the town and corporation will ever be able to afford the improvements needed to guarantee that Briny Breezes will survive the onset of rising water projected in the coming decades.
“I know people love it, but we might have to come to some really, really hard decisions in the future (about) what to do with the whole area,’’ said Linda Malstrom, whose parents first bought in town in 1979. 
“I’m sorry to say that but it’s a reality.’’

No election required
Three Briny Breezes council members automatically won new two-year terms without a single ballot being cast. Liz Loper retained Seat 1, Sue Thaler retained Seat 3 and Bill Birch retained Seat 5 because no one filed by the Nov. 22 qualification deadline to challenge them.