With Father’s Day on June 18, we asked a handful of thoughtful dads to tell us what parenthood has taught them — in 150 words or fewer. Boy, did they deliver! Here are their words of wisdom.

Compiled by Mary Thurwachter

‘Being a dad has taught me my meaning of life,’ says Lantana real estate agent Shaun Miller, the father of five boys. Four of them joined Miller at Lantana Beach: (l-r) Lennon, 19, Koah, 3, Morrison, 24, and Macleod, 18. INSET BELOW: Shaun Miller with youngest son, 10-month-old Fynn. Photo provided

Shaun Miller, 49, runs a real estate company, James D. Miller Properties, with his father and brother. Lives in Lantana.

There’s this Bible verse,

Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord,
The fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,
So are the children of one’s youth. Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them.

It’s one of my favorites because it stirs feelings of strength, humility, joy and honor all at the same time. My five boys. My legacy. My prize. My defenders. My joy.

Being a dad has taught me my meaning of life. The preciousness of an embrace. The adventure of a backyard. The absolute agony of a skinned knee. The intricacies of a Lego build. The importance of manners. The gift of sacrifice. I have learned that my love for my boys represents God’s love for all of us, a fatherly love that is deeper and wider and vaster than I can imagine.

* * *

Dr. Jacob D. Steiger of Highland Beach earned his pilot’s license and celebrated with his sons Ben, 5, and Sam, 2. ‘Embracing their uniqueness has taught me the beauty of diversity, the power of self-expression and the joy of witnessing their authentic selves flourish,’ he says.

Dr. Jacob D. Steiger, 45, owner and surgeon at Steiger Facial Plastic Surgery in Boca Raton. Lives in Highland Beach.

I’ve learned the importance of allowing my kids to be their own unique individuals. I've come to understand that their journey is distinct from mine, and it’s crucial to foster their individuality and let their personalities shine.

My role is not to mold them into mini versions of myself or to impose my own dreams upon them, but rather to support and encourage their passions and aspirations. I've discovered that by providing them with a nurturing and accepting environment, I enable them to explore their interests, make their own choices and grow into the people they are meant to be.

Embracing their uniqueness has taught me the beauty of diversity, the power of self-expression and the joy of witnessing their authentic selves flourish. Through this, I've come to realize that being a dad means celebrating and embracing the individuality of my children and allowing them to carve their own path in life.”

***

Hal Stern, at far left with wife Marjorie, has three children and four grandkids. From left are daughter Rebecca, 35, holding Poppy, 12 weeks; her husband, Brant, holding son Mac, 3; Brant’s mother, Mona Fischer; son-in-law Lee holding Jack, 3, with daughter Rachel, 41, and eldest grandchild Madeline, 4½; son Aaron, 44, and his significant other, Sasha. The dog is Bean.

Hal Stern, 72, retired lawyer, lives in Delray Beach.

What I’ve learned from being a father is that each child is different and that means that I had to modify my behavior and expectations if I was going to have a meaningful relationship with each of them.

This seems simple and obvious, but I have also learned that simple isn’t necessarily easy. In fact, simple is hard.

I have also learned that as a father of adults, I am here to offer my assistance but not advice. That also sounds simple, but it can be, at times, very hard.

***

David Ogman of Boca Raton seeks a cure for the genetic brain disease that afflicts his 7-year-old son, Jordan (shown as a toddler).

David Ogman, 46, senior vice president at Citi Private Bank in Palm Beach. Lives in Boca Raton.

What being a father has taught me is that things will never go as planned, and no one can train you to be ready for what’s coming.

My now 7-year-old son, Jordan, is dying of a rare, fatal, Jewish genetic brain disease. When the neurologist diagnosed Jordan, she told us that “there is no treatment, there is no hope, and there is no cure!”

Today, I’m developing Jordan’s cure in partnership with several university scientists who are collaborating with me to save Jordan. Info: SavingJordan.org

***

Chris Sandleitner with his sons, Grady, 7, and Dane, 6.

Chris Sandleitner, 49, finance executive. Lives in Delray Beach.

Being a father has taught me that the most important thing is to be present. Trying to set a good example makes me focus on what’s important, and for me that is my family.

Fatherhood is a ton of work but worth every second (and is a lot of fun — I get to be a kid again). It brings out the best in me, and that happy responsibility is something I get to pass along to my boys. I am looking forward to what comes as they grow and mature. I hope I can continue to set a good example and become a better person along the way in this amazing journey.

Oh, and I have learned how to manage huge amounts of laundry!

Donations of $1 million each from three couples — (l-r) Hilary and Matthew Rosenthal, Debra and Michael Coslov, and Toni and Martin Sosnoff — have helped the Boca Raton Regional Hospital Foundation meet its fundraising goal for the hospital’s expansion and renovation. Photos provided

By Amy Woods

Keeping the Promise — the Campaign for Boca Raton Regional Hospital has reached its goal of $250 million thanks in part to a trio of $1 million donations in recent weeks.

The donors are Matthew and Hilary Rosenthal, Michael and Debra Coslov, and Martin and Toni Sosnoff.

The largest fundraising initiative in the hospital foundation’s history is supporting Boca Regional’s most ambitious period of growth and expansion.

Although the campaign has hit its goal, the foundation continues to seek pledges from the community to meet the needs of a growing patient population.

• The Rosenthals’ donation will help create the new Matthew and Hilary Rosenthal Epilepsy Unit at the Marcus Neuroscience Institute. Hilary Rosenthal was diagnosed with epilepsy as a teenager.

“Boca Raton Regional Hospital is incredibly grateful for the remarkable support from the Rosenthals,” CEO Lincoln Mendez said. “As now full-time, year-round residents of Boca Raton, Matthew and Hilary are stellar examples of the committed and generous community members we are so fortunate to be surrounded by in our community.”

Hilary Rosenthal’s great- great-uncle Arthur Vining Davis gifted both the land and the money needed to build Baptist Hospital of Miami. When Davis made the gift, he requested that a pineapple fountain greet guests at the front door — a meaningful symbol that remains an important part of Baptist Health and Boca Raton Regional Hospital.

• The Coslovs’ gift will be acknowledged with the couple’s name on the third-floor reception area in the Cooperman Medical Arts Pavilion.

“We are enormously grateful to Michael and Debra for this spectacular gesture of generosity,” Mendez said. “They have become family, and we are always moved by that sort of commitment, participation and embrace of our approach and vision.”

• The Sosnoffs’ $1 million pledge will support the Integrated Behavioral Health Program at the Marcus Neuroscience Institute.

“All of the extraordinary gifts have a significant impact on the future of health care here in Boca Raton and the surrounding area, and this one is certainly no different,” Mendez said.

“The Sosnoffs are interested in supporting our behavioral health services, a growing need and demand in our market and nationally.”
For more information, call 561-955-4142 or visit donate.brrh.com.

Junior League initiative shines light on poverty

The Junior League of Boca Raton successfully completed its fourth annual Little Black Dress Initiative.

The campaign, which raises funds to help underserved women and children, involves Junior League members wearing the same black dress or outfit for five consecutive days to illustrate one of the restrictions of poverty.

“By wearing the same black dress or outfit, members experienced the somber situation and struggles that many members of our community face on a daily basis,” the Junior League said in a news release. “Choosing to wear only one black dress or outfit for five consecutive days allowed participants to reflect on the impact of poverty and the lack of choice people who live in poverty experience on a daily basis.”

For more information, call 561-620-2553 or visit www.jlbr.org.

Among the helpers who packed pantry bags with food in the Boca Raton Airport Authority initiative were Craig Nyarumbu (kneeling) with (l-r) Chester Brown, John Gerety, Linda Hernandez, Ron Andring, Joe Sylvester, Brad Stafford, Jenny Mazzurco and Jonathan Euvin. Photo provided

Food collected for local families in need

The Boca Raton Airport Authority celebrated National Volunteer Month in April by organizing its third annual food drive to support Boca Helping Hands.

The 15-day event resulted in the collection of about 820 pounds of food for local families in need. The food drive culminated with a meal-packing effort where more than 150 pantry bags were filled and distributed to clients the following day.

“It is always a great honor to volunteer with Boca Helping Hands,” Boca Raton Airport Authority Executive Director Clara Bennett said. “They are a staple for our community, helping more than 27,000 people annually.”

For more information, call 561-417-0913 or visit www.bocahelpinghands.org.

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

The school’s signature event was at capacity with more than 700 friends of the university in attendance. It raised $715,000 to support scholarships for students in the health field. ‘Florida Atlantic was founded on philanthropy, and it’s a tradition that has carried us into modern times with great success,’ interim President Stacy Volnick said. ‘Thank you to our President’s Gala sponsors, attendees and volunteers for being part of this amazing legacy.’

ABOVE: (l-r) Volnick, board of trustees Chairman Brad Levine, philanthropist Eleanor Baldwin and basketball coach Dusty May.

INSET: (l-r) Francesca Daniels, Michael Horswell and Myrna Skurnick. Photos provided

The audience sprang to its feet in applause after a middle schooler described how she helps care for her little sister, who has cerebral palsy. ‘Eva needs extra help showering, and I put her to bed,’ 13-year-old Ali Enlow said at the American Association of Caregiving Youth’s annual event. ‘I love caregiving so much … and I love sharing my story.’ This is Ali’s second year with the Boca Raton-based nonprofit, which serves more than 500 youths who care for family members at home. She and other honorees were presented with trophies and received standing ovations.

ABOVE: (l-r, front) Rosie Inguanzo-Martin, Marta Batmasian, Penny Westbury, Althea Ceasor, (back) Joe Martin, Ron Wichowski, Jeffrey Gordon and event emcee Matt Lincoln. Photo provided by Michael Connor Photography

Nearly 100 players and altruistic supporters came out for a shotgun start to celebrate philanthropic sportsmanship at American Humane’s third annual golf event. The sold-out tournament included breakfast, lunch and an awards ceremony. All proceeds benefit the Pups4Patriots program, which pairs highly trained service dogs with veterans in need.

ABOVE: (l-r) Jim Segredo, Leigh-Anne Kazma, Michelle Kelman and Garry Kraemer. Photo provided by Capehart

American Humane paid tribute to philanthropist Lois Pope during an event for animal lovers and their supporters. Everyone enjoyed lavish hors d’oeuvres, creative desserts and live music. ‘Tonight is a celebration of Lois’ incredible work, and it’s an honor to celebrate her love for animals and beneficent legacy with American Humane these past 13 years,’ President and CEO Robin Ganzert said. ‘She is an inspiration to us all.’

ABOVE: Pope and Ganzert. Photo provided by Capehart

The National Society of Arts and Letters’ Florida chapter honored Arlene Herson with the Lifetime Achievement Award in the Arts. The evening included performances by several scholarship recipients and competition winners and featured an inspiring presentation by Honorary Chairwoman Andrea Virgin. ‘Through this event, we spotlight the local emerging artists who benefit from our fundraising efforts and the community’s generous support,’ NSAL President N’Quavah Velazquez said.

TOP: (l-r) Michael and Kathy Costin, Patsy Copeland, Ray Gerson and Gerry Ehrlich.

MIDDLE: (l-r) Megan Savage, Victoria Bramble, event Chairman Dr. Ron Rubin, Gioia Gedicks and Daniel Guevara.

BOTTOM: Event Chairwoman Kirsten Stephenson and Herson. Photos provided by Amy Pasquantonio

More than 450 Impact 100 Palm Beach County members gathered to award eight local nonprofits $100,000 transformational grants. Three additional nonprofits received a total of $4,000 in merit grants. The luncheon culminated a record-breaking 12th year for the organization, which saw 804 women join its ranks. ‘When women unite, anything is possible,’ President Kelly Fleming said. ‘Impact 100 has proven just how powerful women can be when they collectively pool together funds.’

ABOVE: (l-r, front row) Karen Granger, Buddy Walck, Fleming, Abby Mosher, Micaiah 'MJ' Joseph, Ray 'Quasi' Nelson, (backrow) Kimberly Boldt, Judy Fenney, Sherry Henry, John Holloway, Wilford Romelus, Patrick Livingston, Vivian Dimanche and Jeannine Morris. Photo provided by Warner-Prokos Photography

People line the shore of Delray Beach in April. Tourism officials say visitors this season rose from 2022 numbers but businesses say summer looks like a return to the typical pre-pandemic lull. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Mary Hladky

Palm Beach County tourism has completely rebounded from the pandemic-induced devastation of 2020, and all signs are pointing to a strong 2023 as well.

While Discover the Palm Beaches, the county’s main tourism marketing agency, did not have complete tourism data for the first three months of this year as of the end of April, its preliminary numbers show a clear increase from last year.

“So far our calendar year-to-date totals indicate the visitation is up in 2023 over 2022, with total lodging occupancy up 3.6%, and that includes new hotel inventory added in the past year,” Gustav Weibull, Discover’s associate vice president of research, strategy and destination development, said in an April 24 statement.

Total lodging room nights sold increased 11% in January through April 24, compared to the same period last year, “indicating an increase in visitation to the Palm Beaches,” he said.

Palm Beach County hoteliers, restaurateurs and others contacted by The Coastal Star concur that the year is off to a very good start.

The county saw meteoric increases in 2021 and 2022 as the tourism industry recovered.

Now though, those contacted noted a slight decrease in business to a level that was more typical in the years before the pandemic. And while that bears watching, they are fine with the more normal tourism patterns.

Roger Amidon, general manager of the Palm Beach Marriott Resort Singer Island Beach Resort and Spa and vice chair of the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association, said he anticipated a record-setting year once 2023 is done.

Even so, he has seen a leveling off of demand now that travelers have more options. As the rest of the world reopened to tourists when the pandemic eased, people have resumed travel to Europe and the Caribbean, he said. And cruise lines are offering deals to get people back on their ships.

Visitors to his resort are down about 10%. “We are keeping an eye on that,” he said. “We did adjust our rates to increase our occupancy.”

But he sees no cause for concern. “People want to get out and explore, particularly after COVID,” Amidon said.

Stephanie Immelman, CEO of the Delray Beach Chamber of Commerce, has a similar view. “Delray Beach is experiencing a great season this year,” she said. “We definitely know the hotels were packed this season.”

Yet tourism is “falling back to our pre-COVID patterns” of very high occupancy rates in season and a fall-off during the summer months. The chamber “definitely will be promoting” the city as a destination during the summer months, she said.

Like Amidon, Immelman says people are no longer constrained in where they can travel and cruise lines have returned to normal operations.

Cathy Balestriere, general manager of Crane’s Beach House in Delray Beach, hailed the “great and critical rebound” in 2021 and 2022.

Now, “we are noticing that the more predicable seasonal patterns seem to be returning,” she said in an email. “It feels a lot more like the ‘shoulder season’ we used to see” and a return to “normal booking patterns.”

Her guests continue to come from other parts of Florida, the region and from neighboring states. Canadian and European guests have returned, replacing some of the domestic travelers who have opted for travel abroad.

Business and corporate customers at long last are back, “which really broadens our opportunity to market and sell to clients and audiences that haven’t been available to or interested in us for a while,” she said.

Corporate groups also have returned to The Boca Raton. With that and an increased number of rooms, the resort’s bookings have doubled since last year, said President and CEO Daniel Hostettler.

The reopening of the 27-story Tower hotel added 224 rooms and suites.

The Tower’s makeover was part of a $200 million renovation completed last year that touched every part of the 200-acre property.

Since the resort showcased the changes early last year, even more have been made. They now include Flybridge, a fine dining concept atop the Yacht Club with waterfront views and more than 20 retail shops featuring fashion, home decor, books, jewelry and art.

Luke Therien, owner of the Banana Boat and Prime Catch restaurants in Boynton Beach, said in an email that tourism and his business were “definitely stronger” in the first three months this year compared to the same time last year.

He credits outdoor seating that overlooks the Intracoastal Waterway, which draws customers who remain leery of being enclosed in a crowded indoor restaurant.

He said he also is benefiting from the growing South Florida population, boosted by baby boomers from other parts of the country retiring or semi-retiring in Palm Beach County as well as the influx of people moving from other countries.

Although Discover the Palm Beaches is still crunching recent data, its 2022 report released in February shows a record-breaking number of visitors.

Visitors totaled 9.1 million, up 31% from 2021, and they spent $6.7 billion, up 34%.

The increase was strongest among domestic travelers, while visitation from Canada, the United Kingdom, Mexico, Brazil and Colombia continued to grow.

“While economic anxiety and affordability are now top of mind, we know travel sentiment remains strong, and this augurs well for the tourism industry in the Palm Beaches this coming year,” Peter Yesawich, vice chair of Discover’s board of directors, stated in a release.

Beachgoers line the shore at South Beach Park. Tourism officials say visitors this season rose from 2022 numbers but businesses say summer looks like a return to the typical pre-pandemic lull. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

Most shareholders did not want to sell Briny Breezes, shown here on RuthMary Avenue with the ocean clubhouse in the distance. Photos by Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

Related: Briny Breezes: Divided council endorses plan to allow elevated homes

By Joe Capozzi

“Thanks, but no thanks,” summed up the reaction of residents in Briny Breezes to the latest offer by a developer to purchase their seaside mobile home community. 

“This place is irreplaceable,’’ resident Mary Wilson said April 19 at a shareholders meeting called to discuss the unsolicited offer. “I don’t think Briny should be for sale ever.’’

After Wilson and 30 or so others spoke at the meeting, attended by more than 100 shareholders at the Briny Breezes Community Center and another 75 people on Zoom, the

Briny Breezes corporate board unanimously rejected the $502.5 million offer to purchase the 43-acre town, as first reported by The Coastal Star. 

The developer was not identified at the 75-minute board meeting, but sources told The Coastal Star the offer came from the Kolter Group, a developer based in Delray Beach.

Messages to a company official were not returned.  

More than 100 Briny Breezes shareholders attended in person — and another 75 joined via Zoom — as the corporate board on April 19 discussed and rejected an unsolicited offer to buy the entire community.

Michael Gallacher, general manager of Briny Breezes Inc., said the developer did not tell corporation board members what it planned to do with the town if the board approved the purchase.

Board members said the latest offer — for $502,496,000 — was “unattractive” because it was too low and had too many unfavorable tax consequences but, perhaps most important, a majority of shareholders were not interested in selling their patch of paradise. 

The last serious bid to purchase Briny, in 2007, came from a Boca Raton developer who offered $510 million before backing out of the deal. Since then, land values have increased to at least $1 billion, Briny corporate officials said. 

“I think the public needs to realize that this offer is ridiculous and the more that gets out into the public, maybe we’ll get a billion-dollar offer,’’ said board member Cindy Holbrook. 

Many speakers expressed disappointment that the board was even considering the offer, pointing out that a majority of shareholders in February said they had no interest in selling the town. 

Board members acknowledged that point, but said the board nonetheless had an obligation to bring the offer to the shareholders.

“I don’t believe any of us thinks this deal is a good deal for any of us,’’ board member Holly Reitnauer said. “But we are just telling you guys to let you know that we got this offer, and that’s all there is to it. Period. Case closed. It does not mean we are selling Briny.’’

Briny Breezes is owned by a corporation whose stockholders are the only property owners.

Although a corporate board manages the mobile home park, the town of Briny Breezes is governed by a Town Council that provides basic municipal services in conjunction with the corporation.

Town property owners hold corporate shares. Shares are determined by the size of the property owned. Any sale of the park would have to be approved by the corporation owners representing 67% of the town’s 488 units.

The risks of paradise

Briny Breezes, one of the last seaside mobile home communities in Florida, faces climate-change challenges because it’s located between the Atlantic Ocean and Intracoastal Waterway. 

The town, which already experiences chronic flooding on the Intracoastal side during storms, is planning for millions of dollars in resiliency improvements to protect it from future sea-level rise. 

But some residents wonder whether that will be enough and if the town’s days are numbered even if its sea walls, roads and homes are raised. 

A letter from corporate officials to shareholders on April 11 said an Ocean Ridge man representing a large developer recently expressed interest in buying the town’s marina. 

While some shareholders said it may make sense to put Briny Breezes on the market to see what kind of offers might come in, many others said there is no price tag for their special town.

“The big question of the day really is, what is your cost for paradise?’’ asked resident Chuck Swift. “Without question Briny Breezes is unduplicable. There is only one on the entire planet that has everything: the beach, a clubhouse, a marina, a lifestyle that millionaires — our neighbors — are paying multi-, multi-, multimillions for their residences. We’ve got it right here in Briny.’’ 

Publisher Jerry Lower contributed to this story. Lower and Editor Mary Kate Leming are shareholders in Briny Breezes.

The reclaimed water was meant exclusively for lawn watering and when the system was shut down in 2020 due to health concerns, city employees like Curtis Duscan (center) and city contractors Clay Carroll (left) and Anthony Coates watered lawns on the barrier island by hand. File photo/The Coastal Star

Whistleblower, attorneys get $818,500; OSHA says city ‘harassed’ her

By Jane Smith and Jane Musgrave

Delray Beach has agreed to pay $818,500 to settle former city utilities worker Christine Ferrigan’s federal whistleblower lawsuit, which claimed she was fired for reporting that the city’s reclaimed water system was making people and pets sick.

Two days after city commissioners approved the settlement at their April 18 meeting, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration determined the city illegally harassed and terminated Ferrigan for reporting the pollution concerns, though it didn’t mention her by name.

“The City of Delray Beach’s actions toward this worker and its response to concerns about the municipal drinking water supply are deeply troubling,” Lily Colon, OSHA assistant regional administrator in Atlanta, said in a prepared statement. “Our investigation showed that the city harassed and ultimately fired an employee sworn to protect the public for doing their job. No worker should fear being punished by their employer for reporting legitimate safety and health concerns, and OSHA will work vigorously to defend courageous people like this inspector.”

Ferrigan received $400,000 for back pay and damages, according to one of her attorneys, Ezra Bronstein. The law firms she used received $418,500 to cover their expenses, including legal fees, he said. Each side had retained two law firms in the case.

The out-of-pocket cost of the settlement to the city is $268,500, with the remainder of the settlement and the city’s attorney fees and costs to be covered by city’s self-insurance policy, according to a confidential memo from City Attorney Lynn Gelin to commissioners in advance of their April 18 meeting. The Coastal Star obtained the memo April 28 after filing a public records request.

It’s just the latest cost to the city over its reclaimed water problems that started surfacing in 2018.

Delray Beach paid a $1 million fine to the state in December 2021 after a lengthy investigation by Florida Department of Health Palm Beach County officials confirmed that partially treated reclaimed water had been allowed to mix with drinking water supplies.

In addition, the city paid $21,000 for the state agency’s investigation and spent more than $1 million on inspections and adding missing backflow preventers to stop the reclaimed water from mixing with drinking water. The city remains under a five-year consent order with the state, requiring it to properly monitor the system.

This is the second settlement Ferrigan has received from a south Palm Beach County city after filing a whistleblower complaint. In 2014, she received $322,500 and her attorneys were paid $215,000 to settle a lawsuit she filed against Boca Raton.

She claimed she was improperly fired from Boca Raton’s utility department in 2008. The money was paid by the city’s insurer and city officials did not admit any wrongdoing.

Settlement avoids trial

The Delray Beach whistleblower settlement, first reached April 5 in U.S. District Court in West Palm Beach, came a day after attorneys for Ferrigan and the city spent a day on a Zoom call, hashing out their differences.

The city attorney’s staff, insurance adjuster and outside counsel recommended the settlement because of the risk associated with jury trials and the sizable amount of damages sought by Ferrigan, according to Gelin’s memo.

Had the parties failed to reach an accord, a federal jury would have decided whether the 65-year-old Ferrigan deserved what could have been millions in damages for being fired in January 2022 after reporting her concerns to state health officials.

City Manager Terrence Moore and Utilities Director Hassan Hadjimiry, who also were named in the lawsuit, signed off on the agreement. Neither they nor the city admitted any wrongdoing.

On April 5, the city manager praised Ferrigan in a prepared statement.

“The parties have reached a mutually acceptable resolution of the dispute regarding Ms. Ferrigan’s respective separation from the city,” said Moore. “The city thanks Ms. Ferrigan and recognizes her contributions to the City’s Utilities Department.” 

When asked why Ferrigan’s legal team did not force the city or the two leaders named in the lawsuit to admit wrongdoing, Bronstein said, “Ferrigan’s allegations were corroborated by [state health investigators] and the consent order damaged the city’s reputation. We got what we needed.”

What the depositions said

Each city commissioner should read the January deposition of Rafael Reyes, environmental health director at the Health Department, Bronstein told The Coastal Star. Delray Beach was grossly negligent and even cavalier in its early response to its reclaimed water woes, Reyes said in his deposition, while also praising Ferrigan.

“She provided sufficient data for developing the violations … of the July 1, 2020, warning letter and then the DOH corroborated through its own research and investigations,” he said.

Every time Health Department investigators requested records from Delray Beach, city officials “indicated that they did not have those records available,” Reyes said during his deposition.

Delray Beach tried to paint Ferrigan as a “rogue employee” during depositions of key city staffers. Ferrigan, however, said, “Everything I did for reclaimed water, I received prior approval from my managers,” including updating the opt-out form where residents could request not to be hooked into the reclaimed water system.

The city attorney called the Utilities Department “mismanaged” during her December deposition. The way the reclaimed water program was administered was “sloppy,” Gelin said.

“Nobody kept records of anything,” Gelin said of the reason the city could not sue Lanzo Construction, the contractor hired for the last phase of the reclaimed water program on the barrier island.

Either the city or Lanzo failed to install all the backflow preventers required to stop the treated wastewater from mixing with the drinking water, Gelin said in her deposition. “It became a he-said-she-said (thing) with the change orders,” she said of the situation between 2017 and 2019.

Reclaimed water problems

Ten years after the reclaimed water program was instituted, residents in 2018 began complaining that their drinking water was smelly, yellow with algae, and sandy, and that some residents and their pets were getting sick, according to Ferrigan. 

The Health Department got involved in January 2020 after a South Ocean Boulevard resident called to say she was not properly informed of a cross connection found on her street in December 2018. A cross connection occurs when reclaimed water pipes used for lawn irrigation are wrongly connected to the drinking water lines. Reclaimed water is highly treated wastewater that is suitable only for irrigation, not for human or pet consumption.

Health officials found that the city failed to implement its Cross Connection Control Program when the reclaimed water system was launched in 2008. It also found the city violated at least nine regulatory standards.

Ferrigan’s role 

Ferrigan, hired in 2017 as an industrial pre-treatment inspector, reported water quality problems to her supervisors, she said in her July 2022 lawsuit. When they failed to act after the January 2020 complaint was made, she reported her concerns to both the Health Department and the county Inspector General’s Office.

She had approached that office in February 2020, fearing she would be fired for cooperating with the Health Department investigators. Ferrigan received whistleblower protection in September 2020 from the Inspector General’s Office.

She did not need that letter, Bronstein said on April 24. “The reality of the Florida law says a government worker who raises concerns has a whistleblower shield against retaliation,” he said.

When Ferrigan was fired, city officials insisted she was dismissed as part of a reorganization designed to promote “efficiency and austerity.” 

But her position was the only non-vacant one eliminated in the Utilities Department in the past 10 years, Bronstein said, after requesting city records. He called the way the city treated Ferrigan “egregious.”

Ferrigan described her last months working for the city as “terrible. It was clear to me that they wanted me out.”

Ferrigan and Bronstein said they have received their checks. The voluntary dismissal, filed on April 26 by Ferrigan’s team, calls for each side to bear its own legal costs, except for the details agreed to in the settlement.

What’s next for Ferrigan?

“I will find another passion, and I will volunteer,” she said. 

After contentious municipal elections concluded in March, there was celebration in our coastal cities and towns. One side won, one side lost. Now we’re watching as winning candidates are rushing to fulfill campaign promises and reward supporters.

Retribution no doubt feels good for those who perceived themselves as victims of laws, rules and legislation that didn’t support their beliefs or interests.

But once the champagne bottles are empty, what next? Maybe drop the grudges.

Difficult problems await.

Unprecedented new construction and downtown development are putting pressure on our streets, beaches and neighborhoods. Water treatment plants, sewage treatment centers and the associated infrastructure are aging and in need of repair and replacement. Police and fire-rescue departments continue to struggle with a rapidly increasing population and the proportional rise in crime.

And rain. The deluge in Fort Lauderdale and atmospheric rivers in California have been a wake-up call to what could happen anywhere at any time.

And sea level rise — king tides will be with us again in a matter of months and sea walls continue to crumble.

And hurricane season — we’re only about a month away.

Plus, general cost increases as the global supply chain plays catch-up from a deadly pandemic.

The role of a municipal government after all is to keep its community healthy and safe: with traffic and sewage flowing, trash picked up and disposed of in an environmentally sound manner, water safe to drink and a quick, appropriate response from public safety when an emergency arises. Everything else is icing on the cake.

So, let’s drop the grudges, put some salve on the wounded egos and bring the best interests of all the residents back into focus. The state requires annual budgets be prepared each summer. It’s time to get to work.

— Mary Kate
Leming, Editor

Paul Adkins, CEO of Florida Peninsula Insurance Co., is surrounded by family photos and a gadgety gift at his office in Boca Raton. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Faran Fagen

Trustworthiness and caring are key characteristics that drive a lot of successful business leaders. So says Florida Peninsula Insurance Co.’s Paul Adkins, whom the Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce has named as Business Leader of the Year.

Adkins has made outstanding contributions to the business world and significant changes to the communities he serves, said Troy McLellan, the chamber president.

“A leader in his industry, Adkins, along with the other recipients, has created jobs, contributed to our overall economic growth, and has set the bar high for those to follow,” McLellan said.

Adkins was excited, honored and humbled to receive the award. “The reality is that I have a great group of partners and a great team so I view this as recognition for all of us,” he said.

Adkins started Florida Peninsula — one of the 10 largest homeowners insurance companies in the state — 17 years ago with five partners, all veteran insurance professionals.

What started as a modest idea has grown into an iconic business that has 190,000 customers in Florida. Adkins is chairman and chief executive officer.

“It’s been a lot of hard work but it has also been a lot of fun,” Adkins says. “Florida Peninsula has also made it a priority to give back to the community and it’s a critical way to stay connected.”

A company group called Florida Peninsula Gives Back offers employees the opportunity to donate their time and money to different charities every month. These include building homes for Habitat for Humanity, helping stuff Thanksgiving boxes for Boca Helping Hands and working with the Wounded Warriors Project.

“It’s a win for both our company and community, and our employees love it,” said Adkins, 59.

The 30-year Boca Raton resident volunteers for several causes in the community, including Boca Raton Regional Hospital, Habitat for Humanity, In The Pines and, of course, the

Chamber of Commerce. However, the YMCA of South Palm Beach County is the place with which he feels most connected. 

“I’ve worked with them for over 20 years, including two years of being chief volunteer officer,” Adkins says. “I’m constantly amazed at how much the Y does for the community. If you consider the breadth of services it provides, it touches over 30,000 in South Palm Beach County every year.”

In addition to Adkins’ award, the Boca chamber will recognize the Business of the Year (Palm Beach State College) and Small Business Leaders of the Year (Bonnie and Jon Kaye) during a May 19 luncheon at Boca West Country Club.

Adkins was also recognized by South Florida Business & Wealth magazine as a 2019 Apogee Awards honoree. The awards recognize distinguished leaders for dedication to their industries and communities.

Adkins and his wife, Kathryn, grew up in Salisbury, Maryland. He went to Dartmouth College and majored in computer science, and then got his master’s in business administration at Harvard.

Prior to cofounding Florida Peninsula, he cofounded Seven Seas Communications, which sold satellite phone service to yachts and fishing vessels throughout the world.

“From that point forward, I knew I only wanted to work in entrepreneurial businesses,” Adkins says.

He served as a strategy and operations consultant at Booz Allen Hamilton and general manager for the Americas for the Stratos Global Corp.

Golf is his favorite hobby, and he enjoys hiking and skiing. He has two daughters, Lauren, 26, and Caroline, 23.

“Between raising two wonderful girls, working in a company with people that love to come to work every day, and helping out local charities, I really feel blessed,” he says.

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Related: Briny Breezes: Board rejects developer’s $502.5 million offer as ‘unattractive'

By Joe Capozzi

A divided Briny Breezes Town Council has endorsed a new ordinance that would protect homes from flooding and projected sea-level rise by raising them on pilings or stilts.

But the new ordinance, part of an ambitious resiliency strategy that includes enhanced sea walls and a new stormwater system for Briny, is far from a done deal.

While the creation of the new “elevated single-family overlay district” might seem like a no-brainer for a waterfront mobile home community with a history of flooding during storms and high tides, some council members and residents have concerns. 

“This will change the character of Briny. The Briny that I see today will not be the Briny that this ordinance will create,’’ said David White, one of several residents who spoke during a two-hour public hearing April 27 before council members voted 3-2 on first reading to create the district.

If sea-level rise projections are accurate, Briny Breezes will eventually change without the ordinance.

A 144-page Flooding Adaptation Plan, drafted by the Fort Lauderdale-based coastal engineering firm Brizaga Inc. in 2021 and commissioned for about $30,000 by the Briny Breezes Corp., included National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration models that showed low-lying areas on the west side of town permanently under water in 2040.

Another model, for a Category 3 hurricane in 2070, shows the entire west side of town under up to 5 feet of water and sections on the east under more than 3 feet of water.

The proposed Elevated Homes Overlay District would offer a potential solution because it would allow homes to be converted into two-story structures to be raised no more than 25 feet including mechanical and structural elements. 

Briny’s current building codes only allow for single-story structures in town, which is sandwiched between the Atlantic Ocean and Intracoastal Waterway. The proposed Elevated Homes Overlay District would allow two-story homes, with the first floor restricted to parking. (Early versions of the plan, debated for more than a year, called for three stories.)

In other words, the living spaces that Briny residents are used to would still be confined to one story, but with a key change: Their single-story primary living space would be elevated on pilings to a second floor; the new open-air first floor would be set aside for parking only and without walls. 

Under the proposed ordinance, the elevated homes are an option for homeowners, not a requirement. And the changes would be restricted to the lot’s existing footprint, meaning construction can go only up and not out.  

The proposal calls for additional changes on the west side of Briny, which is on the Intracoastal Waterway and has the town’s lowest elevations. Those properties would need up to 5 feet of fill added to the land base, including 3.5 feet for driveway pads. That way, properties would be at an elevation consistent with potential sea wall improvements and road elevations, thereby eliminating risks of more flooding.

“When the sea wall is improved, if you don’t raise up the dirt and land behind the sea wall, you create flooding,’’ attorney Erin Deady, a resiliency land-use consultant, told the council.

“The whole point of this is to get ready for future tidal risks that we know are going to occur,’’ she said. 

A packet summarizing the ordinance, passed out to residents before the meeting, included photographs of houses on pilings in a community in Islamorada in the Florida Keys, images meant to show what the new Briny Breezes might look like.

But council member Sue Thaler said the photographs show roads much wider than Briny’s narrow streets and do not clearly show how parking would look beneath the raised homes.

“I still don’t think we have a good image of what it’s going to look like on our interior roads to have two 25-foot structures across from one another. What I visualize I don’t want to see in Briny Breezes. That makes me hesitate to move forward with something like this,’’ she said. 

“I don’t like what I think it’s going to look like. I really would like to see what it looks like with the parking availability underneath.’’

Giving residents options

In March, some Briny planning and zoning board members suggested the council take a field trip to a waterfront mobile home community in Martin County that has homes on stilts.

That idea was shot down by town officials who feared it would create confusion. 

Council President Christina Adams reminded her colleagues that the ordinance would only be a voluntary tool that would give residents options for dealing with sea-level rise — options that don’t currently exist in the town codes. 

“For us to continue to not look after the public health and safety, the welfare for proper living spaces, I think would be in gross error for us to do that,’’ Adams said. 

Deady, responding to a concern from Thaler, acknowledged that elevating homes would be costly. But she added, “The intention of the ordinance was to provide options and a mechanism for people who want to make that substantial investment, or God forbid there is a substantial event where people are significantly damaged, your code will not allow them to redevelop to a safer unit.’’ 

The ordinance will require the new houses to conform to new FEMA flood elevation requirements “which are anticipated to become final in the near future,’’ according to the ordinance. 

Council member Bill Birch said he thought it might make sense for the council to wait until the new FEMA requirements are established before creating the district. 

“Nobody knows what the final FEMA elevation requirements will be,’’ he said after the meeting. “I just don’t want these (new elevated homes) to go sky high. I don’t ever want to see the actual look of Briny change.’’

Birch wound up casting the swing vote to approve the ordinance on first reading, voting with Adams and council member Liz Loper. Thaler and council member Kathy Gross voted no. 

Birch said he wanted to give Deady and town officials “a chance to make revisions and come back for a final vote.’’

The second vote is scheduled for May 25.  

In a related matter, the council gave Town Manager William Thrasher permission to seek financing options for a $2.5 million loan. Combined with $1 million in reserves, the loan would be used to leverage much larger grants that would cover the bulk of $22.5 million in projects to restore the town’s sea walls and install an advanced drainage system.

As a daily walker on Old Ocean Boulevard, I am glad to see that some of the initiatives suggested by the ad hoc safety council last year have been implemented. 

One suggestion was to cut back shrubbery along the road so pedestrians have a place to step off when needed. Check. Another suggestion was to replace speed limit signs with an unusual number that would garner attention from drivers. Check.

But a third area involving educating pedestrians about the rule of walking on the left — facing traffic — seems to have stalled. The chief of police told me personally that no signs would be installed instructing pedestrians but that police would stop individuals and, one-by-one, ask them to walk on the left. 

Even this inefficient method seems to have been discarded, as in my daily walks since December I have yet to see this in practice.  

Safety on the old road has come a long way but still has room for improvement. I think many pedestrians are unfamiliar with the walk-on-the-left rule. An effort to address this would be a welcome step in making this popular walking area safer and more enjoyable.

— Martha Lowther
Ocean Ridge

On April 25, the Gumbo Limbo Coastal Stewards and the city of Boca Raton entered into an agreement affirming that our nonprofit would have complete financial and operational responsibilities of the sea turtle rehab at the Gumbo Limbo Nature Center.

This is an exciting time for our organization, as we move forward with an official agreement with the city for the first time in our 43-year history. As a result, the GLCS is now responsible for all sea turtle research, rescue, rehab and release programs and related educational activities at the nature center.

We are also responsible for all expenses related to the operation and management of the STR and the gift store, including the professional team, and will pay a portion of the sea water pump maintenance costs.

This transition was first considered at the request of the city because the STR program had grown beyond the scope of typical government services. With the agreement in effect, the GLCS can now apply for an organizational Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission marine turtle permit. Once the FWC permit is in hand, sea turtles that were temporarily moved to area marine centers will return to the Gumbo Limbo Nature Center.

We know our members and guests are eagerly awaiting their return, as is the GLCS team, which now includes a sea turtle program manager, sea turtle biologist, sea turtle volunteer specialist and sea turtle veterinarian. We are launching a new volunteer program under the umbrella of GLCS for those interested in becoming educators with us. Our ongoing advocacy for sea turtles and the rehabilitation program has been made possible by GLCS members, corporate partners, community partners and donors. Their generosity has enabled us to fund veterinary services and equipment, provide the nutritional needs of the turtles, and dispense the medications required for our ailing turtles.

The GLCS has also funded valuable sea turtle research, in addition to undergraduate scholarship and research grants, and partnerships with research institutions — all essential elements of our mission.

To meet our new obligations and continue to support a wide range of educational programs and activities, the GLCS will be launching a robust fundraising effort focused on memberships, corporate sponsorships, donations and profits from our sustainable gift store.

My colleagues and I on the GLCS board are excited for our future and are proud of our organization and the leadership of President and CEO John Holloway. We are focused on the GLCS mission to fund and support the rehabilitation of injured sea turtles, and to create greater awareness and understanding of the environmental issues faced in our coastal and marine environment. 

We are well positioned to build a world-class organization and we welcome you to join us.

Learn more about the organization at www.gumbolimbo.org.

— Manjunath Pendakur
chairman of board
Gumbo Limbo Coastal Stewards

The events happening at Gumbo Limbo are disturbing for true conservationists. As the longtime marine conservationist for the city of Boca Raton and co-founder of the sea turtle rehabilitation facility at Gumbo Limbo, I am very distressed at the lackadaisical behavior of the new incarnation of the Friends of Gumbo Limbo called the Coastal Stewards.

Because of the nonprofit’s lack of attention to detail, Gumbo Limbo has zero sea turtles on site for the first time in over 30 years!

For 25 years, I was proud to work in an environmental education center of world renown. With Florida Atlantic University’s marine laboratory on the Gumbo Limbo campus, sea turtles with a strange disease called fibropapillomatosis could be studied by FAU scientists while at the same time be treated at the sea turtle hospital. When we opened the rehabilitation facility in 2009, we were only the fourth facility in Florida to deal with FP. Days after we opened, a serious cold-stun event flooded all the East Coast turtle hospitals with more than 5,000 patients. We treated 177 of them, second only to the Marathon facility. I encouraged the hiring of Whitney Crowder, a former member of Marathon’s staff, who proved to be an outstanding rehabilitation coordinator.

It’s troubling that the city no longer believes sea turtle rehab fits in with its mission given the program’s outsized role at Gumbo Limbo. Boca Raton has a long history of environmental firsts in Florida: a city-run sea turtle monitoring program in 1976, a beachfront lighting ordinance in 1986, not to mention more than half of Boca Raton’s 5 miles of beaches are parks rather than condos. The city I love has given itself a black eye by allowing removal of the sea turtles.

Supposedly, the city and the Coastal Stewards had been negotiating a transfer of responsibility for sea turtle rehab, including staff, for two years. However, the Coastal Stewards has lost institutional knowledge and expertise. Since the current CEO John Holloway arrived, five good board trustees, many with extensive sea turtle conservation experience, and three members of the nonprofit’s Science Advisory Board have resigned.

Further, Mr. Holloway has no experience with sea turtles. This could have been mitigated with good staffing. But he never made job offers to Ms. Crowder or other rehab staff.

Instead, he allowed the rehabilitation facility to dissolve, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission permit to be withdrawn, staff laid off by the city, and all the sea turtles removed. There are claims of new hires being made, but they apparently are not fully experienced.

While the Friends of Gumbo Limbo operated with volunteer leadership, Coastal Stewards pays Mr. Holloway a salary in the $120,000 range, well exceeding that of any city employee at Gumbo Limbo.

I will no longer donate any money to the Coastal Stewards until Mr. Holloway and his overpaid staff are gone and the nonprofit returns to volunteer leadership. I encourage all donors to stop funding Coastal Stewards until they can show responsible stewardship of Gumbo Limbo’s mission, and especially the sea turtles!

— Kirt W. Rusenko,
Marine conservationist, retired
Hampstead, North Carolina

With a heavy heart I read your front-page article on the turmoil at Gumbo Limbo Nature Center. Memories of such happy times there flashed through my mind. 

My granddaughters racing around the shipwreck tank looking for all their favorite inhabitants moving around, including Butter, the spiny lobster. Watching them nimbly stand on risers to watch surgery on the ever-so-calm turtles who reflected a confidence in the care they were being given. Seeing busloads of other awestruck children who were experiencing their first close-up encounter with live turtles and other creatures at Gumbo Limbo. Some of my favorite family photos were taken in the front sculpture garden atop the leatherback turtle.  

I also was a Highland Beach sea turtle rescue volunteer for many years and the support given to all of us in this program by Gumbo Limbo staff was invaluable. Someone would always be there to take care of an injured hatchling or give advice about nests, injured turtles and other questions only a veterinarian could answer.

In addition, my Gumbo Limbo experience included working for a year in their gift shop, where the public’s overwhelming enthusiasm for the nature center and star attraction — the recovering and resident turtles — was very evident.

To say that all the above has ended, or even halted temporarily, is just devastating. Having been in leadership positions in higher education, I know there are challenging moments where you must be a guide and negotiator to attain the most beneficial results with the least amount of harm or loss. 

Right now, there seems to be only losses at Gumbo Limbo for everyone, including injured turtles who now may have to wait overnight to be transported 40 miles for medical aid.

Hiring a public relations firm to gloss over this terrible situation is not the answer. Nor is monumental organizational change without rationale and research. Both have failed miserably for the Coastal Stewards, the nonprofit management team.

Insightful and benevolent leadership is critical if Gumbo Limbo is to continue to welcome and educate so many to the wonders of nature in southern Florida — and the sooner the better because nesting season 2023 has just started.

— Sandy Trento
Delray Beach

Former commissioners Philip Besler and Kenneth Kaleel are sworn in May 1 after their appoint-ments to fill the vacancies. Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

Two leave positions; in yet another reversal, manager hired full time

By Joe Capozzi and Larry Barszewski

In less than 30 days, a stunning upheaval of town leadership in Ocean Ridge has brought in a new manager, three new commissioners and a power shift on the Town Commission.

The first changes came April 3 when, in a span of less than two hours, the commission voted 3-2 to hire Lynne Ladner as the full-time town manager and Commissioners Martin Wiescholek and Kristine de Haseth resigned.

Wiescholek, who minutes earlier had been sworn in to a second three-year term, resigned in the middle of the meeting to protest the hiring of Ladner. De Haseth resigned at the end of the meeting, citing a need to spend more time with her family. After the meeting, she told The Coastal Star her resignation had been planned since December and had nothing to do with Ladner’s hiring.

At its May 1 meeting, the three-person commission of Mayor Geoff Pugh, Steve Coz and recently elected Carolyn Cassidy voted to appoint two former commissioners — Kenneth Kaleel and Philip Besler — to replace Wiescholek and de Haseth. They were chosen from nine applicants and will serve until the March 2024 election.

The three commissioners also decided to replace three members of the town’s Planning and Zoning Commission who were seeking reappointment and one of two incumbents who had applied for a new term on the Board of Adjustment.

What a difference a month — and an election — made in town politics.

Wiescholek and de Haseth were on the losing end of the 3-2 vote to hire Ladner, a move that reversed the commission’s 3-2 vote Feb. 27 to not give her a contract for the full-time job.

Ladner’s hire is a direct result of a change in Town Hall power dynamics that arose from the March 14 municipal election when newcomer Cassidy and Wiescholek won a three-way race for two commission seats. Incumbent Mayor Susan Hurlburt finished third, losing her commission seat and breaking up the commission’s previous power bloc.

Hurlburt, Wiescholek and de Haseth often voted in concert, as they did Feb. 27 when they voted against Ladner’s hiring because of concerns that she’d aligned herself with Pugh and Coz and their community supporters.

Cassidy was endorsed during her campaign by Pugh and Coz, and on her first night as a commissioner she voted with them to hire Ladner full-time.

“I think Lynne has been doing an outstanding job in reaching out to the community,’’ Cassidy said April 3. “We’ve had a very unstable work environment that has suffered a bit from a lack of leadership. I think the time for healing has to start now.’’

Wiescholek reminded the commission why it voted in February not to hire Ladner, who he said had been influenced by two commissioners to fire Police Chief Richard Jones (who has since left to take the police chief job in Gulf Stream).

At a commission meeting Feb. 27, Jones corroborated Wiescholek’s concerns when he described how Ladner came into his office two days after he’d announced his resignation and told him “that the commission wished for me to leave early. At this point I go, ‘The commission?’ It was clarified, ‘at least two commissioners,’’’ Jones said Feb. 27.

Pugh and Coz denied pressuring Ladner to fire Jones.

On April 3, Wiescholek said: “There’s this whole thing about who-said, what-said, but somebody walked into Chief Jones’ office and said the commission wants you fired. Either Lynne did that on her own and lied about it or she was instructed by two commissioners to walk into Chief Jones’ office and say the words ‘the commission wants you fired’ without talking to the other three commissioners. It’s inappropriate or it’s a flat-out lie. That in itself disqualifies anybody from holding a position in this town.’’

The commission had been scheduled to select town manager finalists on May 1 and interview them May 9. Colin Baenziger and Associates, the firm the town hired for $29,500 to find candidates, considered the latest pool of 18 applicants “superior” to the previous candidates, said de Haseth, who said she’d been in contact with Baenziger.

“We started the (search) process. We have a procedure to follow and we need to continue the procedure and move forward from there,’’ de Haseth said. “You can’t do an about-face in the middle of the stream.’’

“That’s exactly what the commission did” Feb. 27, Coz retorted, pointing out how the commission in January had selected Ladner on a 5-0 vote while officials drafted a contract that was supposed to be approved Feb. 27.

“I think the town is in a period of healthy rebirth. I think Lynne is part of that,’’ Coz said before the commission voted to hire Ladner, who will make $142,500 a year. (Her predecessor, Tracey Stevens, was making $132,500 when she left Sept. 11 to become town manager in Haverhill.)

A few minutes later, as the commission was considering a new agenda item, Wiescholek interrupted and said, “Based on the decision that was just handed down, with the renewal of the contract for Lynne Ladner, I feel that the town is doing itself a grave disservice. I feel that the town is putting itself at great risk. The implications that pass off that are staggering at best. I will not have my name associated to that. Hereby, I resign.’’

Many of the 50 or so people in the audience — mostly supporters of Coz, Pugh and Cassidy — cheered as Wiescholek stood up and walked off the dais, happy to see him go.

In an interview outside Town Hall a few minutes later, Wiescholek said he had no plans to change his mind.

“What they have there right now is a town manager that they can tell what to do. ‘You need to hire this person and that person.’ They can manage and massage anything into their own world. I am not going to be a part of it,’’ he told The Coastal Star.

At the end of the meeting, de Haseth broke into tears as she announced her resignation in a prepared statement:

“I’d like to thank Ocean Ridge residents and staff. Being elected and appointed as your commissioner, your mayor and your vice mayor has been a multiyear vote of confidence. I appreciate your support and I have worked hard over the past five years for the residents in our town.

“Unfortunately, family obligations now need more of my time and energy. So effective tonight I am resigning my seat on the commission. I have been proud to serve this town and represent this town. I wish nothing but the best to our staff and to all of those at the dais. Ocean Ridge truly is a wonderful, wonderful town and it’s worth fighting for. I wish everybody the best of luck.”

The audience responded with polite applause. After the meeting, de Haseth said she had been considering stepping down since December, but decided to wait until after the election.

“I was sorry to see her go,’’ Coz, who was selected as vice mayor, said after the meeting. “She was a great asset to the commission.’’

Changes to advisory boards

Pugh, whom the commission selected as mayor on April 3, said at a special meeting April 18 that he thought the commission might need a month to find new commissioners to replace Wiescholek and de Haseth.

But Coz persuaded him and Cassidy to immediately advertise the openings and try to fill the two commission vacancies on May 1.

“The town has been in — what do we want to call it? — a quagmire for a bit here. It’s time to move forward,’’ Coz said.

“I don’t know about a quagmire,’’ Pugh said. “Today is like a bright new day.’’

At the May 1 meeting, Pugh, Coz and Cassidy voted by paper ballot without any debate to fill the two commission vacancies (from nine applicants) and make four Planning and Zoning Commission appointments (from 15 applicants) and three Board of Adjustment appointments (from eight applicants). All three picked the same people in each round of balloting.

Pugh praised the high level of interest in the open positions.

“In all the years I’ve been on this commission, I’ve never seen an outpouring of people (like this) coming up to put their names in, and their basic lives to be interrupted by these meetings and being involved in the town,” the mayor said. “This is a sea change for the town and it’s really impressive.”

Returning to the Town Commission are Kaleel, who previously served 16 years on the commission from 1996 to 2012, including as mayor in 1998, 2001, 2002 and 2004-12, and Besler, who was elected to a three-year term on the commission in 2018, but did not seek reelection.

The other Town Commission applicants were Arthur Ziev, Mike Drifmeyer, Victor Martel, Craig Herkert, Robert Sloat, Nicholas Arsali and David Hutchins.

For the P&Z Commission, the three town commissioners went with P. Shields Ferber, Ferenc Stephen Varga and Sydney Ray for the open three-year terms and Marc de Baptiste for a two-year alternate’s position. At the meeting, a couple of P&Z members had encouraged the commission to reappoint incumbents Mark Marsh, Neil Hennigan and Penny Kosinski.

“I hope you’ll be thoughtful,” P&Z Commissioner Hutchins said. “There’s plenty of people that want in and they could be very well-qualified, but, like I said, you’ll be losing some real talent if there’s a wholesale turnover.”

On the Board of Adjustment, the three commissioners reappointed Betty Bingham to a three-year term, but replaced Mary Ann Cody with Martel. Ziev was appointed to an open one-year term.

In other business:

• The commission approved Ladner’s contract April 18. Aside from her base salary of $142,500, she will receive 60 hours of vacation leave and a fuel and vehicle allowance of $300 per month. The town also paid for her relocation expenses of $5,977.

• The commission May 1 supported moving forward with a proposed ordinance regulating beach signs, including “No Trespassing” signs. It plans to hold a first reading on the sign regulation revisions at its June 5 meeting.

• Commissioners directed Ladner to look into the possibility that the town take seaweed piling up on shore and have it pushed into the dunes to help build up the dunes. Coz suggested the action, but concerns were raised about needing consent from private property owners.

• Residents put off by the bulletproof glass that’s between them and staff when they’re at Town Hall will get some relief. Although Coz wanted the glass completely removed, staff will take the step of opening window portions of the security glass when talking to residents, but the glass can be kept closed when staff doesn’t know the visitor.

A family with strong ties to Gulf Stream has purchased the Lemon Hill estate and plans to revive elements of the original 1939 design by Marion Sims Wyeth. Photo provided

By Steve Plunkett

The new owners of Lemon Hill plan to restore the 2.6-acre estate to its late 1930s grandeur.

Austin and Janie Musselman of Louisville, Kentucky, paid $16.5 million for the property at 1200 N. Ocean Blvd. in August, setting a town sales record for non-oceanfront property.

The previous owner, Stephen Benjamin, bought the mansion for $7.1 million in 2018 and started construction of a yacht basin on the west edge of the parcel by enlarging a canal leading to the Intracoastal Waterway.

“My family has been coming here since the ’30s. My grandparents came down a long time ago and we still have a lot of cousins and families in the area. Many of you know them,” Austin Musselman told Gulf Stream town commissioners at their April 14 meeting.

Society architect Marion Sims Wyeth designed the Florida Georgian-style home in 1939. His other projects included the Norton Museum of Art, Mar-a-Lago and other mansions in Palm Beach.

“The owners are very passionate about preservation and are excited to revive the architecture and design elements originally imagined by Marion Sims Wyeth,” said Boynton Beach-based contractor Jacob Lepera.

The Musselmans will expand the existing two-story east wing north by 10 feet. An existing single-story wing will expand east by 10 feet. Additional improvements include a larger sun porch and a reconfigured and expanded addition containing a family room, kitchen space and outdoor covered terrace space.

“Those areas are primarily 1950s additions that were added to the home that were not quite up to the character of the original Wyeth design. And we’re proposing to remove those,” said architect Domenick Treschitta of the Atlanta firm Historical Concepts.

The project team, Lepera said, met “solely” with Lisa Morgan, Mayor Scott Morgan’s wife, “and have made a commitment to jointly design and execute a supplemental plan for the property line buffering.”

The Morgans live immediately to the east.

Plans for a pickleball court were shelved after neighbors at an earlier meeting of the Architectural Review and Planning Board voiced concerns about noise.

The proposal, which needed a site plan review by the commission, was approved 3-0, with Vice Mayor Tom Stanley and Commissioner Thom Smith recusing themselves.

Smith lives immediately to the south of Lemon Hill and his landlocked property gained access to the canal when the yacht basin was dug. Stanley’s law firm represented the applicant during and after the sale.

Commissioner Joan Orthwein called the Lemon Hill proposal “an incredible project” and Commissioner Paul Lyons was equally enthusiastic.

“It’s a lovely house; it’s an iconic building. It’s one of the most unique locations, the way it sits up,” Lyons said. “So, I think it’s wonderful you’re restoring and retaining this iconic building and not tearing it down, because we have a lot of teardowns and rebuilds, so thank you.”

Austin Musselman is a family member of the Brown-Forman distillery empire and is the managing member of White Oak Investments LLC, a private holding company and a family office that manages its business and investment interests in Kentucky, Indiana, Florida and Wyoming.

He and his wife also own and manage Ashbourne Farms, a 2,250-acre third-generation working farm in La Grange, Kentucky, that has been completely restored as a luxury event and outdoor sporting destination.

In addition, he has been an active volunteer of several nonprofit organizations, including chair of the Kentucky chapter of the Nature Conservancy, vice chair of the Bluegrass Land Conservancy and on the President’s Council of American Farmland Trust.

In other business, town commissioners reelected Morgan as mayor and Stanley as vice mayor.

Former Ocean Ridge Police Chief Richard Jones was sworn in as chief of the Gulf Stream police force.

“Welcome to the town of Gulf Stream, chief, and let it be noted that transitions were very smooth,” Morgan said of the retirement of Ed Allen, Jones’ predecessor, on Jan. 31, and the service as interim chief provided by Capt. John Haseley.