Michael Fatigante and his father, Kyle Fatigante, stroll the new Storybook Trail at Barwick Park. Photos by Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Faran Fagen

You can enjoy an underwater pizza party as you stroll along Storybook Trail at Barwick Park. You just have to use your imagination.

Crafting creativity is just what the city of Delray Beach and its Kiwanis Club had in mind when the storytelling trail debuted on April 13.

Children’s book author Mike Lowery’s Pizza Shark: A Fin-tastic Feast, is the first book to adorn the walking path for young children — and their parents and grandparents — to enjoy at no cost.

“It’s a wonderful way for families to enjoy walking and reading together, and helps foster the love of reading,” said Diane Colonna, president of the Delray Beach Kiwanis Club. “It also builds the relationships between parents, grandparents and children.”

As visitors walk along the trail at 735 Barwick Road, they’ll encounter 16 stations displaying pages from a children’s book, creating a fun and engaging reading adventure in nature. 

“It’s educational value, physical value and entertainment value,” said Joel Davidson, chairman of the Storybook Trail committee. “We intend to instill a love of reading with this project.”

Delray Beach Kiwanis Club member Joel Davidson, who envisioned the project with the city, brings hard copies of the book on display to hand to visitors.

Each book will remain for three months, offering a fresh reading adventure each season.

The trail caters to children  in kindergarten through third grade — but the large visuals and pictures can appeal to everyone. 

The second book to be displayed on the trail this summer will be Ross Burach’s Make Way for Butterfly, a riotous adventure in the Very Impatient Caterpillar series.

The third and fourth books, in the latter half of 2026, are about learning sign language and a penguin who dreams of being an astronaut, respectively. The committee is in the process of picking out books for 2027.

Storybook Trails have been popping up in all 50 states and 12 countries. Local schools, and even day-care facilities, can use the trails for educational and physical fitness purposes.

Davidson, who moved to Delray Beach from Tamarac in 2021, enjoyed the storybook trail at Tamarac’s Waters Edge Park, and hoped to create another trail in Delray Beach.

“People aren’t reading as much anymore,” Davidson said. “People don’t have books at home. It’s important to see words and pictures in front of them. It’s educational.”

In 2022, Davidson approached the city with the idea. A $4,500 grant was procured from Kiwanis, which the city matched. In November 2024, the project was approved.

In March 2026, the concrete was laid for 18 stations. The first station is a welcome board, the final station is a “thank you for coming” board, and the 16 stations in between are the pages of the chosen book.

The stations are durable enough to be weatherproof, and the pages are made of polystyrene, a material that is lightweight, flexible, and both water- and tear-resistant.

On April 13, Delray Beach Mayor Tom Carney and other city dignitaries and Kiwanis officials wielded a huge pair of scissors to cut the red ribbon to officially open the trail.

City Manager Terrence Moore lives just a few miles from Barwick Park and visits often. He’s thrilled to see so many families read along the trail.

“It’s an opportunity to expose residents to literature that they would not have available otherwise,” Moore said.

Amy Hanson, parks and recreation assistant director, championed the project.

“It’s something we’re all proud of,” Moore said. “We hope young people and people of all ages can enjoy this and contribute to our parks and recreation environment.”

Davidson has frequented the Storybook Trail since the ribbon-cutting to see his vision come to life. He often brings hard copies of Pizza Shark, hands them out to excited children, and delights in seeing them smile.

He even made stickers that say, “I walked the Story Trail at Barwick Park at Delray Beach” to hand out. 

“Our mission at Kiwanis is ‘one child and one community at a time,’” Davidson said.

For Colonna, the trail provides a much more direct message: “It’s a way to combine a love of nature with a love of reading,” she said. 

For more information, contact Parks and Recreation at 561-243-7250, Option 3.

Bibletown, which held its first conference 75 years ago, at its peak attracted hundreds of thousands of Christians to Boca Raton each year. Photo provided

By Janis Fontaine 

Before it was Boca Raton Community Church, it was called Bibletown. 

The real name was the Boca Raton Bible Grounds Conference Center, but evangelist Billy Graham nicknamed it Bibletown, and the name stuck. 

Founded in 1950 by Dr. Ira Lee “Doc” Eshleman, a Detroit pastor who hosted a radio program in Miami, it was built on what had been a World War II radar base. Eshleman converted the former Army Air Corps installation into a seasonal mecca for the faithful who came from all over to sing and pray. The first conference took place in July 1951, but most events happened from January to March. It looked more like a resort than a church campus with visitors staying in motel rooms and swimming in the sparkling blue pool.  

Thousands of people came to see nationally known speakers and performers. According to a story in the Boca Raton Tribune, “Bibletown became one of the largest Christian conference centers in the world, drawing approximately 200,000 annual visitors. At its peak, the campus included 110 motel rooms, multiple dining halls, and a 2,500-seat sanctuary built in 1969.” 

Eshleman also catalyzed the development of Boca Raton, especially areas surrounding his Bible Center, but his wider reach came from founding Sports World Ministries to help professional athletes share their faith. He became a chaplain for the National Football League and was the first to hold pregame chapel services.

In 1976, a fire destroyed the original radar building, the cafeteria and the conference center. But within a few years, the campus had been rebuilt and in 1981 Billy Graham returned to Bibletown to formally dedicate the new buildings. 

As the end of the 20th century approached, attendance began to fall off. The church’s sprawling campus on both sides of Northwest Fourth Avenue south of Glades Road was in disrepair. “Staffing was minimal, and buildings deteriorated. Electrical and sound systems had not been updated since the 1950s,” the Sun Sentinel wrote in 2006. The church sold most of its land, keeping about 20 acres. 

In 2003, the Rev. Jonathan Burnham came on board and the church reorganized with a new worship style, new leadership and a new philosophy. Burnham spent the next three years revamping the renamed Boca Raton Community Church into “a year-round operation that emphasizes nondenominational, contemporary worship for local residents,” according to the Sun Sentinel. 

Around the same time, Bill Mitchell came on board as an assistant pastor, but he’d been a member of the church for years. Mitchell is one of those rare Floridians who can trace his lineage back three generations on both sides, and the family had roots in the church. 

“Boca Raton Community Church is the church where I grew up,” he said in an interview with Good News Florida in 2018. “When my wife moved here from Jamaica, she started attending this church as well. We were seniors in high school when we met and later were married in this church. I was an elder and Sunday School teacher.”

After 25 years in real estate development, Mitchell became a full-time pastor, leading BRCC with the skill he used in the business world. In 2014, he started CityLead Boca to use his expertise in a new way. 

Mitchell discovered that most leadership principles are found in Jesus’ teachings. He invited local business leaders to lunch and spoke about ethical leadership, Christian character and civic unity. The ministry grew, drawing as many as 350 people each month. Familiar themes include “Leading with Justice, Mercy, Humility and Authenticity.” 

It didn’t happen overnight, but CityLead, Mitchell and BRCC raised the ethical bar. CityLead chapters opened in Fort Lauderdale and Miami and 20 other cities around the nation, and WorldLead, an international spin-off, became active in 40 countries.

“If I helped people pursue God, build community and engage the world, I would have done what I think God has called me to do,” Mitchell said. 

Senior pastor Matthew McDaniel, who replaced Mitchell when he left to join the board of directors at the nonprofit Food for the Poor in 2024, agrees that the community is the heart of the church.

“It’s hard, maybe even be impossible, to be a Christian on your own,” he said. “You need to be a part of a community.  

“In the Book of Galatians, Paul talks about the fruit of the spirit, and we’ve got this list of characteristics that are supposed to be evidence that God lives within you, as a Christian. We ask, which one of these fruits — there are nine of them: it’s love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control — can be completed successfully in isolation? 

“We were designed to be in relationships,” McDaniel said. “From the very beginning, we’ve been connected with other people.”

McDaniel doesn’t want to discourage people who like to stream the weekly service, but in-person church works better, he says. It’s the energy. 

“On a given Sunday, we have somewhere around 600 adults and another 150 kids or so, plus tons of volunteers serving all over the place. I think there’s something special when people are together physically that you just can’t get otherwise.” 

Imagine a Zoom meeting, he said. “If you were sitting across from me, it would be a different experience. There is a different feeling, I think especially when you’re talking about a faith community.” 

God wants us to be part of our community, McDaniel said. “Examples of God’s people being called to live in a community with one another fill the Old and New Testament. Loving your neighbors, being hospitable to strangers, caring for the sick, welcoming the aliens. There’s a whole list of things that we can talk about, but definitely community is important from many perspectives.” 

There’s another reason we need a community, he said. It’s where we find our inspiration — the people we want to emulate. McDaniel believes that by imitating Christ and the most Christ-like people in our lives, we can mold ourselves into better people. “I’ve had lots of people who have helped me in my journey,” he said. “Too many to name.” 

They fall into three categories: those who walk in front of us, beside us and behind us. Our mentors walk in front — like Mitchell, who was senior pastor at the church when McDaniel came. They have a moral foundation and ethics we admire and help guide us forward. For those who walk behind us, we are the guides, and we are called to be better people as role models for them. 

But those who walk beside us, our peers, our friends, our helpers, our mates, may do the most to mold us into the people we are meant to be, and the best place to find them may be next to you in the pew. 

Boca Raton Community Church is at 470 NW Fourth Ave., Boca Raton. Services take place at 10:30 a.m. Sunday. 561-395-2400; bocacommunity.org.

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

For many churches, summer vacation is synonymous with Vacation Bible School. Educators like Christine Yount Jones, executive editor of Children’s Ministry magazine, says even a 2-year-old can be taught to understand God’s blessings and benefit from VBS. 

Jones tells the story of the “Blessing of the Owie,” a way to get kids to open up and see God in their young lives. 

“We start by showing an owie on our body — a scraped knee or cut on our hand. Then we tell what happened. We also talk about how amazing God is that he has created our bodies to heal. Then we ask the little ones if they have an owie. All of them begin scanning their feet, legs and arms for owies,” she said. 

“Then we take turns praying for and blessing the owies, asking God to heal the owie.”

Showing kids that God is a vital and personal part of their daily lives can’t start too early, Jones said. 

And those lessons stick, according to a 2025 article in Bible Analysis: “VBS not only plants seeds of faith but also nurtures lasting connections within the church community,” it said. “Moreover, VBS can stimulate ongoing participation in church life. Many children who attend VBS become involved in other church activities, such as youth groups, Sunday school, or family services.” 

Here’s what’s happening at five local churches. Check with your church or a church near you for more programs.

First United Methodist Church’s VBS will shine a light ‘on who Jesus really is’ June 8-12. Image provided

First United Methodist Church hosts “Illumination Station,” designed to shine a light “on who Jesus really is,” 9 a.m.-noon June 8-12 at the church, 625 NE Mizner Blvd., Boca Raton. The VBS is open to all potty-trained children 3 years old through fifth grade. The cost is $50 per child but you can save $10 per child if you volunteer for the week. Call 561-395-1244 or visit fumcbocaraton.org/category/summer-programs/.

Boca Raton Community Church will host “Shine,” an evening adaptation of VBS, 6-8 p.m. June 15-18 for children entering pre-K through sixth grade in the main sanctuary of the church at 470 NW Fourth Ave. This high-energy, faith-filled summer experience helps kids grow their love for the Lord through Bible studies disguised as fun. This year’s theme is “God sees my heart,” based on 1 Samuel 16:7b: “People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” The cost is $30 per child. Call 561-395-2400 or register at bocacommunity.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/1069/responses/new.

St. Paul’s Episcopal VBS transforms the campus into a theme park of fun and learning from 8:45 a.m. to noon June 8-11. This attracts almost as many volunteers as campers, the church said, because the learning doesn’t stop with kids. Adults also expand their understanding of Bible stories through creative play like skits, songs, crafts and games. A service project is often connected to the themed activities; one summer, after learning of the Apostle Paul’s imprisonment, children wrote notes of encouragement to people serving time in jail. St. Paul’s is at 188 S. Swinton Ave., Delray Beach. Cost is $45 per child, from pre-K to those entering fourth grade. Call 561-276-4541 or visit tinyurl.com/5bs3pc8t to register.

Emmanuel Catholic Church will have a rainforest theme for its VBS, June 5-7. Kids will be immersed in “Rainforest Falls: Exploring the Nature of God,” a fun, faith-filled adventure for kids in pre-K through fifth grade. Registration is $50 per child, and family assistance is available. Volunteers are also needed, and teens are welcome — they can earn service hours while making a difference. The church is at 15700 S. Military Trail, Delray Beach. Call 561-496-2480 or go to emmanuelcatholic.church.

St. Paul Lutheran Church will also host a “Rainforest Falls” VBS, 9 a.m.-noon June 8-12 at the church, 701 W. Palmetto Park Road, Boca Raton. Kids will visit Rainforest Falls, overflowing with waterfalls and colorful creatures, to discover the nature of God. Kids explore what it means to be rooted in a relationship with God, who is their safe place in life’s storms. Contact Christie Secreto at 561-395-0433 or csecreto@stpaulboca.com.

The Mormon Church recently purchased Uptown Boca Villas at 20927 95th Ave. S. Photo provided

Mormon Church expands its Palm Beach County footprint  

The Mormon Church is expanding its Palm Beach County properties with the acquisition of the Uptown Boca Villas complex, according to a story in Florida Real Estate Wire in May.

Located near U.S. 441 and Glades Road, the 456-unit, seven-story building was purchased by the LDS Property Reserve, the real estate arm of the church, for $240 million. It’s not the group’s first purchase. 

In summer 2025, the Property Reserve paid $152.5 million for the 384-unit Del Ola apartment complex on Federal Highway in Boca Raton. It also bought the 284-unit Elan Polo Gardens on Chukka Lane in Wellington at the end of 2024 for $102 million. The Mormon Church’s residential real estate holdings now total about half a billion dollars in Palm Beach County. 

Rabbi Hector Epelbaum wins prestigious award  

In May, Rabbi Hector Epelbaum of B’nai Torah Congregation in Boca Raton was the recipient of the 2026 Rabbi Dr. Barry and Anita Kinzbrunner Award, which is presented by the Neshama Association of Jewish Chaplains. It recognizes individuals who demonstrate extraordinary compassion, dedication to pastoral care and a lifelong commitment to acts of loving kindness. It is one of the association’s highest honors. 

Rabbi Epelbaum has served in Conservative pulpits for more than 33 years in Argentina, Israel and the United States. Raised in Buenos Aires, he worked in Netanya in Israel before coming to South Florida in 2014 as the spiritual leader of Temple Beth Israel in Sunrise. He came to B’nai Torah in June 2023 as an associate rabbi. 

Myrna Gross named  Volunteer of the Year

On April 28, at B’nai Torah’s 2026 general meeting, members approved the annual budget and welcomed the incoming board. But the highlight of the evening was recognizing Myrna Gross as the 2026 Volunteer of the Year. 

For more than 40 years, Gross has been a devoted member and volunteer, giving generously of her time, energy and heart. A Facebook post said the honor recognized “Myrna’s tireless dedication and lasting impact on our synagogue community. ... Whenever there is a need, she steps forward — and when asked, she is always ready to answer the call.”

Yoga programs offered at St. Gregory’s church

St. Gregory’s Episcopal Church, 100 NE Mizner Blvd., Boca Raton, continues to offer two programs that combine movement and prayer. At 4 p.m. June 18, Yoga and Sacred Movement mixes gentle stretching movements and breath work with reflection on scripture and prayer. The program is led by parishioner and yoga instructor Daphne Lombardo under the direction of the Rev. Dr. Robyn Neville and is open to seniors and families. Bring your yoga mat and water.

At 4 p.m. June 27, join YogaMass in St. Mary’s Chapel, a combination of graceful yoga, words of faith and contemplative meditation with Neville and the Rev. Elizabeth Pankey-Warren leading. Bring your yoga mat and water. Call 561-395-8285 or email rneville@st-gregorys.com. 

Juneteenth celebration returns to St. Gregory’s 

St. Gregory’s Episcopal Church’s “Juneteenth Celebration: Celebrating Freedom” takes place 5-8 p.m. June 20 at the church. The event begins in the sanctuary and is followed by a potluck dinner in Harris Hall. (Please bring a dish to share. Ethnic dishes are encouraged.)

Music is by the Resurrection Steel Pan Orchestra. Donations are welcomed. St. Gregory’s is at 100 NE Mizner Blvd., Boca Raton. Call 617-461-3122 or visit stgregorysepiscopal.org/juneteenth.

— Janis Fontaine

Repair work starts on the George Bush Boulevard bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway in Delray Beach on June 1. Motorists and pedestrians are advised to detour to the Atlantic Avenue bridge, via Federal Highway or State Road A1A, to cross the Intracoastal. Graphic provided

By Larry Barszewski

The George Bush Boulevard bridge will be closed to traffic for seven weeks starting at 7 a.m. June 1 so that essential deck repairs can be made.

The closure will affect vehicle and pedestrian traffic, but no closures for maritime traffic on the Intracoastal Waterway are expected. The bridge, built in 1949, is expected to return to normal operations on July 20.

The recommended detour is to cross using the nearest Intracoastal bridge, on Atlantic Avenue in Delray Beach to the south, either via Federal Highway or State Road A1A. The next bridge to the north is on Woolbright Road in Boynton Beach.

Officials said the needed work had been anticipated. Temporary measures have been implemented to keep the bridge operating safely until the upcoming closure.

Palm Beach County Engineering and Public Works, which is overseeing the maintenance work, considered alternatives to the complete shutdown, but officials said they found no ability to safely reopen the bridge at any time while the work is being done.

The closure may provide a taste of things to come. The county is currently studying what to do with the 77-year-old bascule bridge, which “has surpassed its useful life and is considered functionally obsolete due to the substandard roadway width,” according to the county’s description of the study.

Public hearings on the study are anticipated in 2028, with the study’s expected completion targeted for 2029.

“Palm Beach County is considering repair, rehabilitation, and replacement alternatives to improve the bridge’s capacity, reliability, and overall safety while maintaining its critical role as a designated hurricane evacuation route,” according to the project's online site. “Alternatives include a new bascule bridge with enhanced facilities for vehicles, pedestrians, cyclists, and transit users, designed in accordance with Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) requirements. Wider shoulders, sidewalks separated by raised barriers, and traffic operation enhancements along the corridor will also be evaluated as part of the study.”

Information about the study is available at georgebushblvdbridge.com.

Anyone with questions about the study, or wanting to be added to the project mailing list, can contact Michael Sileno, the consultant project manager, at (954) 495-0566, or by email at msileno@hardestyhanover.com.

Two people were shot outside The Standard Cuisine & Cocktails establishment in downtown Boca Raton shortly after 12:30 a.m. May 25. Staff photo

Boca Raton police are investigating an early morning shooting May 25 outside The Standard Cuisine & Cocktails downtown.

Police said two adults were shot during the Memorial Day incident, which took place just after 12:30 a.m. near The Standard, 187 SE Mizner Blvd., located in Royal Palm Place. The two were transported to a local hospital and their conditions were unavailable, police said.

The suspect fled the scene and police are working to identify the individual. Detectives are also trying to determine the events leading up to the shooting.

Anyone with information regarding this ongoing investigation is asked to contact Detective Desiderato at (561) 982-4991.

— Larry Barszewski

April 30 is the last day of business for the Seaside Deli & Market on State Road A1A in the County Pocket between Briny Breezes and Gulf Stream. There were still plenty of drinks in the refrigerated section in the afternoon, but the store's shelves were laid bare in preparation for the closing. The market, 4635 N. Ocean Blvd., had been open in its current form for just over three years.

Under prior ownership, which left in January 2023, the store had been a local favorite for 20 years, serving up fresh sandwiches with a loyal clientele. There was even an unsuccessful "Save the Deli" campaign. The market reopened in February 2023 under new ownership but without the fresh-made sandwiches. Photos/Tim Stepien

County staffing hours called into question after St. Andrews lifeguards rescue swimmers when park is unsupervised

Verda Morus removes warning flags at the end of his shift in mid-April at Gulfstream Park. Palm Beach County park policy requires lifeguards to leave after posted times even if visitors remain amid poor conditions. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

Related: Doctor’s death prompts Highland Beach to begin a surf warning campaign

By Brian Biggane

Gulfstream Park and the St. Andrews Club sit side-by-side between Briny Breezes and Gulf Stream, but their relationship is not exactly neighborly. 

Palm Beach County lifeguards patrol the park’s beach daily from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., but as spring moves toward summer another two to three hours of daylight remain when the beach sits unsupervised. As a result, St. Andrews’ guards on several occasions have become the difference between life and death.

“I just think they don’t really care about what’s going on out here,” St. Andrews General Manager Robert Grassi said of the county’s Parks and Recreation Department. St. Andrews head lifeguard Connie Case added that “100%” of her staff’s rescues have come at Gulfstream Park.

Grassi said on March 8 his guards left their posts to run the approximately 200 yards north along the beach to rescue two swimmers in the early evening. 

And on Nov. 10, 2024, 15-year-old Prestyn Smith died when he got caught in a rip current around 7 a.m. Guards were on site but had not yet reported to the tower. They saved his mother and brother, but his body was not discovered until hours later.

St. Andrews Club lifeguards have responded to save swimmers during the unsupervised hours at Gulfstream Park. Coastal Star graphic/Google Map

Since January, the issue has been the purview of John Meskiel, the county’s newly promoted chief of Ocean Rescue who has worked for the county for 38 years, many of them as a lifeguard. He oversees the county’s 14 public, guarded beaches from Jupiter to Boca Raton.

“It’s a dangerous beach, obviously, especially when there are no lifeguards there,” Meskiel said of Gulfstream.

Grassi emailed Meskiel with his concerns back in March and Meskiel largely agreed, saying, “He’s brought up things we’ve been saying for decades. As with the case with everything, it comes down to the dollar.”

One antidote, of course, would be to lengthen the lifeguards’ hours. Municipal guards at Boca Raton and Delray Beach stay until 6:30 p.m. during daylight saving time, though both start at 9 a.m.

Meskiel has considered proposing his guards work 12-hour days starting May 1, but recognizes that may not be workable.

“How do we work that out with the union?” he asked. “How does that work out with my staffing levels?”

Guards currently work four 10-hour shifts a week; adding two hours would work out to three 12-hour shifts, with Meskiel suggesting possibly another four hours of training.

Morus removes cones and signage at the beach at Gulfstream Park at the end of his shift, even as beachgoers remain. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

On a recent afternoon at Gulfstream, lifeguard Tyler McGrew shook his head at that idea. “I wouldn’t be a fan of that,” he said. “We’re under union contract, so that would have to be renegotiated. Unless there was a monetary incentive involved, I don’t believe the majority of the guards would go for it.”

The county continues to grow in population at a rapid pace, so more residents means more staffing is required. Meskiel said he will be adding 10 positions this spring and he hopes five more in the summer countywide. With veteran guards earning about $80,000 per year and getting another $10,000 or more in benefits, that amounts to more stress on the county’s $80 million-plus annual parks and recreation budget.

Another effort to improve safety at the beaches involves signage. Every beach park has a chalkboard near the guard tower advising visitors of tides, sea temperature, winds and the like. Guards invariably also post colored flags warning of rip currents and sea life such as jellyfish.

Meskiel has gone even further, having lifeguards post signs and red flags on PVC poles near the beach warning of dangers after guards leave for the day. “But I would say 80% of the time they’ve been vandalized by the next morning,” he said. “Most of those are hanging in a dorm room or man cave somewhere.”

Both Meskiel and Grassi expressed a desire to have the park locked and parking lots emptied when lifeguards leave. 

However, Gulfstream has several barbecue stations along with showers and bathrooms, so visitors often linger up to dark and even later, likely making that unworkable.

The bottom line, Meskiel said, is for visitors to read the chalkboard at the entrance, and even more important, a sign just below the guard station warning of the dangers of rip currents.

“It’s rip current awareness,” he said. “That sign actually shows you what a rip current is, how you can get stuck in it and how you can escape it. If you’re going to take the chance of swimming in an unguarded beach, then that’s the stuff you need to know.” 

Related: County staffing hours called into question after St. Andrews lifeguards rescue swimmers when park is unsupervised

By Rich Pollack

Following the apparent drowning of a resident who got caught in a strong rip current, Highland Beach town leaders are planning steps to ensure that residents and visitors alike are informed about current beach conditions. 

Town Manager Marshall Labadie said the town plans to place colored beach condition flags at three locations: the entrances on the north and south ends as well as in front of the fire station in the central part of town. 

In addition, he said the town ­— which has all private beaches and no public access — will be including daily announcements about beach conditions on its website and app. 

“We want to have a physical and digital presence,” he said. “We’re working out the details now.” 

The decision to implement a beach condition information plan came within days of the April 4 death of a 77-year-old swimmer, Dr. Samuel Lang, off the 4100 block of South Ocean Boulevard.

Highland Beach first responders said Lang was swimming in the ocean by himself when a bystander saw him at around 3:30 p.m. struggling in the very rough seas about 250 yards offshore. 

The bystander said he got on a paddleboard but was unable to locate the swimmer, according to a Highland Beach Fire Rescue report.  

A call to 911 then triggered an intensive search that included public safety personnel from Boca Raton and Delray Beach. As part of the search, Highland Beach Fire Rescue had personnel with binoculars on nearby residential balconies as well as on the dune line and at the shoreline. 

Highland Beach police and Delray Beach police assisted with the search, as did Boca Raton Fire Rescue, which had a fire boat on scene to help locate the missing swimmer. 

After several minutes, Lang was located in the water about 0.3 miles north of where he was first seen. Fire rescue personnel took him from the ocean and medical treatment was started before he was taken to Delray Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

All beaches in Highland Beach are private, with no lifeguards monitoring swimmers, and town fire rescue personnel have limited access to the beach. 

Labadie said beach condition information could be provided by the city of Boca Raton, while the placement of the flags daily could fall on members of the fire rescue staff or other town personnel. 

A second phase of the effort to educate residents about beach conditions could include flags at nine beach entry points or at several locations where there are bucket trees and trash cans. 

How those flags would be put up every day and who would be responsible for that effort is still being explored. 

Lang, according to an obituary in the Times-Journal of Fort Payne, Alabama, where he grew up, spent nearly 40 years in New York as an accomplished heart surgeon at several hospitals and served as chief of thoracic surgery at two of them. 

He was known, according to the obituary, for success with high-risk patients and was a support physician during 9/11 and the pandemic.

Several other incidents related to rough seas occurred in Palm Beach County during the early part of April, including the death of a 46-year-old visitor from Maine who was attempting to rescue his children from a rip current along the coast in northern Palm Beach County. The children were saved. 

Downtown campus details to depend on wider master plan

The new Boca Raton City Council (l-r): Council members Stacey Sipple and Yvette Drucker, Mayor Andy Thomson, Deputy Mayor Michelle Grau and Council member Jon Pearlman. Photo provided

Related stories: New council will replace Memorial Park plaque that Singer unveiled | Citizen panel for downtown campus thrown into doubt | Save Boca founder stumbles out of gate on council procedures

By Mary Hladky

Moving beyond their laserlike focus during the last two years on redevelopment of Boca Raton’s downtown campus, city officials now want to widen the aperture to create a master plan for the entire city.

At the same time, they still are working to decide what should be done with the 31.7-acre downtown campus since voters in March overwhelmingly rejected the city’s plan to revamp it in a partnership with developers.

At its meetings on April 27 and 28, the City Council now dominated by Save Boca members first tackled the community master plan.

They rejected a proposal by Deputy City Manager Andy Lukasik to work with the Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council, one of 10 in the state that assist local governments.

Another option was to issue a request for proposals from companies on the creation of a master plan. But this process would take longer to get off the ground, since the city would have to advertise and give companies time to create proposals.

Council member Jon Pearlman suggested giving city staff time to bring additional options to the council rather than rushing into an immediate decision.

But with Deputy Mayor Michelle Grau and Council member Stacy Sipple saying they were willing to allow the city to issue a request for proposals, Treasure Coast was eliminated from consideration in favor of working with a private company.

That debate spilled over into discussion about how the downtown campus should be improved.

Grau, Sipple and Mayor Andy Thomson agreed that the city needed the community master plan before decisions can be made on the downtown campus, which includes Memorial Park.

But Council member Yvette Drucker won support for her argument that they could agree to make relatively small changes to the campus — what she called “low-hanging fruit” — without awaiting the master plan.

That could include some improvements to the tennis center and the former Children’s Museum near City Hall.

Drucker had been supportive of going with the regional planning council, saying that the City Council has spent a lot of time on the downtown campus and now needs to focus on the entire city.

The Treasure Coast council focuses on matters including urban design, city planning and community engagement.

Kim DeLaney, Treasure Coast’s director of strategic development and policy, said her organization would first hold listening sessions with residents, begin designing the project — again with public input — and then develop recommendations for a master plan that would be presented to the City Council.

Treasure Coast works with local governments, but not with developers, she said. The work would be done for the city at cost, which she estimated would be $250,000 to $300,000.

But Pearlman expressed concern that while Treasure Coast does not represent developers, it has created plans for other cities that include housing, retail and office.

“Residents don’t want any other P3s to come here ever again,” he said, referring to the public-private partnership the city had wanted to enter into with developers Terra and Frisbie Group. 

Boynton, Manalapan like drawbridge idea, but old doubts persist

Enlarging the inlet and installing a drawbridge would improve boat access to the ocean and possibly improve Intracoastal water quality. ISTOCK photo BELOW LEFT: In 2007, town representatives from Lantana, Manalapan, Ocean Ridge and Briny Breezes and environmental groups all expressed concerns over the potential of increased flooding if the inlet were widened. Staff map

By John Pacenti

A century ago, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers slashed the Everglades up and down the coast, taming the swamp with a network of canals so Florida could be habitable.

One of the tiniest cuts was the South Lake Worth Inlet, a 130-foot-wide incision between Ocean Ridge and Manalapan designed to flush pollution to the sea from urban runoff and from sugar cane and vegetable fields around Lake Okeechobee. 

Now, nearly 20 years after a similar proposal was declared unfeasible, the city of Boynton Beach is resurrecting the idea of widening the inlet — better known as the Boynton Inlet — and replacing its fixed-span bridge on State Road A1A with a drawbridge.

The benefits could be enormous: Sportfishing could thrive, property values would increase and the brown Intracoastal Waterway water could turn blue. 

However, the previous study commissioned by Boynton Beach found homes in Ocean Ridge, Briny Breezes, and on Hypoluxo Island ­— both the Lantana portion and Point Manalapan —  would face increased flooding during hurricanes and king tides. Nearby coral reefs would also be damaged and beach erosion exacerbated.

The idea was abandoned, but Manalapan Town Commissioner Orla Imbesi and her husband, Joe, live on Point Manalapan and are in favor of giving the proposal another look.

“We have brown water. Miami, Bal Harbour: The water is crystal blue-green on the Intracoastal as well as outside. This is on Palm Beach County because of all the sludge that has come out from the sugar fields,” Joe Imbesi said. “Consequently, outside of our house, for instance, there’s a foot and a half of sludge — sludge from the sugar cane fields.”

The inlet was a big deal — at least locally — when it opened on March 16, 1927.

Workers used searchlights to guide a clam-shell dredge that made the final cut through the sand, allowing the ocean to mingle with the lagoon for the first time at that location. Residents lined the shores of the new inlet to watch Lake Worth Lagoon further move from a freshwater lake to a brackish mix of Atlantic saltwater.

The inlet was a whopping 130 feet wide and about 5 feet deep. Swimmers could wade across it. 

It wasn’t meant to be navigable. Small boats — typically center consoles and skiffs under 25 feet — are the only ones that can physically fit under the fixed A1A bridge that now crosses the inlet. It has a vertical clearance of only 18 feet, so any vessel with a tuna tower or mast is effectively barred.

For Boynton Beach, widening the inlet to 200 feet was seen two decades ago as key to transforming its historic fishing area into a “Gateway to the Gulfstream.” An expanded, safer inlet was seen as a necessary infrastructure upgrade to support an upscale waterfront development that the city was courting during the mid-2000s real estate boom.

An intensive $160,000 study completed by the city in 2007, helped along by local coastal leaders serving as an advisory committee, put an end to that dream.

Boynton Beach’s discussion

Until now. 

If there is one thing you can count on in Palm Beach County coastal communities — everything comes back around again. 

“Advocating for that to be an unfixed bridge, I think, is a huge opportunity, not just for marine tourism, but also looking at property values,” Boynton Beach Vice Mayor Thomas Turkin said at a March 26 workshop.

Out-of-the-box ideas, whether grounded in reality or not, keep coming from Boynton Beach. The city has tried to barter with Palm Beach County, offering up its fire and water departments, in negotiations over the city’s desire to annex surrounding neighborhoods.

Boynton Beach is currently grappling with a $4.9 million budget shortfall, a fiscal gap that has already triggered executive layoffs and forced departments to freeze non-essential spending. The City Commission is looking for new revenue, and monetizing the inlet is an attractive option.

“How do we look at widening that because it’s supposed to be not navigable, but we use it, and what can we do to enhance it?” Commissioner Aimee Kelley asked at the March 26 meeting.

Turkin said it was a project for the future and would be multi-jurisdictional and involving multiple levels of government. He advocated for lobbying the Army Corps of Engineers and other bureaucratic agencies that oversee the inlet and its roadways.

Neither Turkin, Kelley, nor City Manager Dan Dugger responded to repeated requests for comment.

Recalling 2007 study

Ocean Ridge Mayor Geoff Pugh, who grew up swimming in the inlet, was on the committee of local coastal leaders that looked at the issue of widening the inlet in 2007.

Pugh was one of roughly a dozen representatives from Palm Beach, Boynton Beach, Manalapan, Ocean Ridge and other neighboring towns that studied various proposals.

Pugh said one option was dead-ending Manalapan and Ocean Ridge at the inlet, sending A1A detouring to the west. He noted that the advocates’ economic pitch at the time was that sportfishing would increase the property values substantially.

For boaters with larger crafts, widening the inlet and adding a drawbridge would be a godsend. 

Right now, they must either head to Riviera Beach or Boca Raton to reach the ocean from the Intracoastal Waterway. “It’s a pain in the ass, because you go through three different drawbridges and it’s all like no wake going north,” Pugh said. “It’s a hell of a drive.”

Pugh also pointed to related complications — including potential encroachment on the Ocean Inlet Park and longer-term sand-management issues. 

For Pugh, it came down to one question: Would the local drainage system — never mind the Intracoastal — handle the increased water volume without flooding the town?

“And the engineer could not give me that answer,” he said. 

There were also concerns about the reef system offshore. Nutrient-rich runoff from agricultural areas and septic tanks is the death knell for reefs, triggering bleaching events that kill corals.

“Widening the inlet will increase the amount of pollution entering the coastal zone, beaches and coral reefs,” Ed Tichenor of Palm Beach County Reef Rescue pointed out in a letter to The Coastal Star in July 2009. 

A 2007 study by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration found “high levels of fecal indicator bacteria exiting the inlet, but nutrient pollution capable of causing harmful algal blooms in the coral reef ecosystem were also detected,” he said.

At the time, State Administrative Law Judge Robert E. Meale issued a ruling, recommending that the Florida Department of Environmental Protection deny the town of Palm Beach a beach renourishment permit because it would damage the Florida reef tract.

Pugh said the advisory group vacillated between recommending dead-ending A1A or building a drawbridge when he offered another option: “Status quo. Leave it as it is.’’

Environmental risks

Finding the study that Boynton Beach commissioned in 2007 isn’t an easy task. There is an abstract available online, but it’s practically indiscernible for the layman. 

A public records request to the city for the study came back with an email telling The Coastal Star to ask Palm Beach County for it. The county had nothing to do with the study, which was spearheaded by Boynton Beach with $160,000 of state money and facilitated by the South Florida Water Management District.

Luckily, former Ocean Ridge Commissioner Kristine de Haseth — now heading the Florida Coalition for Preservation — had a copy. The study found that widening and deepening the inlet would improve water quality on the Intracoastal (or lagoon) side, and “there would be significant economic benefits.”

However, it found that “improvement to the lagoon may come at a greater cost to increases in nutrient loads and nearshore reefs.” Channel improvements would increase the potential for several million cubic yards of sand to be impacted, and the cost of the project would be enormous, with limited funding sources available.

Michael Jenkins is the coastal engineering team leader for Applied Technology & Management, Inc., which conducted the study. He told The Coastal Star in an April interview the increased flooding of properties along the Intracoastal is a real barrier to widening the inlet. Properties specifically at risk are those on Hypoloxo Island, including Point Manalapan, and the three islands in Ocean Ridge.

“More water is coming in and out. That means issues regarding flooding are going to increase in the area of the influence of the inlet,” Jenkins said.

In effect, king tides are going to get higher, as well as the flooding potential during hurricanes, he said.

Andy Studt is an environmental program supervisor for Palm Beach County’s Department of Environmental Resources Management. He specializes in coastal management. He said widening the inlet would increase beach erosion.

“It generates erosional impacts for Ocean Ridge, for the city of Boynton Beach’s Oceanfront Park,” he said. “Right now we have a very carefully balanced system.”

Exploratory waters

The resurfaced idea of widening the inlet got a bullish reaction at Manalapan’s April 14 Town Commission meeting. 

“It’s in the infant stage of discussion. We’re just revisiting the topic,” Town Manager Eric Marmer told the commission. 

“There’s a lot of positives that are pointed out in there, but there’s also some concerns, obviously, if you open that up, what other environmental impacts does that have?”

He said it remains to be seen if widening the inlet would solve the town’s concerns with the sand transfer plant that operates at the inlet. Manalapan is challenging Palm Beach County’s findings that the sand transfer plant doesn’t rob sand from Manalapan’s beachfront properties.

Vice Mayor Simone Bonutti suggested asking billionaire Larry Ellison for his thoughts. He owns Bird Island near the inlet as part of his $173 million estate in Manalapan. 

She also said the widening is feasible since the county owns the park on the inlet.

“I don’t think there’s any harm in looking at it,” Marmer said.

Marmer, in a separate interview, expressed another concern.

“I get a drowning call maybe once every three or four weeks,” he said. “Having gone out in that inlet myself, everybody knows this inlet is extremely dangerous.”

Joe Imbesi  has given a lot of thought to the widening of the inlet. He said the rock jetty that curves out from the north side of the inlet could be reconfigured to solve some of the environmental concerns. “So all this water that’s coming down will go south and then east,” he said.

Orla Imbesi said flood concerns about widening the inlet may have been overstated in the previous study. The couple says Manalapan is in a situation unlike other nearby coastal communities that have inlets flowing under A1A bridges — like Boca Raton, Jupiter and Lighthouse Point — a situation they say needs to be remedied. 

“Every city has a drawbridge, except the Boynton Inlet,” Joe Imbesi said. 

Related: Briny Breezes: Town to allow elevated new homes in compliance with FEMA regulations

I have been a property owner in Ocean Ridge now for 40 years and in Briny Breezes for more than 20 years. Change has been gradual in both communities over those decades, mainly because most of the homes had already been built by the time Mary Kate and I moved here. In addition to the replace-ment of existing homes with more modern and bigger ones, the biggest change I have seen in our coastal communities is the increase in seasonal flooding.

Decades ago, as a working photojournalist, it was a challenge for me to capture an interesting photo during king tides, because the impact was so minimal. Back then, talk of “global warming” was dismissed by many residents.  

Now I simply have to consult the tide tables to know the exact date and time that I can photograph neighborhood flooding. And “sea level rise” has become part of our everyday vocabulary and part of every community’s long-term planning. 

In just the past year, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has enacted new building regulations requiring a much higher base floor elevation for most new coastal homes. 

That’s why you are seeing piles of fill on traditional residential construction projects from Boca Raton to Lantana.  The fill is easy to place with a half-acre lot, much harder under a 400-square-foot mobile home.

Briny Breezes is taking a huge step forward in dealing with these new FEMA standards. As a co-op of owners of mobile homes, the town adds a corporate board to the oversight by federal and state regulations and by town ordinances. In March, that board approved the installation of new mobile homes — and replacement of existing ones — with elevated homes.  

Many of the mobileunits in Briny Breezes have been on their lots for 40 or 50 years and most of the 242 lots on the west side of State Road A1A, where the elevated homes will be permitted, have standing water in their yards and access roads twice a day during king tides.

By allowing homeowners to elevate newly installed modular homes up to 10 feet, Briny will add decades to the life of the community. It will ensure FEMA compliance and will lead to the modernization of the aging housing stock. 

Over time the town of Briny Breezes plans to improve the drainage system of the community and increase the height of the sea walls along the Intracoastal Waterway — and road heights as well. The elevated homes being approved today will help that process in the future.

— Jerry Lower

         Publisher

Retired Air Force Maj. Evelyn Henry has been around the world as a military nurse but lives in Delray Beach and volunteers with the Boynton Woman’s Club. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Jan Engoren

Boynton Woman’s Club member Evelyn Henry, a retired nurse and major in the U.S. Air Force, took off on March 11 from Lakeland as part of the first all‑female veterans Flight to Honor from Florida.

The one‑day visit to Washington, D.C., allowed the 121 veterans to reflect on their service, visit national memorials and get recognition many never received before, similar to trips the Honor Flight organization runs.

This inaugural trip, sponsored by the Greater Florida Woman’s Clubs and its President Sara Dessureau, aimed to celebrate female veterans and break through the isolation many of them experience. A member of the Boynton Woman’s Club for 18 years and a Delray Beach resident, Henry is chair of the club’s Forgotten Soldiers Outreach Committee.

Aside from the tours, the veterans each received a certificate from Florida Sen. Ashley Moody, a letter from U.S. Rep. Scott Franklin and either a teddy bear or a quilt handmade by members of the Treasure Coast Woman’s Club.

A reception complete with cake followed the return home. The women received cards and artwork from schoolchildren.

“It was a touching ending to a lovely and memorable trip,” Henry says. “We all feel so honored.”

Henry, 75, can add it to her list of memories from around the world. 

She earned both her undergraduate and graduate degrees in nursing from Hunter College in New York City. Before joining the Air Force, she had been working as a nurse at Kings County Hospital, where, at age 26, she was the youngest nursing supervisor.

After a breakup with her boyfriend, Henry decided she wanted to see the world and signed up with all branches of the military — but the Air Force called first, offering her a commission to Clark Air Base in the Philippines.

Her father had served in the Army Air Corps (a precursor to the Air Force) during WWII, where actor Jimmy Stewart was one of the squadron commanders. The unit flew missions over Germany and Poland.

Because Henry already had a master’s degree, she entered the service as a first lieutenant.

Henry says she felt like Goldie Hawn in Private Benjamin. Her character asks, “Where are the condos? Where are the yachts?”

Henry was surprised by the rustic conditions on the base.

“There were buffalo and chickens in the roads, poor shantytowns, and living conditions were anything but luxurious,” she says. “If you hit a chicken with a car you’d have to pay a fine and be put in international hold.”

But with colleagues, she traveled around Asia, taking a cargo plane to Korea or Japan for $10, including a boxed lunch. She visited Singapore, Thailand, and her favorite, Hong Kong, before it reverted to Chinese rule.

She worked in the surgical unit there before transferring to Bitburg, Germany, where she worked in a multiservice unit with critical care, psychiatric and pediatric care.

Her best assignment came when she was deployed to a comprehensive medical, surgical, cardiac and intensive care unit at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland.

In 1991, she was deployed to Bicester, England, during Operation Desert Storm to run a USAF Contingency Hospital.

After 9/11, she was working at Dover Air Force Base, mortuary affairs, in Delaware, in charge of medical readiness education. She helped care for casualties from the Pentagon attack and from the plane that hit the Pentagon — identifying people and X‑raying victims, something she describes as “a nightmare.”

From 1996 to 2000, while at Landstuhl Army Hospital in Ramstein, Germany, Henry became a whistleblower when she called environmental health officials in Europe to report asbestos in the hospital. Henry believes her actions led to her being denied a promotion to lieutenant colonel, but she stands by her decision.

“I wasn’t afraid,” she says. “I knew I did the right thing.”

On March 11, the chartered honor flight plane contained the 121 veterans with 24 guardians and some support staff and news media. They arrived in Baltimore and took buses to the Washington Monument, Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Arlington National Cemetery and the Military Women’s Memorial.

Memorable moments included watching visitors to the Vietnam Memorial search for the names of departed relatives and friends, and seeing the changing of the guard at Arlington.

A celebratory crowd greeted them when they landed back in Lakeland — fire trucks sprayed water, a large American flag waved from a crane, crowds held flags and cheered, and photographers captured the moment. 

For a woman who has spent her life caring for others — including sick friends and her elderly mother — the recognition was something Henry will treasure. As a longtime member of the BWC, she will continue to serve, volunteer and give back to her community. 

While reading your editorial sadly remarking on the loss of mature trees in South Florida, I can’t help but think of my little miracle here in Royal Oak Hills in eastern Boca Raton. Although this old neighborhood still has many splendid Florida oaks, they are simply dying of old age.

Primarily, they are dying of fungus that slowly hollows out their insides and is easily spread when the trees have rotted and are cut down. 

The biggest problem, as I see it, is that people here rarely plant new ones. They do plant plenty of trees, but many are exotics that may or may not survive South Florida’s idiosyncrasies. 

So, 10, maybe 15 years ago, after I had to cut down (or nature would blow down) my magnificent but greatly weakened oak, I was surprised to see about a year later, two new shoots growing in the same spot where the old one had been.   

I picked the big brother and made it clear to my gardeners that if a blade ever touched it, I would be very unhappy with the offender.

That little shoot is now an absolutely gorgeous sturdy oak.  

Regular trimming keeps the ever-extending branches off my roof and power lines and cuts out dead, crisscrossed branches, all according to the Beautification Committee of Boca Raton’s guidelines.  

From my front porch, I watch the resident cardinal couple and mockingbird pair enjoy my tree’s airy foliage. Squirrels scurry up and down the trunk and below, my azalea bushes flourish more each spring as the great tree’s shade encourages flowers to bloom in profusion. 

Amazing how nature will replenish itself, if we just let it do its own thing.

— Betsy Ratner Hershman

Boca Raton

Wording seeks to avoid a state law to contrary

By John Pacenti

The Manalapan Town Commission gave preliminary approval to an ordinance aimed at cracking down on shark fishing practices.

“We’ve become a safe haven for shark fishing, and we don’t want to be that, because it’s dangerous for everybody,” Town Manager Eric Marmer said at the commission’s April 14 meeting.

Under the proposed ordinance, the town code would prohibit fishing activities at any beach that “may endanger the health and safety of swimmers or other beachgoers.”

The measure explicitly bans practices that attract sharks — such as chumming, blood baiting and other actions intended to lure sharks into near-shore water — and retains an existing ban on fishing from bridges. 

The ordinance will return to the commission for additional review and amendment before a vote on final approval.

Town officials said shark fishing has increased recently, fueled in part by social media, with anglers deploying large, baited lines hundreds of yards offshore. Police reported having to call Florida Fish and Wildlife to enforce licensing and safety rules during several nighttime encounters; citations were issued in at least one incident.

“We can all see how that is dangerous for swimmers, boaters and everybody else, absolutely, when you’re attracting the sharks into the area,” said Police Chief Jeff Rasor.

Town Attorney Keith Davis cautioned the commission that state law broadly preempts municipal regulation of saltwater fishing, limiting municipal authority to outright bans on fishing.

To navigate that constraint, the ordinance focuses on activities and locations that threaten public safety rather than declaring a general prohibition on shark fishing. Davis said the language is designed to withstand preemption challenges by tying restrictions to health, safety and welfare concerns.

Commissioners also discussed newer methods used to deploy bait, including drones and boats, asking Marmer to explore whether the ordinance can be expanded to address drone-delivered bait. But that would raise additional legal questions about airspace regulation and state authority, Davis said.

Marmer said the staff will research state preemption issues related to drone use and bring recommended language back to the commission.

Manalapan would join coastal municipalities Delray Beach, Boca Raton and Palm Beach, which have adopted targeted restrictions to limit shark-attracting activities on public beaches while trying to remain within state regulatory bounds. 

Critics complained that the plaque erected in March appears to say that some departing council members had created Memorial Park, rather than its 1947 founders. Photo provided

By Mary Hladky

In its first meetings since the pivotal March 10 election, the newly constituted Boca Raton City Council decided to nullify one of former Mayor Scott Singer’s last actions.

In a hurry-up maneuver on March 24 just one week before his last day as mayor, Singer took the lead in holding a ceremony to unveil a new plaque for Memorial Park in the city’s downtown campus, dedicating it to those who gave their lives for the nation, all veterans and service members.

He was joined by the four other council members and City Manager Mark Sohaney, a Navy veteran.

The city did not notify residents of the ceremony and it was not open to the public. Only veterans and veterans organizations were invited.

Singer told residents about the event at that night’s council meeting, saying the council had pledged to dedicate Memorial Park regardless of whether or not voters approved the city’s plan to redevelop the downtown campus. Voters overwhelmingly rejected that project.

The next day, he elaborated on Facebook.

“It was an honor to be joined by so many veterans as our city commemorated a special day with the dedication of Memorial Park,” he wrote. “The ceremony marks the beginning of a long-held vision — to create a meaningful place that honors our veterans, including those who served here in Boca Raton during World War II.”

Whatever Singer intended, the ceremony and new plaque sparked a backlash.

Critics said the plaque contained inaccuracies, was unveiled at an invitation-only ceremony and did not make clear that the original plaque, which disappeared many years ago, specifically honored WW II veterans.

They also said the new plaque erases from history that the first one was placed by Town Council members in 1947 and included their names. The new plaque includes the names of City Council members in place before the March 10 election.

“As a military veteran who stood alongside many of you in Save Boca for months last summer to protect Memorial Park from a massive private development and a City Council that showed no respect for it, I find it both absurd and unconscionable that this outgoing City Council, in 2026, would try to put their names on a sign taking credit for a World War II Memorial that was created by a completely different council in April, 1947,” Navy veteran Frank Paton III wrote on Facebook.

“Every single member of this group (Save Boca) needs to get together and make sure that our new city council takes down that horrible plaque and gets the names changed to the original city council members from 1947,” wrote Roxanna Trinka.

The current City Council, which includes three new members, and Sohaney rapidly changed course during the council’s April 13 and 14 meetings.

The March 24 plaque will be scrapped. A new one will contain language drafted after “significant input” from veterans, Sohaney said. It credits the 1947 Town Council. And a public ceremony will be held.

Although the council did not immediately set a date, Memorial Day has been suggested.

The changes, said Deputy Mayor Michelle Grau, are not about a plaque. Rather, it is about “historical integrity and respect for the past and our residents. I believe correcting this is an opportunity to restore public trust.”

“It does take a step toward helping heal the community,” said Mayor Andy Thomson.

The attention Memorial Park has received obscures the fact that many residents were unaware it exists.

It is home to recreation facilities they use, including tennis courts and ballfields. And yet few have known it by that name.

The exception is veterans, who are well aware and want to ensure that it is preserved.

“It is important that we retain the status of the park as being a living memorial,” Paton said. “The park was dedicated to the World War II veterans specifically.”

Paton credits Save Boca for stressing the need to save the park. “Save Boca and citizens who stepped up to the plate saved the park from being bulldozed (by developers),” he said.

His wife, Kimberly, the owner of Boca Print, and daughter Haylee joined the effort, printing signs, T-shirts and literature at cost for Save Boca.

Paton was among the veterans who were consulted by city officials and the developers Terra and Frisbie Group, which rebranded as One Boca and would have redeveloped the downtown campus if voters had approved the project.

While One Boca developed plans for Memorial Park, Paton wasn’t impressed.

“Nothing signifying a living memorial,” he said.

Another of the group of veterans brought in to advise was Andrew Reese, a retired U.S. Army sergeant who works with the veterans community.

From the start, he said he made clear he did not want to take a political position. “I just wanted to make sure anything that was done was in a dignified and respectful manner” and that veterans should have a voice, he said.

Current city residents have little idea of the importance of the Boca Raton Army Air Field during World War II, he said.

Possibly as many as 100,000 trained or studied there, including the men now known as the Tuskegee Airmen and the crew of the atomic bomb-dropping Enola Gay.

“Now it is kind of sad there is not more knowledge about this and recognition of how important that base was,” he said.

Reese didn’t pass judgment on One Boca’s plans for Memorial Park, but he said One Boca’s representatives were very receptive to veterans’ input.

“They very much seemed to do this in the appropriate way,” as did Singer, he said.

The Town Council in 1947 wanted to include a veterans building, Reese said, and he endorses that idea now as a home for organizations providing services to veterans.

His advice to the city: “If you are going to do something, it needs to be sincere.” 

Delray Beach fined the popular wellness and community event known as Coco Market $15,000 following a dog attack that left a teenager with severe facial injuries.

This follows the Feb. 20 action by City Manager Terrence Moore suspending the special events permit for organizers at Cocoyogi, Inc. for three months. A 16-year-old was bitten on the face by a dog at the event at the city’s Old School Square campus on Feb. 8.

The victim suffered a severe laceration to her upper lip and cheek that could result in permanent scarring.

The dog was on display by restaurateur Rodney Mayo’s H3 Dog Rescue. Coco Market did not have permission from the city to have an organization with animals at the event. Mayo has also been at the center of controversy with the city concerning parking issues at his Subculture coffee shop.

Representatives for Cocoyogi were told they may resume hosting events in June, but that further violations could result in a permanent ban. 

— John Pacenti

ABOVE: Many modular home parks, like Ocean Breeze in Jensen Beach, have been replacing ground-level homes (right) with elevated homes (left). BELOW: A Briny Breezes resident sloshes through knee-deep water during king tides, which repeatedly flood residences on the west side of State Road A1A. New regulations will allow homes to be elevated 10 feet. Photos by Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

Related: Publisher's Note: Elevated homes a big step forward in Briny Breezes

By Patrick Sherry

Flooding is the price for living along the Intracoastal Waterway that residents in Briny Breezes know all too well, but newly approved elevated home rules are now raising hopes for homeowners who want to protect their community.

The town’s corporate board in March approved allowing construction of elevated homes. 

The rule change means modular homes can be built up to 10 feet above the ground atop concrete pilings — with parking underneath. The approval comes after updated FEMA regulations that require new homes in high-risk flood zones to be elevated a certain number of feet above sea level.  

“Briny Breezes is a very unique community that just doesn’t exist in today’s world,” said Michael Gallacher, general manager of Briny Breezes Inc. “If you live here or spend time here, you understand that and want to preserve that for the future because no matter how much money you spend, you can’t duplicate what we have here.”

Over the past few decades, rising sea levels and king tides have threatened residents’ homes with severe flooding. 

In 2021, the town hired an engineering firm to create a resiliency guide to help the community plan for these problems. The report showed that tidal flooding and storm surges are expected to worsen over the next 50 years, with the west side of the town being more at risk. Along with suggestions of investing millions of dollars into infrastructure improvements, the guide recommended alternative building methods, such as elevating homes. 

Town officials spent nearly two years holding public meetings to get input on creating regulations for the elevated homes. At first, they said that some of the community’s reaction was negative because many residents thought they would have to raise their homes right away. 

“Nobody likes change, so that’s the biggest thing,” said John Corrigan, head of the town’s Architectural Review Committee. “The more people came to the meetings, the more people understood it.”

For now, the change applies only to 242 home sites on the west side of State Road A1A.  

These types of homes are already in use in places like Jensen Beach and the Florida Keys. But town officials made sure to listen to residents’ input to create regulations and a design that fit the character of the community.

“We made sure that everybody knew that they do not have to raise their home — no one’s being forced to raise their home,” said David White, a corporate shareholder and Briny Breezes alderman. “Briny Breezes is probably going to look a lot like it looks right now for the [next] 10, 20 years ahead.” 

Town officials don’t know the exact cost of a new home yet, but some estimate it could range from $450,000 to $500,000 to build the elevated foundation and cover the cost of the modular home itself. The price can vary because of soil testing to find bedrock and place the foundation. The total square footage of the home will also affect the total price.

Only a handful of elevated homes are expected to be built in the near future. Town officials said that some will be finished by the end of the year or early next year. Applications for them are already open. 

The town is also in the process of getting funding for a sea wall improvement project and a drainage system project to further help mitigate flooding. 

Officials agree that these plans are a necessary step to protect the future of the community for decades to come. 

“Briny Breezes … as a community believes that they want to have their children, their children’s children — their great-grandchildren — have the Briny Breezes experience,” White said. “This is entirely motivated by people who want to see Briny Breezes last forever.” 

By John Pacenti

Regulating sea walls can be dicey for municipalities. While they race to fortify against rising tides, such efforts often collide with the checkbooks of private property owners, turning climate resilience into a very expensive home improvement.

Manalapan Town Manager Eric Marmer recommended to commissioners at their April 14 meeting that the town broaden its coastal protection strategy beyond its fight against the county’s sand‑transfer operation — which takes sand from the town’s side of the Boynton Inlet and dumps it on Ocean Ridge’s side. He recommended including a coordinated sea wall, shoreline and inspection program aimed at improving public safety, environmental outcomes and long‑term resiliency.

“I think we would focus on new construction, like, if you’re building, you have to do this, but not force current homeowners to do it,” Marmer said.

It’s a smart strategy since Fort Lauderdale and Key Biscayne had near revolts when each tried to propose a sea wall height ordinance for existing homes. 

A sea wall replacement could cost $50,000 to $150,000, and residents in Fort Lauderdale accused the city of trying to force them out of their homes. In Key Biscayne, some residents argued that barrier islands are designed to allow water to pass through, and sea walls actually cause flooding by creating a bathtub effect.

Miami Beach, on the other hand, has taken an aggressive stance on failing sea walls, levying daily fines, and will install temporary flood barriers at the property owner’s expense.

Miami-Dade and Broward counties have passed sea wall ordinances, but Palm Beach County has not, Marmer noted.

“We’re going to start monitoring them, making sure they’re up to speed,” Marmer said of the town’s inspections of sea walls. 

Jacek Tomasik, the building code administrator for the town, said he is gathering information on how other municipalities regulate the construction of sea walls. Part of the strategy centers on modern “living” sea wall concepts and wave‑mitigation panels designed to reduce wave energy, improve near-shore water quality, and even support marine life. 

Marmer said the town has been researching vendors and innovative designs used in other South Florida venues and plans to evaluate whether the town should adopt standards or incentives to promote those materials. He suggested the possibility of offering fee relief for installations that incorporate eco‑benefits.

Joe Imbesi, spouse of Commissioner Orla Imbesi, said he is in favor of the town’s getting serious about sea walls because of flooding on Lands Ends Road on Point Manalapan and the rest of Hypoluxo Island.

“What I’m hoping they’re getting to is there should be a uniform sea wall on the entire beach, the part that’s facing the lake (the Intracoastal Waterway), because most times when there is a lot of rain, the whole road, you can’t even get down that road.” 

Two on council suggest it may be divisive, prefer trained planner

By Mary Hladky

Two weeks after the Boca Raton City Council created a task force to help decide how the 31.7-acre downtown campus should be improved, its existence is in jeopardy because two council members now doubt it is a good idea.

The task force was proposed by Mayor Andy Thomson to gather the ideas and preferences of residents for re-imagining the campus after city voters in March soundly rejected the city’s plans to partner with developers on the project.

Decisions, he said, should be “residents driven” so that they — not developers or city officials — would steer the outcome. The task force was approved by a 3-1 vote on April 14, with Council member Yvette Drucker absent.

But Deputy Mayor Michelle Grau questioned that decision at the council’s April 28 meeting. She had thought the task force would be helpful, but now was concerned that “this is not the right approach.”

The task force would be small and other city residents would not have a voice, she said. The better approach, she said, would be to have a professional urban planner lead the effort.

“I worry it may become more divisive, rather than productive,” Grau said of the task force.

Council member Jon Pearlman, who had voted against the task force on April 14, said he agreed with Grau.

“We don’t need an unelected blue-ribbon commission,” he said on April 14. “We should be answering to all the people who elected us.”

Deflecting to a task force would be abdicating the council’s responsibility to another group, Pearlman said.

Thomson disagreed at the time. “I don’t believe we are abdicating our responsibilities by getting advice,” he said, and any final decision would be made by the council.

On April 28, Thomson defended his idea again, saying task force meetings would be open to all residents to voice their opinions. “I think this is an opportunity to participate in a meaningful way,” he said.

The council will decide the issue soon, possibly at its next meeting, set for May 12.

Thomson had proposed that the task force have nine members appointed by the council. It would be in place for about six months before delivering a final report.

He also proposed that he chair the group since he has experience running meetings.

But Pearlman and Grau objected, and Thomson agreed to drop that idea and instead allow the task force members to select the chair.

Specifics were not finalized. Grau, for example, proposed hiring an urban planning firm — which has expertise council members lack— to lead the process, an idea Thomson said made sense.

A small number of residents addressed the issue on April 14, with only former mayoral candidate Mike Liebelson opposed to the task force. Two prominent Save Boca members said they liked the idea. 

The Ocean Ridge Town Commission had sympathy for Charlie Dahlem but no leeway.

Commissioners at their April 13 meeting rejected a plea to reduce a $76,000 fine for code violations incurred before Dahlem purchased the property at 113 Island Drive. They concluded the fine stemmed from long-standing compliance failures that are the responsibility of the property owner and contractor.

Dahlem told the commission that fencing and sea wall concerns raised by town officials were remedied, and he provided a sea wall engineer’s letter asserting the sea wall requires repairs but is not in emergency condition.

Commissioners noted fines began accruing well before Dahlem and his wife, Lisa, bought the lot and initiated their project. They inherited the mess when they purchased the property and kept as their builder the same contractor that compiled the fines, Bella Homes.

The commission has said Dahlem should seek redress from Bella. 

Several commissioners pressed the couple about why the town should assume responsibility for fines that appeared to arise from contractor performance and missed deadlines. 

Commissioner David Hutchins said the issue was not the town’s to resolve and opposed any relief. Mayor Geoff Pugh and others criticized the prior contractor’s conduct and cited the extended neighborhood disruption that prompted town enforcement action.

“We are making a significant investment in the community, and we think that everyone will be very pleased with it,” Dahlem said of the home being built. “We’re going to be good neighbors. We’re interested. We love this town.”

In October, in a tense discussion, Pugh chastised Stephen Petrucci of Bella Homes. “We have asked you over and over and over again for years to do something about the property. You didn’t listen to the town,” Pugh said.  

— John Pacenti