By Joe Capozzi

South Palm Beach officials in late October announced two special Town Council meetings for early November to interview architects interested in designing a new Town Hall with structural insulated panels — a cost-efficient construction system known by the acronym SIPs.
On Nov. 2, the council planned to interview CPZ Architects at 2 p.m. and REG Architects at 3 p.m. On Nov. 4, the council plans to interview Slattery & Associates at 1 p.m.
The interviews will be conducted over two meetings because all three firms could not meet with the council on the same day, said Mayor Bonnie Fischer.
The three firms were the only ones that responded to a request for qualifications to design using SIPs.
“It’s a fairly new technology and it’s just starting to catch on and there’s not too many (firms) doing this in South Florida,’’ said Town Manager Robert Kellogg.
The Town Council on Oct. 18 expressed a desire to offer a contract to a firm at its next regular meeting, Nov. 15. If that happens, it will mark the second time in 13 months the council has hired an architect to design a new Town Hall. 
On Oct. 12, 2021, the council hired Synalovski Romanik Saye but parted ways with the firm less than a year later on Sept. 19. The town paid SRS $55,199 for designs for a $6.5 million building before Fischer persuaded the council this summer to start over using the SIPs method.
She said her research suggests a town hall made of structural insulated panels could cost just $2 million. 
Since 2016, the town has spent about $114,000 on studies and drawings for a new Town Hall.

Trappers contracted by the FWC secure the alligator that showed up in the surf at the Delray Beach public beach. Photo provided by Kristen Cairns

By Larry Barszewski

Coastal beaches have signs advising visitors when dangers like sharks, riptides or jellyfish are present, but Delray Beach needed a different kind of warning at its public beach Oct. 12 — one for alligators.
An alligator was spotted in the surf near Vista Del Mar Drive that morning and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission dispatched a nuisance alligator trapper to the area. Trappers caught and transported the alligator alive to a farm.
Onlookers estimated the large alligator to be about 12 feet in length.
“It was surreal,” said Kristen Cairns, who arrived at the beach with her 20-month-old son at about 9:40 a.m., in the middle of the effort to capture the gator. “It took a few seconds for it to sink in. You’re going, ‘Oh my gosh, that’s an alligator in the ocean.’ Then you start wondering how often does that happen.”
FWC spokeswoman Arielle Callender said it’s not a typical situation, but possible.
“While the American alligator prefers freshwater lakes and slow-moving rivers and their associated wetlands, they are seen in brackish water habitats occasionally,” Callender said in a statement about the incident. “Alligators can swim in and tolerate saltwater for short periods of time, but it is not their preferred habitat.”
Cairns said the alligator seemed lethargic and didn’t put up much of a fight — “she wasn’t really thrashing or moving around” — but was still quite a challenge for the trappers because of its sheer size.
The trappers were having difficulty getting a noose around its neck, Cairns said, then one of the trappers got behind it and started pulling it out of the water by its tail. They finally got a rope around it, which they tied to a four-wheeler, but that didn’t end the troubles, she said.
“The four-wheeler was like digging into the sand, creating a hole” as it tried to pull the gator up the beach to the sidewalk, Cairns said, so some of the workers gave the vehicle a push from behind. The gator was then put in a truck and taken away.
Delray Beach police, fire-rescue workers and lifeguards were also on scene. No injuries were reported.
Callender said people who find an alligator near them can call FWC’s Nuisance Alligator Hotline at 866-392-4286.

By Larry Keller

More than two years after his arrest in a massive insurance fraud scheme involving drug treatment centers and sober houses, Delray Beach physician Michael Ligotti has pleaded guilty to a criminal charge that will net him a sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison.
Ligotti, 48, pleaded guilty Oct. 4 to a single count of conspiracy to commit health care and wire fraud. Federal prosecutors dropped 12 other counts of health care fraud and money laundering.
The doctor also could be fined up to $250,000, and with other defendants be held liable for paying $127 million in restitution. He is scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 13.
Ligotti was arrested in July 2020 and subsequently indicted on charges of fraudulently billing private insurance companies and Medicare of approximately $746 million for which they paid $127 million over a span of nine years. He is free on a $1.5 million bond.
The doctor opened Whole Health medical practice at 402 SE Sixth Ave. in 2005. It purported to be an urgent care facility, a family practice and an addiction treatment medical office, but most of its patients were addicted to drugs and alcohol and had private insurance. Ligotti was the only physician, assisted by nurse practitioners and other medical professionals.
Ligotti’s scheme worked like this, according to the government:
Ligotti became the medical director at more than 50 sober homes and treatment facilities. He signed approximately 137 standing orders for these businesses, which then required their patients to submit to urine drug tests three or more times per week on Ligotti’s orders.
These were sent to laboratories, which billed insurers for the tests and paid kickbacks to the sober home and treatment center operators. They in turn would require their patients to regularly visit Ligotti’s Whole Health practice for additional testing and treatment — the clinic had its own in-house lab — or they would permit Ligotti to send staff to them for this purpose.
“This allowed Ligotti to profit by billing patients’ insurance for duplicative, unnecessary and expensive tests and treatments,” prosecutors said in a statement of facts to which Ligotti admitted. The result often was “double-billing the same services for patients at Whole Health that had already been billed by the substance abuse treatment centers, sober homes and/or the clinical testing laboratories.”
A Whole Health nurse practitioner told investigators that sometimes 10 to 15 addiction patients were transported there in vans dubbed “druggy buggies.”
Ligotti and Whole Health ordered urine and blood drug testing so frequently that additional tests were often ordered before any medical professional had received or reviewed the results of earlier tests. And when a patient did test positive for a banned substance, Whole Health and the treatment facilities seldom imposed consequences.
The drug screens were lucrative. Whole Health billed one patient’s insurer more than $840,000 in a little more than six years, and the insurer of another patient $707,000 in less than four years, prosecutors said.
Ligotti also billed insurers for other services, such as psychiatric therapy sessions that didn’t occur and for which Whole Health didn’t have qualified staff.
Ligotti originally had a trial date set for April 2021, but the complexity of the case contributed to its being delayed. In July and August alone, the government produced more than 88,000 pages of documents such as patient charts, billing records, insurance claims and patient interview reports, Ligotti’s lawyer said in court papers. There also was a “voluminous” amount of material released earlier, he said.
The doctor “is drowning in the amount of information he must analyze to get ready for trial, and his attorney is similarly drowning,” the attorney, Jose Quiñon, wrote in late August in a motion seeking a trial continuance of at least six months.
Complicating matters further, one of Ligotti’s three children contracted COVID-19 in August, and then he and his wife also were diagnosed with the virus.
Before his legal woes, Ligotti lived well. His Whole Health practice paid $128,600 to a Boca Raton jewelry store, according to court records.
The doctor and his family lived in a seven-bedroom home on Seagate Drive in Delray Beach, and owned a second six-bedroom house nearby. The homes and the Whole Health building have been sold for a cumulative $9.3 million. Net proceeds after mortgages and other encumbrances have been paid will be forfeited to the government.

Delray Beach commissioners voted 4-1 to make no changes to the downtown ride service. Photo
provided

By Jane Smith

A free ride service will continue operating in downtown Delray Beach, but its service area won’t be expanded to include trips to and from the city’s Tri-Rail station or to additional areas on the beach.
The City Commission on Nov. 1 went against a staff recommendation to expand the service and voted to maintain the current service, which will cost $508,205 annually and roughly $2.5 million over the five-year contract. Staff had recommended a $4.2 million, five-year contract that would have used Tesla sedans and expanded coverage of the barrier island and Southwest neighborhoods.
The city’s free ride service will continue with five open-air electric vehicles.
In reaching their decision by a 4-1 vote, commissioners were conscious of other budget expenditures that may be on the horizon, such as possibly having to raise $1.3 million for a new nonprofit to run the city’s Old School Square campus.
While the city won’t expand the free ride service to Tri-Rail, the commuter rail’s operators already offer to pay for the last mile of travel for customers at select stations using Uber, a ride-sharing vehicle, said Sara Maxfield, the city’s economic development director. Delray Beach will be one of the stations, she said.
That solved the Tri-Rail issue for Mayor Shelly Petrolia.
“It’s easier to add service, than to take it away,” Petrolia said. “We have the Tri-Rail station covered.”
Commissioner Shirley Johnson, who cast the dissenting vote, wanted to serve an expanded area on the barrier island, along with Southwest neighborhoods in the city. She wanted more vehicles to serve the residents and not make them wait.
The beach service area now goes to State Road A1A, four blocks north and south of Atlantic Avenue.
The city’s Community Redevelopment Agency has been paying for the service in the past, but the agency now wants to concentrate on other projects. The bid process attracted only the CRA’s current vendor, Beefree LLC of Miami.
Delray Beach is trying to reduce downtown traffic and vehicle emissions by offering the free car service.
Also Nov. 1, the City Commission decided to continue with Johnson as chair of the CRA. Angie Gray, a CRA board member, will continue as the vice chairwoman. The commission also approved adding five years to the life of the CRA, setting a new sunset day of Sept. 16, 2044.
Elections news: Qualifying for two commission seats is open until noon Nov. 21 for the March 14 municipal elections.
Deputy Vice Mayor Juli Casale plans to run again for her Commission 2 seat. Johnson is term-limited from running again to fill her Commission 4 seat.

OCEAN RIDGE — James Francis Weege, a much-loved veterinarian and longtime resident of Ocean Ridge, died suddenly on Oct. 22. He was 77.
Dr. Weege was an active, practicing vet until the day before his death. He is survived by his wife, Susan (nee Ross).
The couple were active members of the Ocean Ridge Garden Club. And his commitment to the town was long-standing and generous. There is a plaque acknowledging his dedication to the care and maintenance of the beautiful koi pond at Town Hall.
Dr. Weege grew up in Wisconsin and graduated from the University of Minnesota with a doctorate in veterinary medicine.
His love of the ocean and expertise in reptile health ultimately landed him in South Florida, where he had a 30-year affiliation with Florida Atlantic University and research projects with sea turtles.
Dr. Weege’s oversight of the sea turtles’ health at Gumbo Limbo Nature Center enabled no fewer than 20 masters of science and Ph.D. students, along with several hundred undergrad students, to pursue their sea turtle studies. Dr. Weege was magnanimous in sharing his time, knowledge and boat to help with off-shore turtle releases.
He was able to assist an international film crew get to just the key spot to film turtles at sea. The feature-length film Turtle: The Incredible Journey was released in 2009.
Dr. Weege built the building and practice at Colonial Animal Hospital on Woolbright Road in Boynton Beach in the mid-1970s, where he practiced for 30 years. He was the only local vet who took care of all kinds of animals, including reptiles.
Dr. Robert Martin, who now runs the practice after purchasing it from Dr. Weege in 2004, recalls a shared love of the outdoors which was a common thread for their friendship. “I loved him and will always respect what he accomplished at Colonial Animal Hospital. It was his invention and he developed a huge following at that location,” Martin said. “He will be remembered for his kindness and compassion when dealing with his animal patients and their families. He was truly a 24/7 veterinarian, answering calls on the weekends and often taking sick animals home to be tended.”
Martin said working with Dr. Weege was a great experience, and as the years went by he noticed how Dr. Weege understood his role in the human-animal bond and the desire to establish and maintain client relationships.
“This is why so many clients saw him as a friend and not just their trusted veterinarian,” Martin said. “The East Boynton Beach, Ocean Ridge and Delray Beach communities have lost an amazing man.”
Dr. Weege was a passionate hunter, fisherman and diver, and a 28-year member of the West Palm Beach Fishing Club.
He was preceded in death by his parents, George and Gertrude Weege of Ixonia, Wisconsin, and nine of his 11 siblings.
In addition to his wife, Dr. Weege is survived by his brother Patrick (Phyllis) of Ocnomowoc, Wisconsin, and sister, Sandra (James) Pritzlaff of Dousman, Wisconsin.
He is also survived by his sons Brad (Jennifer) Weege of Denver, and Stephen (Patricia) Weege of Port St. Lucie, stepson Andre Walia, stepdaughter Lauren (Corey) Funk, and six grandchildren: Gavin, Andrew, Nicholas, Blake, Mason and Brooke.
Dr. Weege will be greatly missed by those who knew and loved him. Many stories have been posted on the Lorne and Sons Funeral Home website, where associates have written about their shared experiences.
A celebration of life will be held at the Ocean Ridge Town Hall, 6450 N. Ocean Blvd., on Nov. 26. The family will receive friends from 10:30 to 11 a.m., with an 11 a.m. memorial service. A gathering and repast will immediately follow.

— Obituary submitted by the family

A battered migrant boat washed ashore at Yamato Rock — the outcropping located at the south end of Highland Beach — on Oct. 12. The vessel was man-made of lumber, roofing tin and foam. A portion of the boat burned and was found nearby.

A hand-made boat, of aluminum rails with a hull of spray-foam that had been sewn into a canvas cover, floated ashore in Ocean Ridge near Anna Street on Oct. 28. The boat had a crude sail made from an iron pole and an old tarp. Items on the boat had reference to Havana, Cuba, printed in Spanish.
Both boats had been marked OK by the Coast Guard, meaning they had been searched and no one was found on board.

By Oct. 30, another vessel was found on the public beach in Delray Beach near the permitted sailboat storage area. The Coast Guard says this summer and fall have been a busy time for migrant interdictions.
Photos by Tim Stepien and Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

By Tao Woolfe

The Boynton Beach City Commission is considering capping the maximum height allowed for downtown buildings at 85 feet in an effort to make the city more inviting.
The commission has twice publicly discussed the idea, and expressed support for limiting skyscraper development, but has stopped short of codifying height limitations.
Height limits on the two mixed-use zones in the downtown core are 100 and 150 feet.
At their Oct. 18 meeting, city commissioners heard comments from residents that in recent years the city has become taller and denser at an unsustainable pace.
“Twenty years ago I voted for a four-story height limit. Next thing you know, 100- and 150-foot buildings are popping up all over the place,” said longtime city resident Barbara Ready, summing up the prevailing sentiment among the audience. “It’s not the city I want and it’s not who we are.”
Resident Vanessa DelMonte said she had lived in Delray Beach — which strictly limits height and density — before moving to Boynton Beach.
“There’s nothing like having a small city feel,” she said. “We don’t want high buildings. I don’t want us to be Fort Lauderdale.”
The commissioners also heard, however, from two attorneys who warned that taking away developers’ design options could result in very expensive lawsuits.
A height limit “isn’t going to accomplish all the goals of the city,” said Fort Lauderdale attorney Barbara Hall. “If you take entitlements away from a property, the developer can file a claim for millions of dollars.”
Height limitations would “reduce enthusiasm” for building in Boynton Beach, and with such restrictions, “who’s going to invest in the city?” Hall added.
Lowering maximum building height was first proposed by Commissioner Thomas Turkin in May, after he had heard on the campaign trail numerous complaints about overdevelopment.
He is a proponent of a less- intimidating, more pedestrian-friendly downtown with green spaces for people and wildlife.
When his colleagues expressed concern about potential lawsuits during the commission’s October discussion of the matter, Turkin urged them to “do the right thing.”
“We agreed that we would walk away from high density and add more green space,” Turkin said, referring to the May meeting. “I want to see this city thrive and have its own identity.”
But his colleagues urged caution.
“I have concerns about the legal aspects of this,” said Commissioner Aimee Kelley. “We have to be careful how we approach this. … We have to be attractive to everyone.”
Commissioner Woodrow Hay agreed with Kelley.
“I’m all in favor of reducing the height, but we may be moving a little too fast,” Hay said. “I want to look at all this before making a decision that could affect the city for decades.”
Amanda Radigan, the city’s principal planner, suggested the city could thread the legal needle by creating a new zoning code amendment that would exempt any existing, or in-progress, development from the new height restrictions.
“Allow us to address multiple zoning standards for mixed use downtown,” Radigan said. “No one would be affected that has rights now. It would only apply to new development.”
Mayor Ty Penserga culminated the discussion by saying he is in favor of keeping things simple.
The simple choice, he said, would be to allow the city’s planning and legal staff to look into creating a new zoning district and cleaning up the code to accommodate all interests.
The matter is expected to come back to the commission for final discussion — and possibly a vote — in the coming weeks.

Adam Temple, who has served as Boynton Beach’s director of development services and as director of community standards, has been promoted to assistant city manager.
The City Commission unanimously endorsed Temple at its meeting on Oct. 18.
“The city has made an excellent choice,” said Commissioner Woodrow Hay. “I look forward to working with him.”
Mayor Ty Penserga was even more effusive.
“If this was America’s Got Talent, I would be pushing the golden buzzer,” the mayor said. “I look forward to seeing what you’ll do.”
Before going to work for Boynton Beach in 2020, Temple served as director of code compliance and chief compliance officer for the city of Doral.
He served as a petty officer in the U.S. Navy from 2001 to 2005. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Miami and a master’s degree in business administration from Florida International University.

— Tao Woolfe

Christmas is just weeks away and in downtown Delray Beach, shoppers can buy gifts and enjoy holiday fun on Nov. 25 and 26. They can also get a surfboard ornament by local glass artist Robert Schmidt of Schmidt Stained Glass, if they save their receipts of $200 or more from downtown retailers on those days and turn them in. The ornaments can be picked up from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Nov. 26, at Downtown Development Authority booths in front of Sara Campbell, 1051 E. Atlantic Ave., and Global Pursuit, 400 E. Atlantic Ave. Through December, other holiday offerings in downtown Delray Beach include a new Holiday Light Trail, 100-foot Christmas Tree, and the new Yuletide Street Festival as well as parades and fireworks on New Year’s Eve. For more information, visit https://downtowndelraybeach.com/holidays. Photo provided

By Christine Davis

Renaissance Properties New York, led by Kenneth L. Fishel and Bradley Fishel, purchased the South City Plaza office building, 1515 S. Federal Highway, Boca Raton, for $49.678 million. The seller was 1515 Associates Ltd., managed by Mark A. Gensheimer, CEO of Boca Raton-based Penn-Florida Cos.
South City Plaza last traded for $26.5 million in 2006. Mark M. Rubin and Bastian Laggerbauer of Colliers International represented the seller, while Maria Gomez of Powerful Real Estate represented the buyer. Tal Bar-or and David Strongwater of Lantern Real Estate arranged the financing for the deal.
South City Plaza, which was built in 1986, will be rebranded as 1515Boca. Architect Vladimir Arsene of New York-based Westfourth will design enhancements that will include electric vehicle charging stations, a restaurant, a renovated gym, a redesigned lobby and collaborative meeting spaces. The occupancy rate is 85%.

***

Pebb Capital, the real estate and private equity investment firm developing the Sundy Village mixed-use project in Delray Beach, donated $12,000 worth of school supplies to S.D. Spady Elementary, Village Academy and Carver Middle School. Pebb is also a sponsor of the Atlantic High School Eagles football team this year.
“The Delray Beach community has been rooted in our company for decades, and we are honored to assist teachers and families with needed items and ease the financial burden they may be facing at this time,” said Todd Benson, a principal with Pebb Capital.

***

The private aviation company XO, an air-charter broker that buys and resells seats on shared flights, plans to expand its app-based route between metropolitan New York and South Florida. Four daily flights will be offered between private terminals in Fort Lauderdale, Palm Beach, Opa-locka, White Plains and Teterboro, with seats starting at $1,500, along with options for first-class services, such as cuisine cooked by a Michelin star-trained chef.
 “XO pioneered and continues to lead the shared-flight opportunity, so private fliers can enjoy private flying benefits at one-tenth of the cost of a full charter,” said Lynn Fischer, XO’s chief marketing officer.
“In addition to economic value, shared flights offer significant sustainability advantages. While, on average, fewer than three passengers travel on board a private aircraft, shared flights accommodate 10 or more passengers, increasing the efficiency of seating capacity by 230 percent.” For more information, visit www.flyxo.com.

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Solar United Neighbors’  Palm Beach 2022 Solar Co-op is accepting new members until Jan. 17 among residents and business owners in Palm Beach County. Together, co-op members learn about solar energy and leverage their numbers to purchase their new solar systems at a competitive price and top quality. Battery storage and electric vehicle charger options are also available to group members. 
The co-op is funded by the Green Corridor District, and partners include the cities of Boca Raton, Boynton Beach and West Palm Beach, the Climate Reality Project of Boca Raton, the League of Women Voters of Palm Beach County, and Neighborhood Housing Services of South Florida.
“The co-op savings, combined with federal tax credits, make it the perfect time to go solar. The savings are even greater for city of Boynton Beach residents, who can receive up to $1,500 back on their solar panels through the city’s Energy Edge Rebate Program,” Boynton Beach Mayor Ty Penserga said.
To sign up for the co-op or an information session, visit www.solarunitedneighbors.org/palmbeach.

***

Kelly McLoughlin has joined the Institute for Regional Conservation as a coastal biodiversity restoration intern. She helps coordinate the institute’s Restoring the Gold Coast program, which presents workshops and events to educate the community about restoring native coastal biodiversity. She also oversees event volunteers, conducts site assessments and facilitates collaborations. McLoughlin graduated from the University of Miami with degrees in marine science and biology.

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Frank Hawkins of Delray Beach was appointed assistant director of food services for the Lord’s Place. He will assist in overseeing the preparation and delivery of food to Café Joshua, which serves lunches to people who are homeless.

***

Visitors can experience a taste of reggae through food and music at Reggae Fest FL, scheduled for 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Nov. 12 at the Boynton Beach Amphitheater, 120 E. Ocean Ave.
The event is organized by Delray Beach Arts, a nonprofit organization that produces events in Palm Beach County to serve as a fundraising source for nonprofits and to support art and educational business programs.
To purchase tickets, priced from $25 to $125, visit www.eventeny.com/events/ticket/?id=2045.
 
Send business news items to Christine Davis at cdavis9797@gmail.com.

Roots and Wings in Delray Beach, which encourages children’s reading skills and teachers who inspire learning, is a beneficiary of Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties. The foundation marks its 50th anniversary this year. Photos provided

Related: Philanthropy Season Preview

Community Foundation has propelled the power of philanthropy to change lives for half a century

By Charles Elmore

What began with a $50,000 gift from a coastal couple in 1972 has turned into an arsenal of philanthropy celebrating a milestone 50th year.
Today, the fingerprints of Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties can be found all over the region. It helps connect dollars with charitable doers, from preschool programs in Delray Beach to college scholarships financed from Highland Beach and Florida’s largest free health and dental clinic in Boynton Beach. Navigating weather emergencies, a pandemic and an evolving set of needs and challenges, the foundation has raised more than $366 million from 9,000 donors over five decades, resulting in 15,000 grant awards and more than 2,500 scholarships.
“What really fires me up is the power of philanthropy to change lives,” said foundation President and CEO Danita R. DeHaney.

Highland Beach residents Nadine Allen and Sanjiv Sharma are longtime supporters of the Caridad Center in Boynton Beach.

Highland Beach resident Sanjiv Sharma describes, in the foundation’s annual report, why he thinks it is so important to support a venture like the Caridad Center in Boynton Beach, described as the largest free medical and dental clinic in the state and one of the largest in the nation. The center has more than 28,000 patient visits per year. Sharma is on the board there.
“If you look around at the people who cut your lawns, board your horses, or cook your food, most of them do not have health care,” Sharma said. “The need is never-ending, but the impact is immediate.”
Sharma said foundation funding, among other resources, helped the center stay open and operating through most of the coronavirus pandemic. In addition, Sharma’s family has established two college scholarship funds, turning to the foundation to help administer them.
“They know what the community needs are,” Sharma said. “I couldn’t have done it myself.”
A Lake Worth High School graduate, Dodlee Mosilme, said he wants to become a surgeon with the aid of another scholarship recognized in the foundation’s annual report, the Frederick A. DeLuca Foundation Scholarship. “That’s what my family sees in me: value, purpose, and hope for the Haitian community,” he said.

Winsome and Michael McIntosh started Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties in 1972 with a $50,000 gift.

It all began in 1972, when Palm Beach residents Winsome and Michael McIntosh gave $50,000 to get the foundation started. Michael died in 2015. Winsome lives in Washington, D.C.
Other donors have stepped in at critical moments. A 1991 gift of $15 million from Anna Marie Graber Martens of Boca Raton helped expand the organization’s footprint into Martin County.
Relationships with some groups go back decades. Take Achievement Centers for Children and Families in Delray Beach, which provides early childhood education, after-school programs, summer camps and family support services. Its first grant from the foundation came in 1989, and the total giving has exceeded $285,000, according to foundation records. That included $50,000 in 2020 to renovate a play area.
“The Community Foundation is one of our longest-standing community grantors,” said Achievement Centers CEO Stephanie Seibel. “They are a leader and an influencer on other organizations. They recognize we are better together.”
The foundation can serve as “a force multiplier,” she said.

Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties has its headquarters in West Palm Beach.

Other targets of foundation grants have been the 211 Helpline, which connects people to services such as mental health support; Children’s Home Society of Florida; the Girl Scouts; Big Brothers/Big Sisters, and the Palm Beach County Food Bank. In 2021, the value of the foundation’s investments grew to $233.6 million, up from $176.4 million a year earlier, according to its online financial report.
But the foundation and others working for similar goals have faced obstacles, too. Fundraising events were frequently hampered during two years of off-and-on coronavirus restrictions and precautions. Such was the case with a Manalapan gala for the Caridad Center at the Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa.
It drew about 200 guests in early 2022, compared to 330 when the last one was held, in 2020. Meanwhile, financial markets have slumped in 2022 compared with previous years, which can eventually affect how much individual donors and the foundation itself have to spend.
As for market dips, “we can’t control that,” DeHaney said. “What we can control is our effort and activity.”
Hurricane Ian in September caused tornadoes that struck Delray Beach among other places, but in addition to support locally, the foundation raised $75,000 to be sent to organizations in Southwest Florida, which bore the brunt of the storm, she said.
DeHaney, who has been on the job for 18 months, said she likes to keep her eyes open for innovative ideas.
One example: Techniques developed at Florida State University are designed to introduce children to ways of managing stress and emotional well-being, drawing on principles used in cognitive-behavior therapy.
Workshops have already taken place in Boys and Girls Clubs in cities including Delray Beach, she said.
“This is what a community foundation should be doing,” she said. “Our aspiration is to lead, to be up front.”

By the numbers

50 years at Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties:
• $366 million raised
• 9,000 donors
• 23,000 gifts
• $250 million in total assets
• $200 million distributed in scholarships and grants
• 15,000 grant awards
• 2,500+ scholarships awarded
• 3,400 organizations supported

Boca hospital donors Debbie Lindstrom and Bob Sheetz. Photo provided

Boca Helping Hands, in collaboration with Florida Atlantic University and Cereal4All, commemorated September’s Hunger Action Month by having a Tackle Hunger Cereal Drive during an Owls football game.
Participants donated 373 boxes of cereal, equating to 3,720 bowls and 394 pounds of food. People who donated one or more unopened cereal boxes got into the game for free, with all donations going to Boca Helping Hands.
“We were so pleased that so many people came out from the community to donate cereal,” said Greg Hazle, executive director of Boca Helping Hands. “Cereal is one of the least-donated items to food banks across the country, which means underserved kids and families do not always get to start their day with a nutritious breakfast.”
Cereal4All was started by twin brothers Jett and Luke Justin, of Boca Raton, now 14 years old.
After volunteering at Boca Helping Hands, Jett and Luke organized a cereal drive at their school when they were 8 years old. The boys since have expanded the program to more than 15 schools in the area.
For more information, call 561-417-0913 or visit www.bocahelpinghands.org/tacklehunger.

Boca Regional campaign closes in on $240 million
Bob Sheetz and Debbie Lindstrom have made another joint gift to Keeping the Promise — The Campaign for Boca Raton Regional Hospital.
Sheetz’s and Lindstrom’s generosity coincides with the $250 million campaign’s final stages and allows them to join an elite group of donors called the Golden Guild. The donation, amount undisclosed, brought the campaign total to more than $237 million.
“The expansion and modernization of the Boca Regional campus is extremely important to the future of health care in this community,” hospital CEO Lincoln Mendez said. “However, this vital initiative would not be possible without the philanthropic support of members of the community like Bob Sheetz and Debbie Lindstrom.”
Sheetz and Lindstrom are longtime supporters of the hospital and were inspired by the campus transformation. The reception area in the patient tower and new food hall will be named in their honor.
“Our goal is what everyone’s goal should be: to ensure that all of us — including our family members, friends and community residents — have access to the best medical attention available,” Lindstrom said.
For more information, call the hospital foundation at 561-955-4142 or visit https://donate.brrh.com.

Ferrara estate donates $2.5M to cancer institute
The estate of Frances Ferrara has made a $2.5 million gift to Boca Raton Regional Hospital’s Eugene M. and Christine E. Lynn Cancer Institute.
The legacy will be used to support the needs of the institute as well as the programs at the Thomas E. Oxley Center for Cancer Survivorship & Wellness.
Ferrara was a strong supporter of the hospital and, after being diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer in 2015, became a patient.
“Fran was a fixture at our Go Pink luncheons and annual balls,” said Mark Larkin, president of the Boca Raton Regional Hospital Foundation. “Any time you would see her at one of our events, she always had a smile on her face. Her positivity was absolutely contagious. She was a treasure to our donor family.”

Nonprofits First awards give tip of hat to winners
Nonprofits First had its sixth annual Hats Off Nonprofit Awards, a sold-out event celebrating Palm Beach County charities last month at the Kravis Center.
The crowd of 650 donned hats of all shapes and sizes, from cowboy to hard hats and from top hats to homemade.
The honorees for Nonprofit of the Year are the Arc of Palm Beach County, Friends of Foster Children, and Youth Empowered to Prosper.
Nonprofit Volunteer of the Year is Lorraine Petrozza, of Community Partners of South Florida. Nonprofit MVP is Jackie Struller, of Restoration Bridge International. Nonprofit Professional of the Year is Trudy Crowetz, of the Literacy Coalition of Palm Beach County. Nonprofit Executive of the Year is Julia Dattolo, of CareerSource Palm Beach County.
Other awards are: Lifetime Achievement, Diana Stanley, of the Lord’s Place; Community Collaborators Award, CROS Ministries, the Delray Beach Police Community Outreach Team and the Interfaith Committee for Social Services; Nonprofit Innovation Award, Morningday Community Solutions; Best Hat Award, Holy Ground homeless shelter; People’s Choice, Hanley Foundation,
Funds raised from the evening benefit Nonprofits First’s educational programs that focus on helping nonprofit employees and volunteers lead and succeed.
For more information, call 561-214-7435 or visit www.nonprofitsfirst.

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

By Amy Woods

A few more stars will shine in Mizner Park this month in honor of those whose public service and volunteerism have enriched the quality of life in Boca Raton.
The awards ceremony for the Walk of Recognition, a permanent memorial beside the Addison Mizner monument in Royal Palm Place, will unfold Nov. 29 when the new nominees are inducted. They are:
• Steven Abrams, former Boca Raton mayor, Palm Beach County mayor and South Florida Regional Transportation executive director. Abrams was widely praised for his handling of the anthrax attact post 9/11, spearheading the annexation of the Town Center area to shore up the city's tax base and lowering taxes.
• John and Arline McNally, supporters of “Keeping the Promise — The Campaign for Boca Raton Regional Hospital” and the Eugene M. and Christine E. Lynn Cancer Institute’s Tree of Hope and League of Ribbons programs.
• Lynn Russell, who spearheaded the establishment of local community gardens including Allen’s Place Community Garden in Pearl City.
“It’s an extraordinary, lovely event,” co-chairwoman Joyce DeVita said. “It’s a real down-home type of feeling. It’s all about Boca Raton and how people contributed.”
Modeled after the Hollywood Walk of Fame in California that celebrates movie stars, the Walk of Recognition pays tribute to local leaders and organizations that have served in the interest of the community.
The Walk of Recognition debuted in 1997 and is overseen by the Boca Raton Historical Society / The Schmidt Boca Raton History Museum.
“It’s changed a lot, but the mission and the meaning have still remained the same,” DeVita said.
“It’s a cross-section of all types of people, but they have each made a big impact and changed the community through their service,” she said. “You can just see what happened, and these are the people who made it happen.”
Each nominee has a named granite star on the walk and a summary description inside the monument. Of the 11 applicants this year, the winners were selected by an independent panel of judges.
“It goes through considerable scrutiny as far as who should be there,” co-chairwoman Marta Batmasian said.
“We honor those who have created something — not just because they go and write a million-dollar check,” she said. “This is one step above. These people have made a distinct change in the lives of the city and its citizens.”
The event will take place at The Addison, the recipient of a fourth honor. A Special Historic Preservation Award will go to the beloved venue — an historically significant structure designed in 1926 by famed architect Addison Mizner.
The venue is considered one of the most important pieces of architecture in South Florida.
Upon arrival at the celebration, guests will be greeted with champagne and hors d’oeuvres prior to proceeding to the ballroom for the formalities. Afterward, everyone enjoys an open bar, food stations and live music.
“Florida is recognized as a place that is not necessarily a community type of state, but Boca Raton is a real community so this is sort of a tribute to that,” Batmasian said. “We hope to continue the celebration for years to come way after I’m gone and Joyce and I are no longer involved.”

If You Go
What: Walk of Recognition
When: 6 p.m. Nov. 29
Where: The Addison, 2 E. Camino Real, Boca Raton
Cost: $85
Information: 561-395-6766, ext. 100 or bocahistory.org

Rita Taylor was the guest of honor in the cab of a fire truck on her last day as Gulf Stream’s town clerk. ’We drove a little ways around town,’ Taylor said. ’That was a very nice gesture.’ Delray Beach Fire Chief Keith Tomey led an entourage of firefighters and two trucks to Gulf Stream Town Hall to surprise Taylor, whose late husband was a fire captain, after reading about her close connections to the profession in The Coastal Star. Taylor, who kicked off the ride by blasting the truck’s warning horn, was given a regulation fire helmet with number 112 after Station 112, which serves Gulf Stream and east Delray. This was just the second time she had gotten a ride in a fire truck, said Taylor, who was Gulf Stream’s clerk for 32 years and 9 months. Jerry Lower/ The Coastal Star

The American Association of Caregiving Youth gala returned in lavish longhorn style. Participants flocked to the venue to experience the country-themed shindig featuring guest emcee Frank McKinney and recording artist Laura Angelini. Proceeds benefit the nonprofit’s mission of ensuring support services for young caregivers and their families. ABOVE: (l-r) McKinney with former U.S. Ambassador Robin Bernstein and Palm Beach County Mayor Robert Weinroth. Photo provided

Impact 100 Palm Beach County kicked off its 12th season in an impactful way. More than 250 of the most philanthropic women in the community attended and celebrated the new grant-giving year. With 727 members, the Palm Beach County chapter is the second-largest in the nation. Guests mingled over cocktails and hors d’oeuvres. The nonprofit funds local initiatives in South County — between Boca Raton and Lake Worth Beach — via multiple $100,000 grants. ABOVE: (l-r) Anne Boodheshwar, Noreen Payne and Ingrid Kennemer. RIGHT: Judy Gursahaney and Sue Diener. BELOW: Sarah Chapman and Holly Schuttler. Photos provided by Warner-Prokos Photography

The Addison rolled out the red carpet for a VIP pre-reception to celebrate the Nov. 12 Boca Raton Mayors Ball presented by Rotary Club Downtown Boca Raton. During the exciting prelude to the main event, club President Jeff Weber and sponsor Doug Rudman welcomed guests to the lavish gathering. Everyone enjoyed light bites, wine and champagne while having the opportunity to socialize and learn about the big ball. ABOVE: (l-r) Jason Hagensick, Cliff and Eda Viner, Bob Tucker, co-chairwoman Rosie Inguanzo-Martin and Jon Kaye. BELOW: (l-r) Rick Howard, Christine Lynn, Pat Howard and honorary chairman Shaheer Hosh. Photos provided by Gina Fontana

ABOVE: The Delray Beach Green Market opened for the season on a beautiful day in October. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star BELOW RIGHT: An abundance of locally grown produce is the backbone of South County greenmarkets. Photo provided by Lori Johnson

By Jan Norris

The weather still says summer at times, but the return of greenmarkets is a sign the temperature will stay cooler soon. 
The Delray Beach Green Market returned Oct. 22, with new vendors, a chef’s showcase, and an expansion of the federal SNAP program accepted for payment.
Manager Lori Johnson is excited each year the market opens for the fall-winter season.
“We have 50-plus vendors. This is our 27th year — I’ve been managing the market 23 of those years,” Johnson said. “I have an advantage, of being both a vendor and a manager.”
She sold olive oils for 12 years and says she can see both sides of working the market. 
This season, she’s introducing a local vendor with a unique product: the Palm Beach Salt Company. A variety of salts are made from seawater collected in Palm Beach and dehydrated to produce a table salt. “It’s really unusual,” she said. “We haven’t had anything like this before.”
The regulars are back, as well, including Red Splendor Farms, owned by chef Dan Ramos.
“He brings some unique produce,” Johnson said. “He doesn’t just grow red and green peppers, he has a variety of unusual ones. He has herbs, edible flowers and in mango season, an incredible variety of mangoes I’ve never heard of.” 
This year, he’ll bring seasonal jams as well as fresh eggs. 
Gratitude Garden Farm, an organic farm in Loxahatchee, returns with its wide display of mushrooms, Everglades tomatoes, fruits, greens, sprouts and tinctures.
​“They’re really good about educating the shopper,” Johnson said. “That’s what’s great about farmers markets. You talk to the person who grew the vegetables, baked the bread or made the food you’re buying. You can have a conversation with them and ask questions. You can’t do that at a grocery store.”
Also returning is Captain Clay and Sons, a seafood purveyor. It has its own fishing boats and buys fish and stone crabs, now in season, from other local fishermen.
The market will have additional cheeses sourced from the United States this year, Johnson said.
“Vito from Mozzarita is a regular favorite,” she said of Vito Volpe and his company. Volpe is an Italian cheesemaker who brings fresh cheeses — mozzarella, ricotta and the creamy burrata — to the market. Chefs frequent his booth and use his products in their restaurants.
Starz Bakery, a New York Jewish-style bakery, brings pastries, bagels and bialys.
Expect a line as shoppers head for this booth early in the morning, Johnson said. “They get coffee and go wait in line.”
Also new at this market is the Cider Donuts booth, which sells mini cinnamon-sugar doughnuts cooked fresh on site, served hot with an apple dipping sauce. 
Johnson is also proud of the market’s chef showcase. Biweekly, an area chef will shop the market, then prepare a dish or meal in the display kitchen booth and serve samples to the audience. The recipe will be shared on the market’s website.
“It’s really exciting to see shoppers, the next weekend, who have printed out the recipe and are going around the market buying the ingredients for it,” Johnson said.
This season, shoppers using the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for fresh produce purchases will get a bonus with the addition of a Fresh Access Bucks card, which adds $40 to their benefits to spend without restrictions. 
“We already started the SNAP program back in January,” Johnson said. “We’re the only market in Palm Beach County that accepts it.”
Delray Beach Green Market is in the field at Old School Square, 51 N. Swinton Ave. Hours are 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays through mid-May. It will close for two weeks and reopen for summer. Go to https://delraycra.org/green-market.

Other markets
The Lake Worth Beach Waterside Farmers Market has begun its 16th year.
Manager Emily Theodos-sakos said shoppers will see 60 or more vendors with home-grown or homemade foods, plants and other products.
Solace Farms is one of the market’s oldest vendors, with a variety of organic produce, eggs and this year, meats. 
Holland’s Produce, based in Jupiter, brings all types of organics, Theodossakos said, including purple and orange cauliflower. “They’re said to be high in antioxidants,” she said.
Le Petit Pain bakery offers French-style pastries and breads. Honey comes from Loxahatchee beekeepers, and other vendors have homemade Bundt cakes and empanadas. Several more offer prepared foods.
Theodossakos said that “the best baba ganoush in the county” is available from a European bakery at the market.
International gourmet items sourced just for the market are here, including olive oil “straight from Greece,” she said.
A few vendors specialize in table items. “We have two potters making ceramics,” she said, and hand-blown glass for serving, as well.
The market runs through April, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays at Old Bridge Park, Lake Road at State Road A1A. Parking is free till 1 p.m.
In Lantana, an outdoor market will be held Sundays, starting Nov. 20 through the end of May, at the Recreation Center, 418 S. Dixie Highway.
The market will run from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
It will have limited produce, but 20 vendors will include those with jewelry, soaps and this year, a bonsai grower. A food truck will be on site, and prepared foods such as jams and jellies and popcorn will be sold. Arrangements are being made with a farm to have a weekly box produce program, market manager Hector Herrera said.
The Artisan Market and Greenmarket at Mizner Park in Boca Raton begins its season in mid-January, after the Christmas and holiday displays are taken down, said Joanne Polin, market manager.
The Boca Raton Greenmarket will skip the season after failing to find a suitable site, said market director Emily Lilly, and its future is unclear. It had a longtime home at Royal Palm Place and briefly set up in a parking lot at City Hall.

Pie It Forward
The fall fundraiser for Meals on Wheels of the Palm Beaches is underway. Order a pumpkin, pecan or apple pie ($30) or a Key lime pie ($35) through Nov. 17 at mowpbpie.org, and pick it up Nov. 22, two days before Thanksgiving. 
Money from the pies, which are donated by chefs at resorts, restaurants and country clubs, goes to feed housebound seniors throughout the county. Hot meals are delivered by volunteers five days a week.
This year, Pie It Forward lets donors add an extra $5 to buy a slice for a senior. The money goes to a dessert fund to provide special treats for birthdays and holidays. You can also send pies as gifts with each recipient getting a voucher allowing him to choose a flavor and a pickup location.
​The Baker’s Bundle gives buyers three of the ready-to-serve pies of their choice plus a reusable tote for $100. 
Pie pickup locations include Duffy’s Sports Grill on Federal Highway in Delray Beach, Palm Beach County Convention Center on Okeechobee Boulevard in West Palm Beach, and Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter. 

In brief
Bond Street Ale and Coffee in Boynton Beach’s Riverwalk Plaza has opened a second location up the road at the Casa Costa condos. It’s a trio of themed eateries with two now open: Bond Street Market Italian, at 308 N. Federal Highway, and Bond Street Cantina, at 324 N. Federal, for Mexican fare. They are open for lunch and dinner.

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

Local animal rescue groups have been helping with animals stranded by Hurricane Fiona in Puerto Rico and Hurricane Ian in Southwest Florida. ABOVE: Workers at Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League unload a vehicle. RIGHT: Two dogs brought to Tri-County Animal Rescue. Photos provided

By Arden Moore

Animal rescue groups and humane shelters, big and small, share a common goal: to save homeless dogs, cats and other companion animals and find them welcoming homes.
And, it turns out, these groups are also united by an unwavering pledge: to help one another when a natural disaster strikes.
Hurricanes Fiona and Ian demonstrated this collaborative spirit dramatically. Both storms reached Category 4 levels in September, causing billions of dollars in damage and displacing thousands in Puerto Rico and along Florida’s Gulf Coast.
Quickly stepping in to assist were these groups based in Palm Beach County: Big Dog Ranch Rescue, Tri-County Animal Rescue and Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League. They accepted shelter animals displaced by the hurricanes and coordinated supply trips to deliver food and other needed items.
“We are all in it to help animals and we are not in competition,” says Suzi Goldsmith, co-founder and executive director of Tri-County, west of Boca Raton. “After Hurricane Fiona hit Puerto Rico, we arranged to get as many dogs as possible on a cargo plane from San Juan to Miami. I estimate we brought in about 200 dogs, and we are so happy to help them out.”
Then nine days later — on Sept. 28 — Hurricane Ian pounded Florida’s southwest coast, causing catastrophic damage especially to the Fort Myers and Cape Coral area.
Peggy Adams quickly assembled four teams and headed from West Palm Beach in the early morning to drive across the state to assist the Gulf Coast Humane Society, which lost its roof. They brought back 57 cats and dogs to their shelter by late afternoon.
“Many of these animals have health issues and we are fortunate to have the facility to care for them,” says Sue Berry, chief executive officer at Peggy Adams.
Staff members with Big Dog Ranch Rescue, based in Loxahatchee Groves, quickly collected pet supplies, drove across the state, and brought back animals from damaged shelters on the Gulf Coast.
When I reached Robin Friedman, Big Dog Ranch executive director, a few days after Ian struck, she said her staff was making its third cross-state trip.
“Normally, it takes two to three hours to reach the Gulf Coast, but it took us six hours due to the flooding and road closures,” says Friedman.
Big Dog Ranch Rescue coordinated efforts with Tri-County Animal Shelter to assist the Naples County Humane Shelter, the Gulf Coast Humane Shelter and Manatee Animal Services. They loaded large buses with supplies and brought back more than 35 shelter dogs at first count.
Friedman shares a special moment that illustrates the helping-one-another spirit. A military veteran reached out to ask if her rescue group could care for his two large dogs so he could stay and help people and pets in the Port Charlotte area.
“When anybody is vulnerable enough to tell you their situation and is staying to help others, of course, it makes you want to help,” she says. “We will take good care of his dogs until he is able to take them back home.”
Goldsmith recalls the damage caused by Hurricane Irma, another major storm, when it blew through on Sept. 10, 2017. The storm took out power at the shelter for a week. A century-old maple tree crushed a large building on the 22-acre campus — with two staffers and 40 animals inside. Fortunately, all escaped injury.
“Every group in Florida and other places reached out to help us,” recalls Goldsmith. “That is what you do. And that is why we are reaching out and trying now to help those places hit by Hurricanes Fiona and Ian. We will always be there for the animals.”

Arden Moore is an author, professional speaker and master certified pet first-aid instructor. She hosts a weekly syndicated radio show, Arden Moore’s Four Legged Life (www.fourleggedlife.com), and the Oh Behave! podcast on Pet Life Radio.com. Visit www.ardenmoore.com.

How to help
If you want to donate money, supplies or volunteer, here is the contact information for three Palm Beach County shelters and rescues:
• Big Dog Ranch Rescue — www.bdrr.org
• Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League — www.peggyadams.org/hurricaneIan
• Tri-County Animal Rescue — www.tricountyanimalrescue.com