By Mary Thurwachter

Police Chief Sean Scheller shared a good report for his department with the Lantana Town Council on Dec. 12 — and council members gave him license-plate recognition cameras for squad cars.
Scheller said year-end numbers from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement — “basically our report card for the year” — showed the Police Department did very well, with crime dropping in town more than at the state or county level.
According to the FDLE, crime in Florida is down 8.3% and crime in Palm Beach County is down 10.2%.
“In Lantana, crime is down 19.9%,” said Scheller, who has been chief for 12 years. “We are performing at a very high standard and you guys are getting exemplary level police work in this town.” He said this was a team effort and thanked everyone from his staff to the Town Council and residents.
Additionally, Lantana’s clearance rate, indicating how many cases were cleared, was 24.4% compared with the county’s 23%.
“You might think this is a small number,” he said, “but it’s actually a high number when you remember that when, for example, somebody parks their bike and it’s gone, we have no suspects, no lead.”
The FDLE report was met with cheers and applause.
Later in the meeting, the council voted to spend $251,600 on license-plate recognition cameras for police cars and another $90,600 for 16 more cameras to be installed at predetermined locations around town. Cameras will be financed with federal American Rescue Plan Act funds.
“With this and in-car cameras, Big Brother’s going to be watching every move in this town,” Scheller said.
The council also agreed to spend $44,375 for a bi-directional amplifier system from Stellar Communications Group, LLC, to boost radio signal reception in the police headquarters at 901 N. Eighth St., next to the sports park.
The building had been used previously “as a jail cell for delinquents and the whole building is basically solid brick wall,” Scheller said.
The radio signal strength, measured after impact-resistant windows and doors and a metal roof had been installed, was deemed “unacceptable” with several dead zones. The dead zones prevent police staff from effectively receiving radio communication throughout the building, Scheller said.
“The continued existence of these dead zones constitutes a threat-to-officer-safety issue, qualifying this acquisition for an emergency purchase which is exempt from competitive bidding,” Scheller said. “The amplifier system will boost the signal to 100% connectivity.”
“We’ve got to keep safe the people who help keep us safe,” acting Mayor Karen Lythgoe said.
This amplifier system was not included in the budget and will be paid for with either available general fund reserve money or ARPA funds and will be included in the mid-year budget amendment, according to Town Manager Brian Raducci. The system may not meet the eligibility rules for the ARPA.

Agenda format to improve
The council approved spending $57,255 for a three-year contract with Granicus, LLC, for agenda management software.
Town Clerk Kathleen Dominguez said the software will automate and streamline the creation of public agendas and minutes, publish meeting documents online and in an ADA-accessible format, livestream and record public meetings, and provide closed captioning of meeting audio for ADA accessibility.
Dominguez said a link will be provided on the town’s website where residents can search, find and review meeting recordings, agenda packets and minutes. Citizens can also sign up to receive notifications of meetings and links to agendas when they are published.
Lantana does not have cameras to provide meeting video, but if the town decides to get them, the new software would be compatible, Dominguez said.

In other business, the council:
-- Approved a $212,959 contract with Baxter & Woodman, Inc., for engineering services related to development of the town’s proposed comprehensive plan for water, wastewater, roadway, sea wall, and parks and recreation facilities, along with a stormwater master plan. ARPA funds will be used to finance this expense.
-- Presented the Employee of the Year Award to general maintenance worker Cesar Barrero for his “tireless efforts and dedication to the town while working in the utility division,” Lythgoe said. “Cesar always shows up where he’s needed and always has a smile on his face.”

By Larry Barszewski

Plaza del Mar expects to welcome a medical tenant — Laser & Skin Center of Palm Beach — into remodeled space at its west end, based on an approval received at the Town Commission’s Dec. 13 meeting.
The practice will be operated by Tatyana Nektalova, a board-certified dermatologist who previously worked in Tribeca and the Upper East Side in New York City. It will offer comprehensive medical, cosmetic and surgical care.
Nektalova needed Town Commission approval for a dermatological office at the plaza. The approval is required so the town can review the overall makeup of the plaza and make sure there aren’t too many non-commercial businesses there.
“It was set up originally so that could not just become a medical plaza,” Mayor Keith Waters said of the approval process.
“I think it’s timely and perfectly placed as an opportunity for the community,” Waters said of the dermatology practice. “The idea is to keep a balance in that plaza. We don’t want to overweight it with anything.”
Commissioners unanimously approved the dermatology use in Unit 205, between the dry cleaners and nail salon. The practice will include minimally invasive procedures, such as removal of skin cancer and cysts.
In some ways, Nektalova is following her former customers here. She told commissioners a number of her clients, some of whom she said worked at Goldman Sachs, were part of the pandemic migration that brought about an influx of New Yorkers to Southeast Florida.
Nektalova said she found a need for a practice on Palm Beach County’s barrier islands.
“There currently is no dermatologist in the entire Palm Beach area, so from Palm Beach island to Manalapan all of the doctors are in West Palm Beach predominantly,” Nektalova said. “There are some spas offering cosmetic services, but they’re not board certified.”
Besides approval of the dermatology operation, town commissioners in other action Dec. 13:
-- Reviewed steps for a voter referendum that would require voter approval of any attempt to sell the town’s water plant in the future, so a future commission couldn’t take such an important step on its own. The referendum isn’t expected to go before voters until March 2024, so it will probably be May or so before the commission starts working on language for the charter change.
-- Discussed, but made no decision on, adjusting construction work hours to possibly require contractors to end earlier on Saturdays. Commissioner Aileen Carlucci said it might be of benefit for residents to have the allowed construction limit on Saturdays scaled back from 6:30 p.m. to 3 p.m.

By Joe Capozzi

The Town Council will hold a special meeting Jan. 6 to review options for finding a new town manager to replace Robert Kellogg, who plans to resign at the end of March. 
A representative with the International City/County Management Association will attend the meeting to offer suggestions, which may include finding an interim town manager until a full-time manager is hired. 
The town could also consider hiring a recruiting firm, which Ocean Ridge has done in its search for a manager. A recruiting firm could cost $25,000 to $35,000, said Town Attorney Glen Torcivia, whose firm also provides town attorney services for Ocean Ridge. 
Kellogg announced his plans to resign after councilman Ray McMillan unsuccessfully tried to fire him at the council’s Nov. 15 meeting. McMillan’s motion to terminate Kellogg failed when no other council members supported it. 
At the Dec. 22 council meeting, Mayor Bonnie Fischer thanked Kellogg “for everything he does. I don’t think he’ll be going anywhere for a while because it’s not an easy process to find a new town manager. It takes time. We’ve been through it three or four times.’’ 
Fischer added, “It’s very bittersweet, the whole thing. Thank you, Bob, for everything.’’ 
“It’s not over yet,’’ replied council member Robert Gottlieb, who did not attend the Nov. 15 meeting when McMillan tried to fire Kellogg.
Gottlieb, looking ahead to 2023, offered praise for Kellogg. 
“It’s going to be a great new year for all of us, I hope. We’re lucky to be here and help others,’’ he said. “That’s what this council is all about. It’s helping this town to be better, and Bob, you’ve been and are an important part of it and I appreciate you greatly.’’ 

New Town Hall 
With no discussion, the council tabled consideration of a $15,000 contract with Slattery & Associates to design a new Town Hall, a project that has been debated for more than five years. 
The firm was ranked first among three that interviewed with the council in November, but town officials want to do more research to make sure the firm can design a facility that will be built with structural insulated panels. 
“They have experience. We want to make sure if we hire them they are capable of providing the service that we want,’’ Kellogg said after the meeting.  
At the end of the meeting, Fischer said she hoped con-struction would start in 2023. 
Fischer and Kellogg are working with Torcivia to overcome what the mayor called “a few glitches” and “to figure out what’s best so we can move forward using SIPs. That’s our focus to get that done. Once that gets started and we get moving, it should take off a lot quicker than regular traditional building,’’ she said. 

In other business:
-- The council agreed to spend $2,300 for new fuel lines to the aging generator at the lift station outside Town Hall. In the next year the council will consider a recommendation by a maintenance company to replace the generator. 
A new generator could cost $200,000 to $250,000, some of which could come from grant money, Kellogg said. 
“This is not something we can gamble with,’’ Vice Mayor Bill LeRoy said. “We can’t take a chance on not having it.’’
--  Kellogg told the council that the Dune Deck condominium received a state permit in early December to make repairs to an eroding sea wall. But he said he didn’t think the town had issued a formal permit yet for the work. He said the condo, which applied for the state permit in June, is expected in January to seek relief from fines a special magistrate imposed in May.

By Tao Woolfe

The Boynton Beach City Commission has approved a settlement agreement with JKM BTS Capital, LLC, the developer of the long-stalled public/private Town Square project that city officials had hoped would revitalize the downtown area. Here are the major terms of the agreement, which was reached after several court-mandated mediation sessions among the city manager, city attorneys and the developer:
l The city will be paid $4.5 million by JKM.
l The developer will pay the city up to another $100,000 in attorneys’ fees for related litigation.
l JKM will sell three parcels of land conveyed by the city for the project to another private developer. As part of the purchase agreement, the new developer must provide sufficient parking for the project as well as sufficient public parking.
l In return, the city will dismiss its lawsuit against JKM.
“If any of the conditions are not satisfied, the Settlement Agreement will become null and void,” the agreement stipulates.
Time Equities, a New York City-based developer, has expressed interest in taking over the development of Town Square.
Under Boynton Beach’s original agreement with JKM, the $250 million project was to comprise a mix of municipal buildings and privately developed apartments, a hotel, restaurants and shops.
The developer was also expected to build two parking garages, providing some 2,000 spaces for use by residents, businesses and the general public. The project’s 16.5-acre area sits between Boynton Beach Boulevard and Southeast Second Avenue.
In return, the city agreed to give JKM the three parcels of land, to pay almost $2 million in cash to the developer and to provide underground water and sewer lines.
The developer, claiming the city had reneged on its commitments, failed to complete the project. The city filed suit against JKM in November 2020.

A new zoning district, allowing Boynton Beach to set height restrictions on mixed-use downtown buildings without angering current developers, has been approved by the City Commission.
The zoning code amendment will exempt any existing or in-progress development from having to comply with the new restrictions limiting new mixed-use projects to 85 feet in height.
Amanda Radigan, the city’s principal planner, has told the commissioners that such a zoning change would allow the city to limit building height without risking lawsuits.
Commissioners have twice discussed imposing restrictions but shied away from a vote because they feared legal repercussions.
Commissioner Thomas Turkin introduced the idea of height restrictions in May, saying lower buildings would make the city more inviting. He cited Delray Beach’s less imposing buildings as an example of good planning.
Current Boynton Beach height limits on the two mixed-use zones in the downtown core are 100 and 150 feet.
Residents have said that in recent years the city has become taller and denser at an unsustainable pace.
Residents at the Jan. 3 commission meeting applauded the move to lower building height and density, but said it did not go far enough.
“We had asked for a four-story maximum,” said resident Susan Oyer, meaning 48 feet. “I’m incredibly disappointed.”
The commissioners heard from two attorneys who warned that taking away developers’ design options could result in very expensive lawsuits.

— Tao Woolfe

The boat ramp renovation at Boynton Beach’s Harvey E. Oyer Jr. Park has been completed and the docks and the park have reopened.
“They look great,” Kacy Young, the city’s parks and recreation director, said of the three ramps. The site also has “new stations for cleaning fish that are already very popular,” Young said.
The city held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Dec. 17, which was attended by the public, city officials and city staff.
The $1.25 million project was funded equally by the Palm Beach County penny sales tax — approved by voters to pay for park, road, bridge and other public projects — and the Florida Inland Navigation District. To accommodate the construction, the park was closed from mid-September through Dec. 1, 2022.

— Tao Woolfe

Sports agent Phil Terrano, who played at the park as a kid, proposes to upgrade it and build a sports training facility there in partnership with the city. Tao Woolfe/The Coastal Star

By Tao Woolfe

As far back as Phil Terrano can remember, he’s wanted to give something back to the park that launched his career.
More than two decades after playing his last baseball game at the East Boynton Beach Little League park, Terrano — now a successful sports agent — is on the verge of seeing his dream come true.
The Boynton Beach City Commission recently gave preliminary approval to Terrano’s proposal to build an indoor training facility and add a new turf field to the 12.76-acre grounds of the park on Woolbright Road.
The commission is expected to give final approval to the project in the coming weeks.
“We are really hoping to break ground in January or February,” Terrano said in an interview. “We’d like to have it done by the end of 2023, but it would be even better if it was done by summertime.”
Terrano had proposed a 7,500-square-foot training facility, but city officials, after touring similar sites in South Florida, said they would like the building to be 12,000 square feet. The exact size of the for-profit facility has yet to be determined.
Through a partnership between Terrano and the city, the facility would offer strength and conditioning training for multiple sports, nutrition programs, batting cages, bullpen mounds, data assessment, physical therapy, chiropractic services, youth camps and scholarship programs.
The Cressey Sports Performance facility in Palm Beach Gardens offers similar services. Such specialized gyms — which cater to adult and school-age athletes willing to pay membership fees to improve their performance — are springing up around the country.
The Boynton Beach Parks and Recreation Department, as well as Building Department staff, are working on a master plan for the park that will include revamping the existing grass fields, adding T-ball and artificial turf fields, and upgrading the bathrooms and concession stands, said Kacy Young, the city’s parks and recreation director.
Terrano told the city commissioners he would like the 17 Major League Baseball players he represents to train at the site. The presence of baseball pros would provide extra incentive for Little Leaguers to be their best, as well as offer opportunities for kids to collect autographs and insider tips.
Young said he likes Terrano’s plan to have the major league players practicing alongside the Little Leaguers.
“It will be beautiful and we hope it will increase the usage of the park,” Young said. “We feel the project would be a great benefit to the entire city.”
The city acquired the park in the 1950s from the developer of High Point retirement village. It was envisioned as land that could be used eventually for expansion of the adjacent city-owned cemetery, according to city records.
By the late 1950s, however, Little League was outgrowing its original home at Galaxy Park, which had only one field, and the city decided to move league operations to Woolbright Road.
The East Boynton Beach Little League park lost its luster over the years, however, and the fields were often neglected and overgrown except for a rescue effort in 2006.
Shortly after Hurricane Wilma blew through South Florida and destroyed much of the park, the producers of the ABC home remodeling television show Extreme Makeover: Home Edition stepped in to repair the home of the 2003 national Little League champions.
The renovation included repairing the northeast fields, replacing light poles, and installing a new irrigation system, fencing, signage and batting cages. Crews also repaired the roof and interior of the concession stand.
Terrano, 44, who grew up in Boynton Beach, said he played on the fields from age 10 until he was almost 20. He later coached teams, served on the Boynton Beach Little League’s board of directors, and cooked hot dogs on weekends.
“People didn’t believe in the park and never kept it up,” Terrano said. “Volunteers did as much as they could, but most of them had full-time jobs and couldn’t be here that much.”
City officials hope this new injection of money and interest will turn things around.
Terrano, the CEO of Primetime Sports Group LLC, said he and investors he has enlisted will probably spend $3 million to $4 million to build and maintain the training facility and add the turf field. The city will do the rest and will maintain the fields, he said.
“I played here and it means a lot to me to give back,” Terrano said. “If it wasn’t for Boynton Beach Little League, I would never have gotten into a career with Major League Baseball.”
Terrano now lives in Lake Worth Beach with his wife, Shiela, and his two sons, Dylan, 11, and Dominick, 6.
The training facility will be a for-profit operation, Terrano said, but the project is as much about bringing life back to the park as it is about the money.
“It is my field of dreams,” he said. “I told the city commissioners:
“If you let me build it, they will come.”

A Manalapan house bought by singer Billy Joel for $22.1 million in 2015 is now on the market through Christian Angle Real Estate for $64.9 million. Photo provided by Realtor.com

By Christine Davis

Piano man Billy Joel has listed his ocean-to-lake estate at 1110 S. Ocean Blvd., Manalapan, for $64.9 million. Joel, using an ownership company, bought the compound in 2015 for $22.1 million from Texas banking businessman Donald A. Adam.
Built in 2010, the nine-bedroom, 20,838-square-foot house sits on 1.6 acres with about 150 feet of frontage on the ocean and Intracoastal Waterway.
The compound includes a guest house and staff house.
The property went on the market in November. Details in the main house include a theater room, a pub room and bar, paneled library, 12-plus-car garage and wine cellar with a wet bar and tasting table. Broker Christian Angle of Christian Angle Real Estate holds the listing. 

***

Mark Sherman’s estate at 1140 S. Ocean Blvd., Manalapan, was listed for $59 million with Douglas Elliman agents Pier Paolo Visconti and Claudia Llanes.
Sherman, CEO of Green Wave Electronics in Atlanta, with his ex-wife, Isabella Sherman, paid $8 million for the house in December 2000.
The $59 million price tag will be for a finished renovation that has been underway on and off since 2017 with a few permit extensions. According to Visconti, the renovations are expected to be completed in 14 to 16 months.
When finished, the residence, on 1.61 acres with 150 feet of waterfront on the ocean and Intracoastal Waterway, will have seven bedrooms and 12,420 square feet. Features will include a gym, library, home theater, a game room, wine storage for 1,000 bottles, and a garage that can be configured to accommodate 12 cars.
Prospective buyers have other purchase options, said Visconti. “If the buyer wants to buy it as is, obviously the price will be lower. Another possibility, we just made plans to build a 3,500-square-foot guest house on the property, and for that, the price would be adjusted as well,” Visconti said.

***

Investors Bernard and Margaret Palmer sold the house at 404 E. Coconut Palm Road in Boca Raton to a trust managed by Lake Wales-based attorney Mark Warda for $18.6 million in November, according to public records.
The Palmers bought the property for $4.6 million in December 2020, demolished the existing house and commissioned Boca Raton-based SRD Building Corp. to build an 8,731-square-foot, six-bedroom estate, which was completed in 2022.
David Roberts of Royal Palm Properties represented the sellers, and Susan Rindley of One Sotheby’s International Realty represented the buyer.

***

James and Kimberly Caccavo made two moves in the local real estate market in 2022. The more recent focuses on a Manalapan spec house, 71 Curlew Road, which they bought for $10.5 million in a deal recorded Nov. 30.  
The seller was listed as an LLC named for the address managed by Stephen Varga of Varga Homes, who bought the half-acre property, with 178 feet of water frontage, for $1.9 million in 2020. Varga tore down the house and built a 10,500-square-foot home, which was completed in 2022.
Nick Malinosky and Randy Ely of Douglas Elliman represented both the buyer and the seller.
In June, the Caccavos flipped an oceanfront Gulf Stream estate at 3565 N. Ocean Blvd. to James and Estee Sausville for $27.5 million, almost double what they bought it for the year prior.
James Caccavo is the founder and managing general partner of the California-based Steelpoint Capital Partners, a private equity firm. Kimberly Caccavo is founder of Face Your Grace, a motivational e-learning platform.

***

Darielle Singerman, who operates RedCon1 Gym in Boca Raton, sold her home at 4400 Sanctuary Lane to Andrew Cook and Fanjun Dai as trustees of the Zhang Family Trust for $10.2 million. The deal was recorded Dec. 5.
Singerman bought the five-bedroom, 12,000-square-foot estate, with a pool and dock, for $8.65 million in April 2021, records show.
Senada Adzem of Douglas Elliman had the Boca Raton listing, and Jeff Daly of Realty Home Advisors International brought the buyers, according to Realtor.com.
Singerman and her husband, Aaron Singerman, own a home at 4100 Sanctuary Lane, which they purchased in October 2021 for $6 million, and a home at 16598 Fleur de Lis Way, Delray Beach, which they bought for $2.3 million in 2016.
This current sale comes just after Aaron Singerman’s release from federal prison on Dec. 1. He served a fraction of his 54-month sentence, which was handed down in January 2022, for selling illegal steroids through his brand, Blackstone Labs.

***

Selkirk Sport, an Idaho manufacturer of pickleball paddles and accessories, made an endorsement deal in November with James Ignatowich, 22, of Delray Beach.
Ignatowich is a newcomer to pickleball after playing tennis in the junior ranks and at Vanderbilt University.
He competed on Major League Pickleball’s Team Ranchers in 2022 and has won several pro medals, including the gold in men’s singles at the Beer City Open in July in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
He defeated Zane Navratil, 14-12, 12-10, for the championship after beating JW Johnson, Federico Staksrud and Navratil on his way to the final.
Then in August in Newport Beach, California, his Team Ranchers won the league championships, defeating BLQK, 3-0, and Ignatowich walked away with $25,000.
Ignatowich, now a senior at Vanderbilt, said he switched from tennis to pickleball because “it’s way more fun, and it’s way easier to get started playing and you can get to the top really quickly. I am already one of the top 10 players in the world.”  
When he’s home from college, he practices at Caloosa Park in Boynton Beach.
As one of Selkirk Sport’s lineup of brand ambassadors, he will be equipped with Selkirk’s paddles and outfitted in branded Selkirk Sport apparel.
His two favorite paddles are the Vanguard Power Air Invikta and the Project 002 Invikta. “They provide a great amount of power and spin,” he said.
Of interest to all those pickleball enthusiasts out there, he’s posting tips and instructional videos on his Instagram, @jamesignatowich.

***

For people who have muscle cars and like showing them off, listen up and sign up.
Stingrays, Barracudas and other 1950s through 1970s muscle cars will be at Delray Beach’s Old School Square on March 4 at the Muscle On the Beach car show.
This benefit for the Sandoway Discovery Center will be hosted by Mike Brewer of the Discovery/Motor Trend TV series Wheeler Dealers.
“A few years ago, we had an idea to raise money for the Sandoway Discovery Center’s new stingray garden by gathering another kind of stingray — Chevrolet Corvettes,” said George Walden, who is volunteer co-producer of the event with fellow classic car buff Jack Barrette.
“Now we’ve got the best examples of American muscle cars coming to downtown Delray,” said Alex Ridley, president of Sandoway Discovery Center’s board of directors. “The children of Palm Beach County need fun, interactive educational opportunities now more than ever — this event is a great opportunity for the community to support our work, and a lot of fun for attendees and volunteers.”
For people who want to show their muscle car/truck/hot rod, or to be a sponsor or vendor, call 617-312-4701 or email Barrette at info@muscleonthebeach.com.

***

The Schmidt Boca Raton History Museum has announced several special happenings.
Jan. 7 kicks off the museum’s Free Fun Saturdays, a continuing program slated for the first Saturday of every month in 2023. The admission fee will be waived on those days for all visitors.
Because the new Brightline station has opened, the museum will offer a $2 discount off the regular admission to anyone with a Brightline ticket.
On Jan. 12 at the museum’s Town Hall Talk, author and Lynn University professor Dr. Robert Watson will make a presentation on his book Escape: The Story of the Confederacy’s Infamous Libby Prison and the Civil War’s Largest Jail Break. The talk will start at 6 p.m. with check-in and refreshments. The lecture begins at 6:30 p.m. Cost to attend is $10.
Open through the end of June, the temporary exhibit MiMo in Boca Raton: Mid Century Modern Style, and the Architecture of Howard McCall offers a look through architectural drawings and photos of the works of the longtime architect whose commercial and residential works helped shape Boca Raton.
McCall opened his office in Boca Raton in 1958 and was joined by partner Pat Lynch in the 1960s. McCall designed St. Gregory’s Church, the Church on the Hill, and Advent Lutheran. He also developed the first Fifth Avenue Shops, local gas stations, commercial buildings and mid-century condos. The partners also designed most of the Camino Gardens models and the original houses of Royal Palm Yacht and Country Club.
The Schmidt Boca Raton History Museum, at 71 N. Federal Highway, is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. Admission is $12 for adults, $8 for students and seniors, and free for members and children 4 years old and under.

***

The League of Women Voters of Palm Beach County will host Verdenia C. Baker, county administrator of Palm Beach County, at its Hot Topic Luncheon, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Jan. 18.
Baker oversees 6,800 positions and balances a $6 billion annual budget. Since becoming county administrator, she led the voter-approved 2016 Infrastructure Sales Tax initiative that will generate $2.7 billion for new and renovated schools, roads and facilities over a 10-year period; led initiatives such as the Mandatory Inclusionary Workforce Housing Program and Community Land Trust; and reimplemented the small/minority/women business enterprise program in 2019.
The luncheon will be held at Mel’s Way Bistro, 3536 Via Poinciana, Lake Worth Beach; price to attend is $35. Registration must be made at https://lwvpbc.org/event/jan-hot-topic-state-of-the-county/.

***

Florida Atlantic University’s 2023 Alan B. and Charna Larkin Symposium on the American Presidency presents “A Conversation with Laura W. Bush and Barbara Pierce Bush” at 4 p.m. Feb. 11. The lecture, which will be moderated by presidential historian Timothy Naftali, will take place in the Carole and Barry Kaye Auditorium, FAU Student Union, 777 Glades Road, Boca Raton campus. Tickets are $35-$125 and can be purchased at www.fauevents.com or via 561-297-6124. 

***

FAU’s Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters will hold its third Culture, Arts and Society Today party at 6 p.m. Feb. 27 at the Polo Club of Boca Raton, 5400 Champion Blvd.
Tickets for this fundraiser are $250 and can be purchased at  https://fauf.fau.edu/2023CAST or by contacting Gail Vorsas at 561-297-2337.
The 2023 CAST party will honor Marta Batmasian and Marilyn Weinberg for their contributions to the arts in South Florida.
“The faculty and students in FAU’s School of the Arts are world-renowned for their artistry,” Batmasian said. “We are incredibly lucky to have them in our community to provide outstanding exhibitions, concerts and theater and dance performances.”  
To become a sponsor, contact Laurie Carney at lcarney@fau.edu or 561-297-3606.
 For more information, visit www.fau.edu/cast-party.

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

Hundreds of European starlings, known as a murmuration, take flight at sunset at Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge west of Boynton Beach. Photo by Susan Wasserman BELOW RIGHT: Five young gallinules huddle near the shore of Lake Ida in Delray Beach. Photo by Peter W. Cross

By Rich Pollack

Slip into the hidden Lantana Nature Preserve, sandwiched between the Intracoastal Waterway and the Atlantic Ocean, and you might catch a glimpse of an American redstart or even a bay-breasted warbler.
Stroll the boardwalk at the Green Cay Nature Center and Wetlands and there’s a good chance of observing a roseate spoonbill or maybe a least bittern or sora rail.
Stake out a spot on an aging wooden-planked dock along the eastern shore of Delray Beach’s Lake Ida and an osprey, red-shouldered hawk and — if you’re lucky — a bald eagle may soar in the sky above you. Sprinkled throughout southern Palm Beach County are a few parks, refuges and natural areas that have become favorite hangouts for resident birds as well as migrating species pausing as they flee the Northern chill for the warmth of South and Central America.
Those places have also been a magnet for people who enjoy the challenge of spotting a rare species, as well as those who find joy just seeing birds in their natural habitat.
“South County has some excellent birding spots,” says Chuck Weber, a longtime Palm Beach County birder, who coordinates the Christmas Bird Count for Audubon Everglades, the local branch of the national organization.
The Christmas Bird Count, held Jan. 2, encompassed an area 15 miles in diameter, including parts of the barrier island and a large chunk of South County.
While the consensus is that the number of birds in North America is down, Weber says that too many variables make it difficult to determine if this is the case here, although it is likely.
Still, last season there were 146 species identified in the count, similar to previous years, with the likelihood that the numbers will be close this time around.
One reason South County and the whole of Palm Beach County remain popular among birds is the diversity of habitat, which provides food, shelter and safety for many species.
For coastal shorebirds, South County offers miles of beaches, including some that do not get a lot of human visitors. Songbirds can find homes in coastal hammocks, while wading birds flock to both natural and man-made wetlands.
Local government agencies, says birder Sue Young, deserve a healthy dose of the credit for ensuring that natural habitat remains accessible to wildlife — and to people who enjoy witnessing them in action. “When we preserve these areas, the birds are going to show up,” she said.
Tucked between condos, townhomes and residential neighborhoods throughout South County are also small nature preserves, including the Hypoluxo Scrub Natural Area, Ocean Ridge Natural Area, the Seacrest Scrub Natural Area in Boynton Beach, the Delray Oaks Natural Area in Delray Beach, and the Pondhawk Natural Area in Boca Raton.
These spots provide habitat for many critters and don’t always have the abundance of birds found at more recognized locations, but they are on many birders’ lists of spots worth visiting occasionally.
Here are several popular birding spots in southern Palm Beach County.

A prothonotary warbler. Photo by Chuck Weber

Lantana Nature Preserve
440 E. Ocean Ave.

Drive too quickly along Ocean Avenue as you head west from State Road A1A and there’s a good chance you’ll scoot right past the entrance to the Lantana Nature Preserve, a 4.6-acre man-made oasis that has become a magnet for birds traversing the East Coast.
“We think of it as a migration hot spot,” says longtime Palm Beach County birder Chuck Weber. “It’s a beautiful little spot.”
Weber credits the town of Lantana for creating the preserve — just west of the Carlisle home for seniors — using mostly Florida trees and shrubs to transform a site that had been overgrown and strewn with litter into a peaceful refuge for birds and birders.
“They did a great job of creating a native coastal hammock,” Weber said. That’s important, he says, because birds generally prefer native plants and trees for shelter and food.
What makes it special: The Lantana Nature Preserve is small and easily accessible. You’ll find an abundance of native trees — from strangler figs and gumbo limbo to poisonwood and mangroves — that draw mostly smaller songbirds during migrations.
What you’ll see: Many of the birds you’ll see at the preserve are usual suspects found in the area during migration periods, including blue-gray gnatcatchers, a variety of warblers and painted and indigo buntings.
In the fall, you might see a chestnut-sided warbler.
Rare sightings: A red-legged thrush was sighted there a few years back, and so was a La Sagras flycatcher. “For such a small place, it has an impressive list of rarities,” Weber said.

A roseate spoonbill. Photo by Sue Young

Green Cay Nature Center and Wetlands
12800 Hagen Ranch Road, Boynton Beach

Wakodahatchee Wetlands
13270 Jog Road, Delray Beach

When Sue Young wants to show off Florida wildlife to visitors from the North, her first stop is typically Wakodahatchee Wetlands.
“The sheer spectacle of nesting birds there blows everyone away,” she says, explaining that wood storks, great blue herons and great egrets have created close-up rookeries hard to find anywhere else in the area.
Like its neighbor Green Cay, Wakodahatchee is a man-made wetland filled with water from nearby county-operated water treatment plants. Both have boardwalks winding through them that escort visitors up close to avian visitors as well as an occasional alligator.
“They’ve taken Florida habitat and shrunk it down to a manageable size,” Young says.
While Wakodahatchee is smaller and may have birds in greater concentrations, the 100-acre Green Cay has a bigger variety, partially because it includes a larger woodland habitat. Young has seen as many as 50 species in one day there.
What makes them special: The boardwalks bring visitors close to the birds, and over time, the wildlife have accepted people passing by.
“You have a chance to see natural behavior from a bird that would normally get spooked and fly away,” Young said.
What you’ll see: Both locations have a similar assortment of wading birds and ducks, while pied-billed grebes, common gallinules, tricolored herons, great blue herons and great egrets are abundant. At Wakodahatchee, you’ll see more wood storks and great blue herons, while at Green Cay you’re likely to see more warblers in the woodland areas.
Rare sightings: Green Cay has had barred owls and eastern screech owls visit, and a pair of Chuck-will’s-widows have taken residence this season. In the past, Green Cay has seen a La Sagras flycatcher, a least grebe and a reddish egret. At Wakodahatchee, a golden-winged warbler — normally seen in South or Central America — was spotted several years ago, creating international interest among birders.

A piping plover. Photo by Kenny Miller

Spanish River Park
3001 N. Ocean Blvd., Boca Raton

There are few remaining places for birders in Palm Beach County the size of Boca Raton’s expansive Spanish River Park.
Coastal shore birds are in abundance east of State Road A1A, and migratory songbirds find shelter in the old Florida growth on the west inside the oceanfront sanctuary.
Not far offshore you’ll find seabirds such as gannets, and on the west side of the park mangroves will attract an occasional egret or great blue heron.
“Spanish River Park is a great place to see birds because there’s so many different species, both on the beach and in the park, on any given day,” says birder Kenny Miller, who can be seen many mornings on the beach before sunrise and in the park shortly thereafter.
He is always on the lookout for hard-to-find species. During an October visit, he counted 49 bird species, including a rare, white-crowned pigeon.
The nearly 95-acre park — which has three tunnels, making it easy to navigate between the two habitats — also includes two trails winding through the coastal hammock.
There is a $35 daily charge for parking inside the park and metered parking is available on Spanish River Boulevard at $2 per hour.
What makes it special: Spanish River Park attracts a diversity of wildlife found in two very different habitats. Several species of coastal shorebirds patrol the beach while the coastal hammock draws songbirds and others during migration.
What you’ll see: On the beach, you’ll see laughing gulls, herring gulls, royal terns, sanderlings and an occasional willet, as well as a handful of other species. Peering out over the ocean, you’ll see seagulls, gannets, perhaps a common loon and even a scoter. Migratory birds, including many species of warblers, can be found inside the park.
Rare sightings: The first Florida sighting of a hermit warbler took place at Spanish River Park several years ago. A mangrove cuckoo was discovered there, and piping plovers have been seen on the beach.

Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge
10216 Lee Road, Boynton Beach

Susan Wasserman often walks along the levee and marsh trails of the Loxahatchee Wildlife Refuge just before the sun sinks over the wetlands. She searches the trees and wetlands for elusive birds.
Wasserman tends to avoid the boardwalk that twists through a small hardwood portion of the park where the Everglades meets urbanization, preferring solid ground instead.
“You’re not walking over the wetlands, you’re walking in them,” she says. “I don’t feel like an observer of the wildlife. I feel like I’m among it.”
A natural Everglades ecosystem, the refuge “is a mosaic of wet prairies, sawgrass ridges, sloughs, tree islands, cattail communities and a 400-acre cypress swamp,” according to the park literature.
To enter the refuge, a $10 daily entry fee per car or a $25 annual pass is required. The park offers a variety of recreational activities and includes a nature center.
What makes it special: This national wildlife refuge, covering over 225 square miles, is home to about 250 species of birds, including the Everglades snail kite, an endangered species.
What you’ll see: Sandhill cranes, large pileated woodpeckers, wood ducks, monk parakeets and nanday parakeets are frequent visitors. Owls, including a great-horned owl and barred owls, also have been seen.
Rare sightings: Birders flocked to Loxahatchee a few years back when a vermilion flycatcher was spotted. But to make even a routine trip unforgettable, they can watch the hundreds, maybe thousands, of European starlings seemingly dance on cue through the sky — creating a murmuration at sunset.

An osprey carries off a largemouth bass for its breakfast. Photo by Peter W. Cross

Lakeview Park
1100 Lake Drive, Delray Beach

It wasn’t until the pandemic that retired photojournalist Peter W. Cross started paying attention to the birds visiting this small park tucked into the Lake Ida neighborhood.
During early morning visits with his yellow Labrador retriever Roxy, Cross noticed common wading birds such as egrets and herons. But as he became more attuned to the bird life around him, he recognized other species, including woodpeckers, warblers and even raptors.
“When the pandemic happened, all this wildlife came out,” Cross said. “You’ll see just about every type of bird.”
The park is easily accessible on the eastern edge of the natural lake and since the water is home to several species of fish — including peacock and largemouth bass — it is a favorite for birds, including an occasional raptor, Cross said.
What makes it special: The park is a hidden gem, where visitors can stand on a dock at the water’s edge and see several species of resident birds, as well as a few migrating species.
What you’ll see: Osprey, red-shouldered hawks and Cooper’s hawks are frequent visitors, as are many types of warblers and woodpeckers common to the area. Limpkins pulling apple snails from their shells are often seen, and a roseate spoonbill may make an appearance.
Rare sightings: The park has attracted a spot-breasted oriole, and Cross has caught a glimpse of a bald eagle soaring over the lake, hunting for a morning meal.

More images from Lake Ida
Photos by Peter W. Cross

A juvenile gallinule creates an image of itself as it takes off from the lake’s placid waters.
A red-eared slider turtle fends off a curious great blue heron.
A spot-breasted oriole glows in the early morning light as it searches for a meal.

Feb. 14-16: The Wayside House fundraiser, supporting addiction-treatment services for women, will feature dozens of vendors from throughout the United States selling upscale merchandise. Time is 5-7 p.m. Feb. 14 for a preview party and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Feb. 15 and 16. Cost is $125 for the party and free Feb. 15 and 16. Call 561-268-0055 or visit www.wayside house.net and click on ‘events.’ ABOVE: Co-Chairwomen Lisa Jankowski and Martha Grimm. Photo provided

OPAL awards chairs and honorees include (l-r) Neil Saffer, Amy and Mike Kazma, Terry Fedele, Greg Hazle, Jan Savarick, Christine Lynn, Pia Giannone and Spencer Siegel. Photo provided

By Amy Woods

Whether a billionaire philanthropist or a public-school teacher, any recipient of the Rotary Club of Boca Raton’s Outstanding People and Leaders award exemplifies “service above self.”
The club’s motto not only has inspired its 80-plus members to come together and make the city a better place to live, work and play, but also forms the basis for honoring the citizenry.
“We honor people in the community who are the ones who make Boca Raton, Boca Raton,” Co-Chairman Neil Saffer said of the annual OPAL awards. “The presentation itself: We try to make it as Grammy Award-ish as possible, with giant LED screens, to give these honorees their finest hour.”
The major fundraiser will take place Jan. 14 at Boca West Country Club. Festivities include a cocktail reception, a seated dinner, a high-end auction and an uplifting program complete with videos celebrating the lives and achievements of the 2023 honorees.
“The food, drink and entertainment are always as good as it gets,” Saffer said. “Everything about it is first-class.”
Honorees are community leader Terry Fedele, Boca Helping Hands Executive Director Greg Hazle, philanthropists Mike and Amy Kazma and theater impresario Marilynn Wick. Rotarian Pia Giannone also will receive an award.
Proceeds will benefit one of the club’s most important missions: to fund scholarships at FAU and Palm Beach State College for students in both academics and trades.
“It’s wherever we can make a difference, whether someone wants to be a plumber or someone wants to get a college degree,” Saffer said. “We have helped hundreds of students whose parents are happy, proud and grateful.
“It’s a wonderful event, and it’s dual-purpose,” he said. “Those we honor support missions like ours and often become advocates for missions like ours. Some even guide our students if not hire them.”

If You Go
What: Rotary Club of Boca Raton OPAL awards
When: 6:30 to 11 p.m. Jan. 14
Where: Boca West Country Club, 20583 Boca West Drive, Boca Raton
Cost: $300
Information: 561-477-7180; opalawards.com or rotaryclubbocaraton.com

Florida Atlantic University has kicked off the public phase of its first comprehensive campaign in more than 20 years.
“Transcend Tomorrow: The Campaign for Florida Atlantic University” is an ambitious plan to raise $600 million for the school and will focus on three fundraising priorities: health, the environment and scholarship/student success.
“Private support has played an important role in the genesis, development and growth of FAU,” said Chris Delisio, vice president of institutional advancement and CEO of the FAU Foundation. “Transcend Tomorrow provides us with an opportunity to focus our fundraising priorities as we plan and prepare for the needs of the future.”
For more information, call 561-297-6144 or visit transcendtomorrow.fau.edu.

Closing literacy gap
The Golden Bell Education Foundation, together with the Education Foundation of Palm Beach County and the School District of Palm Beach County, has distributed kits to Boca Raton Elementary School to kick off a reading program.
The kits are part of the S.P.I.R.E. program, for Specialized Program Individualizing Reading Excellence.
In addition, members of both foundations came together to present the district with a $40,000 donation.
S.P.I.R.E. is a communitywide initiative to help close the literacy gap for underperforming students in kindergarten through third grade at all 13 public elementary schools in Boca Raton.
For more info, visit www.goldenbelleducationfoundation.org or call 561-395-4433, extension 232.

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

The Ocean Ridge Garden Club kicked off the holiday season with a hat-wearing event that put all who attended in the spirit. Members reflected on the season and everything they accomplished, including raising money for the Ann Cody Camp Wekiva Scholarship Fund. Looking ahead, the club is planning field trips and environmental initiatives in 2023. ABOVE: (l-r) Jill and John Shibles, Jen Pekowski and Virginia Sigety. INSET: Mary Ann Cody and Helen Smith. Photos provided

The YMCA of South Palm Beach County’s 50th-anniversary gala drew 700-plus guests and raised a record-breaking $2 million. ‘We are so proud of the role that the Y has played in the transformation of Boca Raton over the past 50 years and look forward to even bigger contributions to all ages of our community in the future,’ Chairwoman Terry Fedele said. Funds will help purchase buses and support a teen arts initiative and a cancer-care program. ABOVE: (l-r) Bill and Mary Donnell, Renee Feder, and Kathy and Paul Adkins. BELOW: (l-r) Francesca Daniels, YMCA President and CEO Jason Hagensick, and Myrna Gordon Skurnick. Photos provided by Carlos Aristizabal

Dorothy Taylor (in front row) was recognized for her 100th birthday during a Town Commission meeting. Taylor, a nurse, was divorced when she moved to Florida from Illinois with her daughter in the 1960s. She became one of the first single women in Palm Beach County to apply for a permit to build a single-family home. She fought for a construction loan from the banks and to find an architect and contractor who took her plans seriously for her Ocean Ridge home, which was completed in 1969. Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

The Dreyfoos School of the Arts staged its ninth-annual extravaganza, featuring more than 400 young musicians performing holiday classics. The 90-minute, sold-out show highlighted band, piano, orchestra and vocal students. Underwritten by James and Sue Patterson, the concert and its proceeds benefit the school’s music department.
TOP: (l-r) Nancy Hart, George Elmore and Marti LaTour. RIGHT: Lisa Marie Conte Browne and Ellen Liman. Photos provided

The Rotary Club Downtown Boca Raton presented its seventh-annual black-tie affair highlighted by a pair of live flamingos befitting the theme: ‘Boca Raton, A Tropical Paradise.’ More than $320,000 was raised to support health and wellness needs in the community. Auctions, dancing and an awards ceremony rounded out the evening. ABOVE: Honorees Cliff and Eda Viner. Photo provided by Gina Fontana

Dress Circle members of the performing arts center were honored during a special dinner attended by more than 250 supporters. After dinner, everyone enjoyed music by the duo Black Violin, a violist and a violinist who combine their classical training with hip-hop influences. ‘Our 30th anniversary season is a great time to celebrate the Kravis Center’s past, present and future,’ CEO Diane Quinn said. ‘Annual giving is a substantial part of our operations each year, and we simply could not offer the caliber of our educational programming without your support.’ ABOVE: Katherine and Gary Parr. BELOW: Cindy and Ron McMackin. Photos provided by CAPEHART

The Boca Raton Historical Society / The Schmidt Boca Raton History Museum welcomed more than 100 supporters and dignitaries to the annual ceremony and reception honoring volunteers and organizations whose service has enriched the city and its residents. Honorees were Steven Abrams, Marta Batmasian, John and Arline McNally and Lynn Russell. The Addison received a special Historic Preservation Award.
ABOVE: (l-r) Society Chairwoman Olivia Hollaus with Zoe Lanham, Rochelle LeCavalier and Rebecca DeMonte. Photo provided by Tracey Benson Photography

Butterfly snapper is one of the dishes offered at Benny’s on the Beach Oceanwalk in Lake Worth Beach. Photo provided

By Jan Norris

Have you checked your dining check lately? In the past few months, diners may have noticed a service charge added to their bills, typically 18%.
That’s an automatic tip for what chef Jeremy Hanlon of Benny’s on the Beach at Lake Worth calls “support staff.” It’s a guaranteed amount for each table. Diners have the option of tipping more if they choose, and many do, Hanlon said.
Hanlon says all of the fee goes to people who serve, bus tables or tend bar. “If a server doesn’t make their numbers for whatever reason, the others that are tipped out from their tables aren’t losing out.”
At most restaurants, the fee used to appear only on checks for parties of eight or more. It’s now showing up on every check in many restaurants in Palm Beach County.
“This isn’t something new,” Hanlon said. “Miami’s been doing it forever. New York, other cities — it’s always there. I think diners are beginning to accept it.”
Service fees are but one way restaurant owners say they are coping with skyrocketing food costs, increased rent, and especially rising labor costs that are mandated by Florida law.
“It’s a tough business right now. I ran the numbers,” said Gary Rack. “The minimum wage increase over the next five years will cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. That’s labor alone for our three restaurants. And I’m just a small chain. It’s going to hurt a lot of smaller full-serve restaurants.”
Rack, CEO of the GR Restaurant Group, runs Rack’s Farmhouse Kitchen in Boca Raton, and a Rack’s Farmhouse and Rack’s Fish House in Delray Beach.
He said it’s not only labor but food costs that have driven menu increases as well. “The consumer eventually is going to say, ‘I can’t go out.’ We’re a scratch kitchen. We use quality ingredients. But they’ve gotten out of control.”
One of the best sellers on the menu at Farmhouse is a cauliflower flatbread. He uses a lot of the fresh vegetable weekly.
“Two weeks ago, cauliflower was $95 a case — it used to be $45. Food costs are brutal,” Rack said. “Romaine lettuce was so expensive, we quit serving Caesar salads for a couple days because we couldn’t afford to put the salad on the plate to make any money. Now, romaine has come down, but every day it’s something. It’s completely out of control.”
George Patti, owner of M.E.A.T. in Boca Raton, said he’s back in the kitchen in his restaurants because of a labor shortage. “I put myself back on the daily schedule,” he said.
It’s a crisis for hospitality, he said, one that started during the pandemic and shows no signs of letting up. Not only a lack of workers, but responsible workers: “ones who show up.”
“It’s a younger generation. They don’t want to work. Silly kids. They want to play on their phone and make money. And guess what? They do. They stay at home and do TikTok or YouTube videos and make more than at a real job.”
Patti also cites food delivery costs as well as the fluctuating prices of the food itself, such as chicken wings — $185 for a 40-pound case a while back, then dropped to $80, but soon to rise again with the Super Bowl around the corner.
“We can’t sacrifice quality. Meat is our name,” Patti said. “But there’s no predicting costs. A 20-pound box of tomatoes is $64; it used to be $25. It’s crazy.”
To keep menu prices reasonable and within diners’ perceptions of fair value, he’s working in the kitchen, he said, and has signed up “with every delivery platform out there.”
Takeout and delivery reduce meal costs where labor is concerned, though he has a dedicated person in the small eatery to handle all the takeout orders and deliveries.
He’s adjusted again and found a niche in office deliveries and party catering. “We’ll do $400 deliveries at lunch to offices,” Patti said. “It’s definitely helped. We’re just trying to make it.”
Chef/owner Jimmy Everett of Driftwood, an 80-seat restaurant in Boynton Beach, has been trying for the last year “to figure things out. Things are changing all the time.
“It used to be there were industry standards that typically worked,” he said. “There was a good way to make a sustainable profit. You knew that a 28-to-30% food cost was good. Now, a 25% cost is what it takes to just survive. Labor is 50%. That’s terrible. We’re trying to figure out how to balance it all out. There’s no rulebook for this.”
Driftwood makes meals from scratch. Food costs are unpredictable, though a flexible daily menu helps, he said. It’s easier for him to adjust with a small restaurant.
But there’s a line when it comes to charging the diner more. “In a matter of less than a week our cost of cauliflower went from $45 to over $100. I can’t charge $22 for a Buffalo cauliflower app. Either we take it off the menu or we replace it with something,” Everett said.
Hidden costs that go into a meal, nonfood items such as appliance servicing and cleaning products and even ink and paper for printing daily menus, are straining budgets as well. “These are the things the diner doesn’t see,” Everett said.
But, he said, “My biggest concern is what’s happening with the minimum wage law changes. It will have a huge impact on every single full-service restaurant and the front of the house who serves their products.”
Florida’s law raises minimum wage to $15 for tipped workers over the next five years. That’s a dollar-an-hour increase each year for five years.
“All of my wait staff make more money than I do,” Everett said. “I’m fine with that. I know a lot of others won’t be.”
How to deal with it “will be a huge hurdle when it all plays out. I don’t have an answer.”
A service charge on the check is one thing he is considering, but it’s part of a dilemma pitted against raising menu prices.
“If we change our tip structure, that can cause issues with our customers. Or the wait staff. The crowd we have, sure they look at prices, but people here come in for more than a plate of food to fill their stomachs. It’s an experience.”
Either way, higher menu prices or a service charge, he thinks people will figure it out. “At the end of the day, they’ll say, ‘I spent this much at this place and it was this much, and I spent the same amount at this place with a service charge.’”
For Everett, “it’s making sure we’re being honest. I want it to be fair. I want people to feel like they’re getting value, whether they’re spending $20 or $200.”
He’s preparing for the possibility that diners will eat out less frequently. He can’t say it’s happening yet, though he’s observed that crowds may be thinner. Sales numbers are equal to last year’s, however.
Driftwood opened only two years before the pandemic, so Everett can’t compare sales records for years back.
“We’re constantly assessing everything, every day,” he said.

Benny’s goes to land
Benny’s on the Beach has expanded into the Lake Worth Casino plaza, taking over the spot of its former sister restaurant Viva La Playa.
Called Benny’s on the Beach Oceanwalk, the 200-seat seafood restaurant and bar is an adjunct to the original on the Lake Worth Beach pier.
“We’ve redone the interior, provided a slightly modernized atmosphere,” Hanlon said. “It will drive the beachside vibe all along the beach. But it’s Benny’s menu, with a few tweaks from my travels.”
While Viva La Playa had a “specialness” to it, he said, “we felt it was taking the focus away from Benny’s. We wanted to put all our eggs in one basket as a brand.”
The menu is all of Benny’s favorites, plus steak, more taco dishes, and some new style dishes Hanlon has concocted from traditional seafood dishes.
“We’ll have different flavor combos,” he said, representing his international cooking techniques and incorporating favorite flavors.
It is open for lunch and dinner, with reservations for dinner only at the moment. Breakfast is served on weekends starting at 10 a.m., but that may expand in season, he said.
Benny’s on the Beach Oceanwalk, 10 S. Ocean Blvd., Lake Worth Beach. Open daily for lunch and dinner, breakfast Saturdays and Sundays. www.Bennysonthebeach.com.
In brief: According to a post on the Facebook page of the old Ellie’s ’50s Diner in Delray Beach, the owners of Bees Knees Diner of West Palm Beach are set to take over at Ellie’s, which closed in 2022. Stay tuned.

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