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

Michelle Angel, former owner of the Woolbright Farmers Market, says one goal of her new book is to make people less afraid of death. Photo provided

By Jan Engoren

Intrigued by the concept of death since she was 5, Michelle Angel, who ran the Woolbright Farmers Market in Boynton Beach for 20 years, found her life’s mission as a guide and consultant for dying people and their loved ones.
Angel’s book, I Sell Tomatoes: Inspiration and Consideration Before End-Of-Life, published by Trimark Press in Deerfield Beach, holds the wisdom of 30 years’ experience in dealing with the prospect of death and offers insight on how to meet the end of life.
“This is not a book about grief or after,” Angel writes. “This is a book for before. It is meant to encourage self-inquiry into the experience we’re all guaranteed one day.
“The fear of anything loses its power the minute it’s made less confrontational,” the Boynton Beach resident writes in her book. “In the end (pun intended), the best deaths are the ones met fearlessly. I know this to be true. I invite the reader to be prepared and find out for themselves.”
Her goal is to help people have a “good death,” be less afraid and to provide them with tools to contemplate end of life. She asks the reader: “Which is more like death? A sunrise or sunset?” “What would you choose for a last meal?” And to think of a film with a “great” dying scene, such as Harold and Maude or Titanic.
Her childhood friend Suzanne Alfandari, a marriage and family therapist in San Rafael, California, helped her edit the book down to about half of its original 300 pages.
“In our culture, the subject of death is taboo,” says Alfandari. “Michelle offers a way to think about the subject and how to approach it.”
Alfandari said she didn’t think about death often, but now enjoys thinking and talking about it.
“When we realize we will all die, we can make the most of our lives,” she says. “Like a sunny day after the rain, it’s good to have the contrast to appreciate what is.”
For Angel, 68, the farm stand was across from a cemetery but was the “exact opposite” of death — vibrant, lively, filled with flowers and fresh vegetables. It closed in May 2021 with her son, Jesse Goldfinger, as a co-owner.
“It was by the grace of God that I ended up in the farm stand,” says Angel. “It gave me the opportunity to pick and choose when I do death work. It was the best of all worlds.”
In fact, if customers would inquire, “Do you do death work?,” she would reply, “No, I sell tomatoes,” giving her the title for the book.
Angel says she was 5 when she witnessed “someone that was dead being brought back to life. I believe that was the beginning of my interest.”
Other experiences followed, none frightening but all that made her think. She sat at the bedsides of her father when he died and of her brother as he died of AIDS in 1994.
She holds a bachelor’s degree in human services with a concentration in thanatology, the scientific study of death.
For Angel, a New Yorker by birth and grandmother of four, “It’s all about service.”
“I pray for each person,” she says. “I don’t take it lightly and am grateful that I get to help someone meet death fearlessly and leave nothing left unsaid.
“It’s grounding and fulfilling to be with someone who’s dying,” she says. “I’m honored and grateful when I get to be by a bedside; it’s amazing grace.”
Davida Schoentag, 70, a retired sex, mental health and substance abuse counselor from Lake Worth, met Angel when her mother was in hospice care 10 years ago.
“I’m so grateful for Michelle,” says Schoentag, who considers herself a “recovering Catholic” and says there’s no dogma or religion in Angel’s teachings. “She gave me a gift in my darkest hours and has touched many lives.
“She showed me how to be part of my mother’s transition. I was there when she took her last breath. It was a wonderful experience and not sad. I was able to share something with my mom that no one else shared.”
Angel’s support and view of death through a different lens allowed Schoentag to see transitioning to another stage as a beautiful process.
“It’s all about living well while dying, to be present in real time,” Angel says. “Being aware of where we’re going, to create a foundation of great strength, built on faith instead of fear, on what you know instead of what you don’t know.
“This will allow you to move forward more able to handle whatever comes your way.”
Angel credits her notion of “perfect plan” — that all is as it should be — with giving meaning to life as it is lived.
“We come with a birth date and a death date and everything in between is our destiny,” she writes.
“I have made friends with death,” Angel says, “but I will always be in the business of life.”

Jan Engoren writes about health and healthy living. Send column ideas to jengoren@hotmail.com.

Drs. Milad Alam and Brett Schlifka review a patient plan before surgery using a new robotic navigation platform at JFK Hospital. Photos provided

By Christine Davis

HCA Florida JFK Hospital recently began offering a robotic navigation platform, which improves visualization of patient anatomy during minimally invasive spine and brain procedures. The first surgery was successfully performed Oct. 14 by Drs. Brett Schlifka and Milad Alam.
The system “eliminates the need for multiple imaging devices throughout one procedure, and the compact footprint amplifies the system’s agility and usability,” Schlifka said.

***

The American Heart Association’s new “Getting to the Heart of Stroke” initiative, developed and supported by HCA Healthcare and the HCA Healthcare Foundation, focuses on clinical training, community and patient education, diagnosis and treatment.
The initiative “uses a proven approach to public health, which combines a national initiative with local health impact work,” said Kayla Fox, executive director of the American Heart Association in Palm Beach County. “Over the next few months, the American Heart Association will work closely with our volunteers and leaders at HCA Florida Healthcare to take a real look at the health disparities right here in Palm Beach County and create a plan for helping more people in our community live the long, healthy lives they deserve.” 

***

Florida Atlantic University Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine and the Schmidt College of Science and Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience will collaborate to offer a new M.D./Ph.D. joint neuroscience program, slated to start in the fall 2023. Graduates will each receive a medical degree and a doctorate in integrative biology, with a concentration in either biomedical sciences or neuroscience.

***

Dr. Lori Fiessinger, an expert in dermoscopy, which improves diagnostic accuracy and early recognition of melanomas, has joined Hacker Dermatology, 230 George Bush Blvd., Suite B, Delray Beach. Previously, Fiessinger served as an assistant clinical professor at the University of Minnesota dermatology department.
For information on this service, visit www.HackerDermatology.com or call 561-276-3111.

***

Mayor Shelly Petrolia cuts the ribbon in celebration of Delray Medical Center’s expansion.

Delray Medical Center has opened 24 new patient rooms, a new operating room, a surgical ortho unit, surgical step-down, and surgical inpatient units. Enhanced robotic capabilities, including the Da Vinci XI and AquaBeam system, have been added, and the family waiting room has been renovated.

***

The Caron Treatment Centers is offering Zoom webinars to introduce its new medical facility, the Keele Center, at 4575 Linton Blvd. in Delray Beach. The center is due to open January.
On Nov. 16, the subject will be neurofeedback and neuropsychological services and on Dec. 7, viewers will receive a summary of the Keele Center’s services. They include a medical detox unit, an older-adult residential-treatment program and residential treatment programming for affluent individuals, as well as neurocognitive services, research and medical education.
To register for the “Countdown to Keele” webinar series, contact Julie Flannery at jflannery@caron.org or call 610-299-8001.

The Holly House Holiday Gift Shop at First Presbyterian Church in Delray Beach is open. Photo provided by Linda Prior

The Holly House Holiday Gift Shop at First Presbyterian Church of Delray Beach, 33 Gleason St., returns for another season.
The Holly House’s talented crafters have been hard at work getting ready to help you prepare for your festivities. Handcrafted gifts, jewelry, decorations and ornaments, vintage Santas, holiday table linens, wreaths for the door, coastal home décor and more are waiting. New things will appear all season, so stop back to see what’s new.
The shop is open from 10 a.m. to noon Tuesdays and Thursdays or by appointment. Beginning Nov. 27, the shop will also be open 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.
Call 561-330-0245.

Holiday bazaar
The Ascension Council of Catholic Women will hold its Christmas Bazaar from 4 to 7 p.m. Nov. 4 and from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Nov. 5 at Ascension Catholic Church, 7250 N. Federal Highway, Boca Raton. Free. 561-997-5486.

BetterMan group at Grace 
Grace Community Church, 600 W. Camino Real, Boca Raton, will host BetterMan, a connect group for men from 20 to 45-ish from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursdays, Jan. 5 through March 23.
BetterMan is designed “to activate men’s lives for a ‘better’ masculinity — one that lifts others and gives life to others.”
The group is limited to eight participants and three facilitators. Register at www.graceboca.org/connect-groups or 561-395-2811.

— Janis Fontaine

CROS Ministries, clergy and nonprofits from Delray Beach gathered to honor St. Vincent Ferrer Catholic Church’s Care Ministry, which closed its doors after 16 years. It served homeless people and others in need by providing rent and utility assistance, food and medical care. One of its supports for children was the Delray Beach Public Library’s literacy program for non-English-speaking preschoolers whose families didn’t speak English at home. ABOVE (back, l-r): Care Ministry members Bob Carney, Al Fries, Mike Wigderson and Frank Cottone; (front, l-r): Marge Dombroski, Noreen Ryan, Joe Mastrullo and Jackie Ermola. Members missing from the photo include MJ Cunnane, Joan Baccari, Barbara Conahan, Tom McCreary, Emily Nettles, Hank Monaco and Dan Spigai. Photo provided

Debra Tendrich shows off hand-painted grocery bags from her nonprofit, Eat Better Live Better, in Delray Beach. Photo provided

By Janis Fontaine

Debra Tendrich says she started her nonprofit, Eat Better Live Better, in 2016 because it was the right thing to do.
But never before has feeding the hungry been so hard. The coronavirus pandemic struck a solid blow, drying up donations and overwhelming food pantries with new clients at the same time.
Now the inflation numbers on groceries — 13% nationally but closer to 11% locally — are twisting the knife.
Tendrich started Eat Better Live Better to provide more than mere calories to food-insecure families.
“Malnutrition isn’t a lack of food,” Tendrich said, “but a lack of nutrition.” Vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and other nutrients that come from vegetables are key to healthful eating, and food pantries often don’t have those things.
Tendrich grew up in Atlanta, cooking and eating Southern comfort foods like mac-and-cheese and fried chicken. But a 30-day office challenge in healthy eating and exercise stuck with her. Tendrich realized she felt better even though she hadn’t felt bad before.
But the kicker was that her daughter, Amira, then in grade school, felt better, too. She’d had rashes and stomach issues and had even been diagnosed with ADHD, but those issues disappeared along with the high-fat, sodium-laden and sugary comfort foods.
As she learned more about nutrition, Tendrich became more concerned about childhood obesity, diabetes and heart disease. Disease and poor nutrition go hand-in-hand, she says, and breaking up that toxic relationship is a priority.
To do that, positive attitudes about food need to be taught early. For example, teaching kids that food is a synonym for happiness with celebratory pizza parties and food rewards is wrong, Tendrich says, and needs to change.
At the other end of the spectrum, Tendrich says that our neighbors — especially seniors on fixed incomes — are being devastated by the rising cost of groceries. Her program tries to fill the gap between income and need so seniors aren’t forced to choose between paying for their rent and medications or groceries.
Tendrich addressed another problem: transportation. The neediest members of our community don’t or can’t drive (maybe they can’t afford gas or car insurance), and some are medically unable to come to Tendrich’s facility in Delray Beach. EBLB and Door Dash have teamed up to deliver groceries to people who live within a 10-mile radius of the facility, which is near the corner of Military Trail and Atlantic Avenue.
Eat Better Live Better was the Greater Delray Beach Chamber of Commerce Nonprofit of the Year in 2021, and Tendrich is personally nominated for its Crystal Palm award this year. She’s also a frequent speaker about nutrition and homelessness.
Most of EBLB’s clients are referred by churches and synagogues, schools and teachers, medical professionals and the police, who identify people who need help.
Recipients register with EBLB and on distribution day are provided with a big purple bag full of produce, oatmeal, peanut butter, canned tuna and chicken, pasta and pasta sauce — and more, depending on the size of the family. Delivery is the first Friday of the month with emergency deliveries on other weekdays.
EBLB had to cut back from twice-a-month giveaways, with prices up and donations down.
“Everyone who is registered is guaranteed food,” Tendrich said. “We don’t run out of food.”
Volunteers — about 15 year-round and another three dozen who show up during the winter — pack the grocery bags, break bulk supplies into smaller portions, and staff the front desk when clients arrive.
Jackie Ermola served as president of St. Vincent Ferrer’s Care Ministry in Delray Beach for nearly eight years, and continues to serve the homeless community. Of Eat Better Live Better, she said, “It’s not like every other pantry. Debra serves people who have dietary restrictions. People can’t eat a lot of the food given out at other pantries. She really struck me as someone who is making Delray a better place.”
Ermola says that Delray Beach is special because its groups work together to serve the community. They communicate and brainstorm and strategize and cross-refer clients. “We all collectively work together, the police, the schools, the places of worship,” she said.
Tendrich and Ermola share a philosophy: “People deserve to be treated with dignity.”
Ermola says, “It only takes one bad break to go from happy to homeless. I’ve seen it happen and it could happen to anyone.”
If you’d like to help Tendrich feed people or if you need help, call Eat Better Live Better at 561-344-1022 or visit www.eblb.org.
Ermola is also acting as a consultant helping people who would like to start a food pantry. Contact her at jermola@hotmail.com.

Janis Fontaine writes about people of faith, their congregations, causes and community events. Contact her at fontaine423e@outlook.com.

The garden of Jean Sealey Laragh has evolved over 25 years as she ’learned to recognize the beauty of native plants,’ including the cabbage palms that arch over this walkway. Photo provided

By Jan Engoren

Migrant hummingbirds, painted buntings and butterflies are back and so is the Native Garden Tour, hosted by the Palm Beach County Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society.
In the society’s first major tour since 2019, visitors on Nov. 6 can visit five unique private gardens and one public natural habitat, all landscaped with Florida native plants.
“We’re very excited about this year’s tour,” says Melissa Moyroud, conservation chair of the local chapter. “Our last tour in 2020 was for members only. This is the first time we’re opening to the public since 2019. It’s a big to-do.”
One of the highlights on the tour is Jean Sealey Laragh’s five-star garden and habitat in the Village of Golf.
Moyroud says the garden has a gopher tortoise habitat with aquatic, endangered and rare plants as well as nature pathways. All the native plants sustain the gopher tortoise population.
In Delray Beach, visitors will see Jim and Lora McCoy’s garden at 4 NW 16th St. Over the past five years, they have planted and nurtured native plants and trees partly as a way to dampen the sound of leaf blowers. A sign at their gate announces the property as “a wild animal sanctuary and a bird and butterfly friendly landscape.”
Nearby, at 236 Dixie Blvd., Palm Beach County Tax Collector Anne Gannon’s garden is her “backyard paradise.” By planting natives, Gannon says, she uses less water and fertilizer, has fewer bugs and does less maintenance.
Also on the tour is the Delray Beach Historical Society Heritage Garden, located at the 1924 Cason Cottage at 3 NE First St.
Conceived in 2017 as a collaboration between the Historical Society and the Grass River Garden Club, the garden aims to teach the importance of using native plants and of preserving the dwindling green space and natural habitats in the city.
Heritage Garden highlights include a Florida scrub section, a pollinator garden, the Lower Keys, oak hammock, and Dade County pine forest. The garden has wetland plants such as swamp milkweed, a host for monarch butterflies, fragrant water lilies, buttonbush and a pond apple tree (Annona glabra).
“It’s an asset and a green oasis in the midst of downtown Delray Beach,” says Winnie Diggans Edwards, executive director of the Historical Society.
In Boca Raton, the tour features the Clint Oster garden at 845 NE 71st St., billed as “where the sea grapes meet the mangroves,” and Michael Kohner’s garden at 447 SW Eighth Terrace, with laurel oaks and more than 190 species of native plants.
The Oster garden boasts an edible forest of native and Caribbean fruit trees, a tiered pond with wetland plants and trees, and an old sea grape tree trunk giving shade to the back deck.
The Palm Beach County Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society is a not-for-profit dedicated to the preservation, conservation and restoration of native plants and native plant communities of Florida.

If You Go
What: Native Garden Tour hosted by county chapter of Florida Native Plant Society
When: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Nov. 6
Cost: The entrance fee for non-members ($10) can be paid by cash or check at any of the gardens.
Reservations: To visit the Laragh garden, provide your name by Nov. 4 via 561-247-3677 or www.palmbeach.fnpschapters.org.
Learn more: Docents at each property will be available to answer questions. The venues will display plant lists and labels, and native plant literature will be provided.

Visitors set off on a trail at the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee Wildlife Refuge west of Boynton Beach. Coastal Star file photo

By Brian Biggane

You know the feeling. You’ve just polished off Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings — including a thick slice of pumpkin pie — and it’s time to sit back on the couch and watch some football.
Or is it? When you think about the mega-calories your body just consumed and the weight gain that’s almost sure to follow, you might have other ideas. A walk sounds like a pretty good plan.
So, pull on those walking shoes, grab a bottle of water and dress appropriately. If your favorite park allows dogs, grab a leash and bring Fido — and make sure to bring water for him, too.
Here are five suggestions for places to walk off your turkey dinner:

Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge
It’s a drive of 20-30 minutes from the barrier island out to the western expanses of Boynton Beach Boulevard, but for a taste of the Everglades you can’t do much better.
Once you reach State Road 7 (U.S. Route 441), turn left, travel a mile or two and you’ll see the sign just before Bedner’s Market on the right. Drive down to the large parking lot and get ready to hike.
Most of the walks are rated easy, some on boardwalks, and can be done in less than an hour. There’s a lot to see: alligators, bobcats and white-tailed deer, plus a variety of birds such as sandhill cranes, pileated woodpeckers, herons, egrets, wood storks and the federally endangered snail kite. Pet walking is allowed only on the perimeter levee.
The refuge opens daily at 9 a.m., 10216 Lee Road, Boynton Beach. www.fws.gov/refuge/arthur-r-marshall-loxahatchee.

Lantana Nature Preserve
The preserve sits at 440 E. Ocean Blvd., just west of the Carlisle Palm Beach senior residences and a few hundred yards from State Road A1A.
The shady park was reopened by town officials on Feb. 3, 2021, with a new 6-foot-wide concrete trail.
Hurricane Irma left both the 61/2-acre nature preserve and the old pathway in shambles in 2017, and after years of debate on what material to use, the Town Council agreed to replace the washed-away surface with concrete.
The tree canopy is lush enough to provide shade almost throughout the walkway, which cuts through the vegetation for more than a half-mile. The western edge of the path is only yards from a waterway, bringing the possibility of turtles and many migratory birds into view.
There's an attractive gazebo is near the front. The land has only six or seven free parking spots, but the lot rarely fills up.

Open: Sunrise to sunset/www.lantana.org/maps/location/NaturePreserve.

Palm Beach Lake Trail
For people seeking a waterside stroll, this trail offers a 51/2-mile stretch alongside some of the prettiest homes in Palm Beach.
Running from South Lake Drive near Peruvian Avenue to just north of the Sailfish Club, the trail accommodates hundreds of walkers and cyclists every day.
Tall hedges obscure some of the opulent homes and cottages from view, but the Intracoastal Waterway lapping up a few feet away and the yachts tied up at docks keep the views interesting.
Although parking in Palm Beach can be a hassle, streets around the Royal Poinciana Plaza and Flagler Museum — both of which abut the path — have plenty of free spots.
www.thepalmbeaches.com/blogs/walking-biking-palm-beach-lake-trail.

Caloosa Park
The park, less than a 10-minute drive from the Woolbright Road bridge at 1300 SW 35th Ave. in Boynton Beach, is a 64-acre gem run by Palm Beach County. It features something for everyone — from walking paths to tennis and pickleball courts to playgrounds and shaded barbecue spots.
Living a few blocks away, I walked my dog here almost daily for more than 15 years and jogged and biked around the multiuse trails that crisscross the park for miles.
A stocked lake nearly 2,000 feet long offers fishing. An exercise course features 20 stations. The park also has 16 handball/racquetball courts and a lighted roller hockey rink.
www.palmbeachsports.com/facilities/caloosa-park.

Gumbo Limbo Nature Center
While the nature walks are only a small part of all that happens at Gumbo Limbo — the aquariums, sea turtle rehabilitation programs and monitoring of sea turtle nests keep the staff busy daily — the two relatively small trails offer plenty to see in their own right.
Gumbo Limbo is at 1801 N. Ocean Blvd. in Boca Raton, along the west side of A1A between Spanish River Boulevard and Palmetto Park Road.
The half-mile Coastal Hammock trail runs next to the Intracoastal Waterway and a Nature Center spokesman recommended it as a quiet, undeveloped tract that features native plants and mangroves as well as animal life such as raccoons and a variety of crabs.
The quarter-mile Ashley trail includes the Butterfly Garden and a chickee hut.
The trails close at dusk. The Nature Center building is closed Thanksgiving but otherwise is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (It opens at noon Mondays.) Parking is free. Pets are not permitted, but service animals are allowed.
www.gumbolimbo.org.

Students from American Heritage School gather relief supplies for victims of Hurricane Ian. Photo provided

By Janis Fontaine

In a cooperative effort to help Gulf Coast neighbors, B’nai Torah Congregation, Hands on Tzedakah, and Hillel at FAU recruited 35 strong students for a day of cleanup in Naples on Oct. 7, just nine days after Hurricane Ian wove a path of destruction through the area.
The students boarded a bus at dawn and returned, exhausted, after dark. Their focus was two damaged schools — East Naples Middle School and Sunshine Learning Center. In addition to their hands-on effort, B’nai Torah adopted the schools and will provide new uniforms, backpacks, shoes, food and any other essentials their students may need.
Other organizations have found ways to help, as well. Want to join in their efforts? Here are some suggestions.
• Gerald M. Barbarito, bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Palm Beach, announced Sept. 30 that direct assistance is being offered through the diocese Catholic Charities, saying people need financial assistance in addition to prayers. Donations can be made through the diocese Catholic Charities office at www.catholiccharitiesusa.org/?form=Ian.
• Baer’s Furniture is accepting donations at its 15 showrooms in the state, including the store at 999 N. Federal Highway, Boca Raton. For a list of requested items, call 561-391-2012.
• The Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County has an emergency relief fund to provide urgent basic needs, repairs, cleanup and long-term help for victims. To donate, go to JewishPB.org/ianrelief.
• The Ocean Ridge Police Department is collecting donations for first responders and their families on Florida’s southwest coast who were affected by Hurricane Ian. Tarps, T-shirts, socks, underwear, and all the other things public safety people need to go to work are being accepted. So are monetary donations for their families.
Items can be dropped off at Town Hall at 6450 N. Ocean Blvd. The Martin County Sheriff’s Office is sending regular teams to the Fort Myers area and will transport the donated supplies. For more information, call 561-732-2635.
• Believer’s Victory Church is collecting items for Hurricane Ian relief. Donors should deliver their items to the rear of the church and ring the doorbell for drop-off. Hygiene items, nonperishable food and baby food, first-aid kits, water bottles, diapers (baby and adult), Pull-Ups, baby wipes, shovels, yard gloves and large yard bags, and canned dog and cat food are being accepted. The church is at 918 Lakeside Drive, Lake Worth Beach. Call 561-969-9009.  
• Grace Community Church in Boca Raton has a special relief fund for Hurricane Ian. To make a donation, go to www.onrealm.org/graceboca and include “Ian Relief” in the memo. Grace Church is at 600 W. Camino Real. For more information, call 561-395-2811.  
• Palm Beach County Cares has been hard at work since Hurricane Ian struck the Fort Myers area. To help, you can donate or start a collection in your neighborhood. Drop-off locations include three in Delray Beach: Subculture, 123 E. Atlantic Ave.; Honey, 16 E. Atlantic Ave., and Dada, 52 N. Swinton Ave. To donate money, visit www.palmbeachcountycares.com.
• Boca Raton Firefighter & Paramedic Benevolent is accepting monetary donations for Hurricane Ian relief at bocacares.org.

Other ways to help
• Volunteer: Volunteer Florida has a website, at www.VolunteerFlorida.org, that serves as a clearinghouse for groups looking for volunteers.
• Give blood: OneBlood services more than 250 hospitals. When disaster strikes, it tries to ensure enough blood supplies are available at hospitals near disaster sites. The greatest need is for O- and O+ blood donors. To find a Big Red Bus blood drive or a donor center near you, visit OneBlood.org.
• Donate groceries: Publix Super Markets Charities lets you donate any amount to the American Red Cross for Ian relief. You can make a donation in the checkout line with your purchases.
• Help pets: To find out about organizations providing relief to pets displaced by Hurricanes Fiona and Ian, check out the Paws Up for Pets column.

The Coast Guard offers publications aimed at youngsters. Photo provided

By Janis Fontaine

For kids who are regularly out on the water, it’s important to learn how to be safe on a boat.
The U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary offers classes to youths as young as 11 years old.
Boating has always been popular for South Floridians, but during the pandemic boating boomed. Families turned to boating as a coronavirus-safe activity parents could share with their children. The demand drove up prices and caused shortages of both boats and dock space.
In March 2022, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission announced Florida had passed the 1 million mark for registered recreational vessels. Minnesota, with about 900,000 boats, is a distant second nationally.
But with more boats come more boat accidents.
An accident is an accident, but what bothers Flotilla Cmdr. Phil Petito and staff officer Stuart Oliver, both volunteers at the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 3-6 in Spanish River Park, is that many of these accidents are preventable.
According to the FWC, there were 79 boating fatalities in Florida in 2020, up 16% from 2019 and the highest total since 2011.
Where cause of death was known, 81% of fatal boating accident victims drowned. Of those drowning victims, 83% were not wearing life jackets. Experts estimate 1 in 4 boating accident victims is younger than age 20, and 1 in 10 boating fatalities is a person younger than 20.
Since Jan. 1, 2010, anyone born after Jan. 1, 1988, must obtain a Boater Education Identification Card issued by the FWC to operate a motorboat (including a personal watercraft) of 10 horsepower or greater. To get a card, the individual must successfully complete an approved boating safety course.
But the quality of courses varies widely, and research has shown that the online class isn’t much better than getting no training at all.
According to the same FWC report, where instruction was known, 75% of deaths occurred on boats where the operator did not receive boating safety instruction. Only 16% of deaths occurred on vessels where the operator had received a nationally approved boating safety education certificate.
When experts analyzed factors contributing to the accidents, operator inattention was No. 1 and operator inexperience was No. 2.
These statistics are nothing new to the Coast Guard Auxiliary. Petito recommends a class called “Suddenly in Command” for anyone, including teenagers, who loves boating, but never expects to end up at the helm.
“I made my wife take it,” Petito said.
The class is designed so an inexperienced person can step in during an emergency. It’s natural to think about who will fly the plane if the pilot has a heart attack, but what if the captain of your vessel is incapacitated? Would you know how to call for help? How to get the boat back to safety? Where the emergency equipment is located?
Classes for kids are low-cost, thanks to grants from businesses that subsidize the costs for young people, said Andrea Rutherfoord, the Flotilla 3-6 human resources director. Community support and donations for more classes would be welcomed.
That teenage group can benefit most from one of the boating classes the auxiliary offers. Access to a boat or personal watercraft comes with responsibilities. It is necessary to have basic equipment on board, and knowledge of rules for navigating among other boats.
One thing that’s not required, but perhaps should be, Petito said, is the Emergency Position-Indicating Radio Beacon — EPIRB for short. It costs about $500. A small personal locator beacon is available for $300-$400. These devices connect to a satellite to announce your location to rescue authorities if you’re ever lost.

Members of Flotilla 3-6 on the water: (l-r) Sandy Goldberg, Jane Sabbagh, Phil Petito, Jeff Barnes (at helm), Stuart Oliver (far right.) Photo provided

78 volunteers in the auxiliary
Flotilla 3-6 has 78 members who volunteer their time “to support the operation of the Coast Guard, promote and improve recreational boating safety, and provide trained crews and facilities to enhance the safety and security of U.S. ports, waterways and coastal regions.”
To join, members must be 17 or older and U.S. citizens. They must become members of the Coast Guard Auxiliary Association Inc., which requires the successful completion of the application, passing a new members exam and a clean background check.
Oliver and Petito stress that boating safety also means teaching kids about marine wildlife and plant life like manatees and sea grasses, which are collateral victims of busy waterways.
Manatee-vs.-boat accidents are part of the problem, but so are habitat destruction and garbage and litter, especially plastics.
Oliver and Petito have friendly, helpful demeanors that serve them well as boaters’ allies on the water.
They know their way around a boat and performing safety checks is one of their primary responsibilities. From bow to stern, they look for the right equipment in the right place, and ensure it is in good working condition. From life jackets to fire extinguishers to running lights, they’ll check your boat, make suggestions and answer your questions. It’s not an annoying chore to them. And it’s free.
Any boater who tells you there’s no such thing as a bad day on the water is exaggerating. It doesn’t take long for things to go downhill. Freak thunderstorms. Rogue waves. Floating debris.
A safety check and a solid bit of knowledge can be the difference between a good memory and a bad one.

Oliver is scheduled to teach an 8-hour class on Dec. 3 at Spanish River Park. Cost is $5 for teens. For more information on classes, visit wow.uscgaux.info/peclass.php?unit=085-03-06.

With a triple lot of 1.25 acres, this estate stretches across 264 feet of prime water frontage. It has three docks that will accommodate up to a 35-foot vessel. Photos provided

Resplendent in design and livability, this estate with a total of 10,250 total square feet was created by architect/builder Roger Janssen. Offering a mix of neutral stone and wood flooring throughout, the residence has seven bedrooms (two master suites) and nine full and one half baths. A striking, curved staircase leads you to the second level, where tranquility awaits in the upstairs master suite. Lush, green treetops sway outside the series of French doors that open to the private balcony overlooking the Intracoastal Waterway.

A spacious living room greets you with its gas fireplace flanked by stylish, backlit built-ins that are duplicated on the back side of the wall in the media/family room.

The main home experienced a complete renovation in 2019, which included a new guest house addition complete with impact glass. The main house and guest house are reinforced with full house generators.
Further ease of living is abundant with features such as central vacuum and Sonos sound system throughout. Additional details include five air-conditioners under 5 years old and two mini split-A/C’s in each garage.

With two stories of endless French doors, this home offers the ultimate in indoor-outdoor lifestyles.

Once you step outside into the meticulously manicured grounds, designed by famed landscape architect Mario Nievera, you will be overwhelmed by the views. The gas-heated pool overlooks the Intracoastal. A covered loggia stretches across the full rear of the home, and the side façade has a convenient outdoor shower.

Offered at $14,950,000. Steven Presson, The Corcoran Group, 561-843-6057 or steven.presson@corcoran.com

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

Expect frequent train horns and longer traffic delays the rest of this month as Brightline upgrades track and signal systems at railroad crossings in Boca Raton in preparation for the Brightline Boca Raton station.

Beginning Monday, Oct. 17, flaggers will be present at the crossings listed below and drivers can expect additional wait times, the railway said.

Horns will sound — even in quiet zones — for all trains including Brightline passenger trains and freight trains.

This is in adherence to the federal regulation that states train horns must be sounded if workers are present or work is occurring in or near the right of way.

Brightline is reminding the public, pedestrians, motorists and cyclists to never stop on the tracks and to not drive around crossing gates.

 
Daily flagging operations and signal system work, 2 a.m. to 2 p.m., Monday, Oct. 17 to Friday, Oct. 21.

• NW 20^th Street
• Glades Road
• NW/NE 2^nd Street
• Palmetto Park Road
• Camino Real

 Continuous flagging operations and signal system work, 2 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 23 to 2 p.m. Friday, Oct. 28.

• Yamato Road
• 40^th Street (Spanish River Blvd.)
• NW 28^th Street
• NW 20^th Street
• Glades Road
• NW/NE 2^nd Street
• Palmetto Park Road
• Camino Real

By Mary Hladky

At long last, the way has been cleared for a long-sought performing arts complex to be built in the downtown.

The Boca Raton City Council cast two critical votes on Oct. 12 in favor of a resolution and an ordinance that authorizes the lease of city-owned land in Mizner Park to the Center for Arts and Innovation.

The action culminates two years of negotiations between the city and a consortium of cultural arts organizations to hammer out terms of a deal that specifies the center’s and the city’s obligations and leases the land at the north end of Mizner Park to the center for 74 years, with two 10-year renewals.

The council approved both by a 4-1 vote, with Mayor Scott Singer dissenting.

Singer said he remained concerned about the project’s cost. He had asked for updated estimates in August that took inflation into account. The revised costs that center officials provided in September boosted the price tag to $115.4 million, a 30% increase.

But he voiced his concerns again on Oct. 12, asking if city staff had analyzed the new figures. Deputy City Manager George Brown said he had done a cursory inspection which showed the increases seemed reasonable.

Singer said he would have preferred that the city hire an outside expert to conduct a detailed review.

Yet he stressed that he supported the project and would encourage donors to come forward.

“Let me be a champion and cheerleader as we all are,” he said. “I want to help you get there.”

With the votes in, the audience cheered and offered sustained applause.

The cost of building the performing arts complex and maintaining it will be borne by the center. The approval of the land lease, center officials have said, will give assurance to potential donors that the center can be built so that fundraising can begin in earnest. 

If they fail to raise enough money, the deal can be terminated.

A major sticking point emerged in August when the council was first scheduled to vote. Center officials wanted the city to be liable for actual damages if it was found to be in default of agreements the two parties had reached.

Their demand arose out of concerns that a future city council might terminate the lease, as happened in Delray Beach last year when that city’s commission ended the lease of Old School Square. 

Boca Raton officials refused, saying that would expose the city to great liability.

Under a compromise, if the city seeks to end the lease, it will provide center officials with a 30-day notice, giving them time to go to court and seek a preliminary injunction that would halt the action. The city would not object to a request for an expedited court hearing.

The proposed cultural complex would feature the latest features in theater design and innovation with the intention of reinvigorating Mizner Park and fulfilling its original mission to be Boca Raton’s cultural hub.

The complex could accommodate 6,000 people in all its venues. They will include a complete renovation of the city’s beloved amphitheater, construction of a new performing arts center, jewel box theater, rooftop terrace, outdoor performing arts spaces and a garage.

Trappers contracted by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission work to secure an alligator that showed up in the surf at the Delray Beach public beach near Vista Del Mar Drive on Oct. 12. Photos 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 — one for alligators.

An alligator was spotted in the surf off Delray Beach near Vista Del Mar Drive in the morning of Oct.12. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said it dispatched a nuisance alligator trapper to the area, which 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.”

After being hauled out of the water, tied and muzzled, the alligator waits for its ride. It was taken alive to a farm, FWC spokeswoman Arielle Callender said.

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 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.