By Jane Smith

The Delray Beach Community Redevelopment Agency is demanding the return of $187,500 it gave to the former operators of the Old School Square campus that is the cultural heart of the city’s downtown.
The CRA board, composed of the five city commissioners and two independent residents in the redevelopment district, also voted March 22 to cancel the rest of the agreement that would have given the fired arts organization another $562,500.
The board voted 6-0 to accept the staff recommendations. Board member Adam Frankel did not vote, having left the meeting about 30 minutes earlier.
The CRA said the nonprofit, formally known as the Old School Square Center for the Arts, failed to meet a March 10 deadline to provide financial documents, such as canceled checks, for the money it received for the first quarter of the 2020-21 budget year.
“In response to the CRA’s recent decision to retroactively void its grant agreement … and ask OSSCA to return money that has already been spent on CRA-approved programming, the CRA is forcing OSSCA to enter into litigation with the CRA,” wrote Carli Brinkman, the group’s spokeswoman, in a March 24 email to The Coastal Star.
The nonprofit already filed suit against the city in November and the two have been at odds for more than eight years.
Former Mayor Cary Glickstein tried to constrain the group in December 2016 with a tighter lease that included financial reporting obligations. After the group could not fulfill those obligations the past two years, the City Commission voted 3-2 in August to terminate its lease as of Feb. 9. The organization had been paying the city $1 annually for the 4-acre campus at Atlantic and Swinton avenues.
The former Old School Square operators had received more than $9 million from the CRA in the past 18 years, ranking them first among nonprofits receiving CRA assistance. For that money, the CRA requires nonprofits to undergo annual independent audits.
The Old School Square group did not submit audits for the past two budget years, using the pandemic as an excuse, while other nonprofits were able to meet the requirement.
Marko Cerenko, an attorney representing the former operators, wrote in a March 14 response to the CRA that the nonprofit “has timely and continuously responded to the requests made of it.” He estimated the CRA’s public records request would cost between $750 and $1,500 for the time needed to retrieve the documents, redact personal information and copy the records. The CRA staff deemed the cost too high.
No OSSCA representative spoke at the March 22 CRA meeting, despite an invitation from CRA outside counsel Sanaz Alempour.
Patty Jones, the OSSCA board chairwoman, did write a March 21 email to CRA Executive Director Renee Jadusingh, calling the city’s decision to terminate the lease “improper.” She said the CRA’s failure to talk with the board led to the diminishing size of the organization.
“We have no office, no program of work and no employees,” Jones wrote. “We have provided reams of documents, but the agency has consistently and predictably moved the bar.”
Delray Beach Mayor Shelly Petrolia at the March 22 meeting called Jones’ comments “incendiary,” denying any impropriety.
As to the failure to talk with the former operators, Petrolia said, “That’s what happens when you file a lawsuit. Our attorney said not to talk with them after their lawsuit was filed in November.”
She also bristled about Jones’ describing the Old School Square campus as sitting dark. “The city stepped up and made sure things were happening” after OSSCA “started canceling the events in October,” she said.
While Jones lamented that the city was negotiating “to hand the keys to the heartbeat of our community to a Boca Raton-based nonprofit,” Petrolia said she has visited the Boca Raton Museum of Art and was impressed. That museum is negotiating with Delray City Manager Terrence Moore to run Old School Square’s Cornell Art Museum.
In other OSSCA news, the organization filed its amended lawsuit against the city and three officials on March 1.
Joy Howell, an ex-board OSSCA chairwoman, and Shannon Eadon, former OSSCA executive director, were dropped as defendants. City Commissioner Juli Casale was dropped in January after her attorney filed a motion for attorney’s fees if she wins.
The current lawsuit has 10 counts against the city, including breach of the lease with the former Old School Square operators and two counts each against Petrolia, Vice Mayor Shirley Johnson and City Attorney Lynn Gelin for violations of the Sunshine Law and civil conspiracy to end the lease. The organization is seeking a jury trial to assess damages. According to its lease with the city, disputes are supposed to be settled by arbitration.

The stand of mangroves (outlined in red) that the town wants to acquire and rezone from residential single-family to preservation/conservation could ensure no residential development would occur in an area that is always flooded. Graphic provided

By Joe Capozzi

Ocean Ridge commissioners plan to vote on whether to spend $2 million to acquire roughly 9 acres in a mangrove-filled lagoon north of Town Hall. 
If commissioners approve the purchase on April 4, the town plans to rezone the 8.95-acre tract from “residential single-family” to “preservation/conservation’’ as part of a long-term plan to possibly open the area for recreation, Town Manager Tracey Stevens said in a March 7 memo. 
Palm Beach County and Spanish Creek LLC have already applied to the town for the same zoning change on land they own immediately south and east of the land the town wants to buy for $1.999 million from the William Priest Family Trust. 
Purchasing and rezoning the 8.95 acres would create an expanded area “to preserve the precious mangrove areas and related marine habitats and resources,’’ and offer potential savings to town residents through improved flood ratings, Stevens said. 
Her memo doesn’t mention the fact that the acreage borders a 3.3-acre sliver to the east owned by Waterfront ICW Properties, a company that’s been fighting the town and nearby condos in court over its plans to build a road and residential homes in the lagoon.
The town has been under contract with the Priest Family Trust since Feb. 22, with a 60-day due diligence period allowing the town to receive two appraisals, as required by state law.
Stevens said she expected the appraisals to be done before the April 4 Town Commission meeting. If the appraisals come in under the $1.999 million price, the purchase can move forward only with a supermajority vote of the Town Commission. If the appraisals meet or exceed the asking price, a simple majority would be needed to approve the purchase.
Commissioners plan to vote on the purchase April 4 after hearing comments from the public.  
“We are delighted to purchase this property and work with the county to make sure the area is completely rezoned for conservation,’’ Mayor Kristine de Haseth said of the potential opportunity. “We would hope that one day in the future that residents might have the ability to access the property for recreation.’’
If the land buy is approved, the commission will need to do a budget amendment April 4 to take the money out of the reserve fund.
According to realtor.com, the same land was relisted for $1,595,000 on July 22, 2021, a month after it had been listed for $1,999,000. The owner raised the asking price to $1,999,000 in a new listing Feb. 4, 2022.
On Feb. 10, the town submitted an offer that met the asking price, but that was rejected because the seller had accepted another offer, which was later withdrawn during the due diligence period, paving the way for the town to submit its offer again, Stevens said. 
Although the seller had other “competing offers on the table,’’ the town’s offer was accepted Feb. 22, Stevens said. 
 Though the 8.95 acres is in a lagoon off the Intracoastal Waterway, research by town staff shows the land has been zoned for residential use since at least 1975, Stevens said.  
In other town business:
• The salary ranges for Ocean Ridge police officers and sergeants will rise under a new three-year police union contract approved by the Town Commission on March 7. 
The range from officers will change to $54,500 to $94,000 from the previous $54,500 to $86,500. For sergeants, the new range is $72,000 to $104,000, from the previous $67,500 to $97,500. 
The new contract goes from Oct. 1, 2021, to Sept. 30, 2024.
• The commission approved $115,000 in improvements at Town Hall: $70,000 to replace the audiovisual system in the commission chambers and $45,000 to paint Town Hall. 
• A “Save the Seas” event hosted by the Ocean Ridge Garden Club is scheduled from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on April 2 at Town Hall and will include a beach cleanup.

By Larry Barszewski

Because of all the poles, stakes and cones being put out for construction projects or just to keep vehicles off swales in front of homes, Manalapan Mayor Keith Waters said streets in town are “starting to look like a slalom course.”
“You’ll have houses three or four down that have nothing to do with the construction and they just put them up all over in front of their houses,” Waters said.
To get a handle on these “parking encroachments,” town commissioners tentatively approved new restrictions March 22 for where such markers are allowed and for how long they can be up. A final vote is expected following an April 26 public hearing.
“The recent proliferation of construction markers, flags and parking cones, and concrete anti-parking stops throughout the town has become a growing concern as it negatively impacts both the free flow of vehicular traffic, and aesthetics of the neighborhoods,” a town report on the situation says.
“The stakes are everywhere, they’re all the way down the street,” Town Manager Linda Stumpf told commissioners during a discussion at the commission’s February meeting.
If approved, the new ordinance will prohibit any parking cones from being placed at the front of driveways or in swales, and will prohibit the dome- or pyramid-shaped concrete stops residents put in their swales or along the front of their property.
Commissioner Chauncey Johnstone said the concrete anti-parking stops can also pose a danger to motorists trying to avoid a turning vehicle or an obstacle in the road.
Under the proposed ordinance, which in part applies to “construction markers, flags, reflector rods,” such markers would be allowed only on the property undergoing construction, the immediately adjacent properties and the properties directly across the street from those residences.
The construction would have to be tied to an active and valid building permit issued by the town and the markers would have to be at least 3 feet away from each other.
In addition, the parking of heavy construction equipment in swales would be prohibited, although light construction vehicles could be parked in swales at a construction site with prior town approval.
The markers at a construction site — and not at adjacent properties — would be allowed for up to 30 days following the issuance of a certificate of occupancy.
Commissioner Richard Granara spoke in favor of also allowing protections for residents with newly installed landscaping. “Some of them are trying to get their swale to take,” Granara said.
The proposed ordinance now says a property that undergoes a town-approved landscaping installation — or landscaping modifications — may have markers for up to 30 days following the installation to protect the newly planted vegetation.
In other action at the March 22 meeting, commissioners:
• Appointed Commissioner Stewart Satter as vice mayor and Granara as mayor pro tem.
• Appointed departing Commissioner Simone Bonutti to an alternate position on the town’s Architectural Commission.
• Tentatively approved an ordinance that gives the code enforcement special magistrate the authority to consider all requests to lower a fine or code enforcement lien on a property. Currently, only the commission has the authority to lower the assessments. A final vote is scheduled for the commission’s April 26 meeting.

By Larry Barszewski

The Town Commission has appointed Aileen Carlucci, a Manalapan resident for little more than a year, to replace term-limited Commissioner Simone Bonutti.
Town Manager Linda Stumpf recruited Carlucci for the position, saying Bonutti had suggested to her that Carlucci might make a good addition to the board.
No one filed to run for Bonutti’s Seat 4, so the election scheduled for March never happened and it fell to town commissioners to appoint someone to fill the vacancy for the two-year term at their March 22 meeting.
“I reached out to her and she said, yes, she was very interested,” Stumpf said.
Stumpf also contacted another resident who had expressed an interest in the past, but he was not available to serve now, she said.
It can be a challenge to keep the seven-member commission vacancy-free.
There hasn’t been a commission election in town since 2011, Stumpf said. Either candidates have run unopposed or it has been left to commissioners to appoint someone to a vacant seat.
There are only about 400 people in town and about half are only part-time residents who aren’t Florida voters, Stumpf said. The seat held by Bonutti had to be filled by someone living along the ocean, making the task even more difficult.
“There’s not a very big pool to choose from,” Stumpf said.
But the opportunity was great for Carlucci, who has never held elective office before but was looking for ways to be active in her new hometown.
“I am very interested in being a part of this beautiful community I live in,” said Carlucci, 63. She moved to Florida from Maryland about three years ago, and then to Manalapan in December 2020.
“We initially moved to Delray to see if we could acclimate to Florida and be a family here,” she said. “We started to look for a forever home and we identified Manalapan as the place we wanted to be.”
Carlucci and her husband, Bob, purchased an ocean-to-Intracoastal Waterway property in town. They were attracted by that dual access and the instant membership town residents have in La Coquille Club at the Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa, she said.
“It would allow us to be quickly involved in the community,” Carlucci said. “We moved to the community during the pandemic, which made it very difficult to meet new people.”
Originally from New York City and a graduate of SUNY Potsdam, also known then as Potsdam College, Carlucci said she has always been interested in the arts.
“I do a lot of needlework and sewing, a lot of creative crafts,” she said. Carlucci said she helped found Yumi CARES in Baltimore with Yumi Hogan, wife of Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan.
Carlucci serves on the board of directors of the organization, which provides art therapy for children facing health challenges such as cancer.
She previously served on the Maryland State Arts Council.
Her husband is a developer and restaurant franchisee, she said. Although Carlucci said she helps at her husband’s business, she adds, “I am the happiest woman alive to be a homemaker.”
The couple has two married children.

Correction: A previous version of this story had an incorrect date for the last contested election in town. That last election was in 2011.

Boynton Beach police secure the accident scene at Riverwalk Plaza the day of the construction-related deaths. Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

By Tao Woolfe

Boynton Beach and federal work-site safety inspectors are continuing their investigation into the March 22 deaths of two workers at a construction site near downtown.
Initial reports just after the mid-morning incident were that a crane had collapsed and fallen on the two men. Later that day, however, Boynton Beach police and fire officials reported that part of the concrete structure had collapsed, crushing the two workers.
The men were later identified by police as Jeremias Mendez, 32, and Eduardo Cruz-Moran, 25, both of West Palm Beach.
The men had been part of the crew working on construction of the 10-story luxury apartment and retail complex at Riverwalk Plaza along the Intracoastal Waterway on Woolbright Road.
Construction was expected to be completed next year. All construction work on the job site stopped the day of the accident, but workers were back on the job by March 26. A spokesman with the developer, Isram Realty, later said he had no comment on whether construction would continue unabated. A duty officer at the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration in Plantation confirmed on March 22 that OSHA had been called in and is investigating.
Although he would not speak about the particulars of the Boynton Beach incident, he did say that such investigations can take up to six months and involve site visits, reviewing the companies’ safety and health documentation, and conducting interviews with employees and company officials.
Based on that information, OSHA will determine whether to deem the site hazardous or not.
The Boynton Beach Police Department, in conjunction with the Palm Beach County Medical Examiner’s Office, is conducting the death investigations, according to a Police Department news release.
Riverwalk Plaza sits at the southwestern base of the Woolbright Road bridge in Boynton Beach.
Hallandale Beach-based Isram Realty paid $9.5 million in 2011 for the 10-acre plaza, after the Winn-Dixie grocery store left the plaza in January 2015, then sought land-use and zoning changes for a 10-story apartment complex.
Before it was approved by the City Commission in 2017, residents objected to the height and mass of the proposed structure.
The building — with 326 units and 41,976 square feet of retail space — was approved in January 2017. Construction at the adjoining mall began in 2018. Tower construction began in 2021.

Judge David Fina swears Kem Mason into office on the Lantana Town Council on March 28, while Mason’s life partner, Kay Abbott, holds the Bible. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Mary Thurwachter

Incumbent Lynn “Doc” Moorhouse and newcomer Kem Mason claimed their seats on the Lantana Town Council during the March 28 council meeting — but it took voters two trips to the polls to get them there.
Runoff elections became necessary when no candidate in either contest received a majority of the vote on March 8.
Moorhouse, a retired dentist who has been on the council since 2004, reclaimed his Group 1 seat during the March 22 runoff with 595 votes (59.26%) compared to John Raymer’s 409 (40.74%). Raymer, a 21-year Army veteran, manager of Ace Rental Place and a political newcomer, survived a March 11 recount where he bested a third candidate, Joe Farrell, a commercial flooring distributor, by just 5 votes to make the runoff.
In the Group 2 runoff, Mason, a retired firefighter and the town’s volunteer Santa, pulled in 607 votes (59.05%) compared to Media Beverly’s 421 (40.95%). Beverly, a Hypoluxo Island resident, is a retired business manager and longtime council watcher. A third candidate, former council member Ed Shropshire, was eliminated after collecting the fewest votes of the three.
David Fina, a judge for the Third Judicial Circuit of Florida in Suwannee County and a longtime friend of Mason’s, swore in both men.
“I want to thank everyone who supported me — and those who didn’t support me — for getting out and voting,” Moorhouse said. “I will do my very best to be the spokesperson for the people that live in Lantana.”

Campaign flyer controversy
At the council meeting, Moorhouse came under criticism for a controversial flyer he sent out days before the runoff that depicted former Mayor Dave Stewart as “The Godfather” pulling the strings of Raymer, council member Mark Zeitler and Erik Kip, a Vietnam veteran and one of the administrators of I’m a Fan of Lantana, FL — a Facebook group quite vocal leading up to the election.
The flyer even put words in Stewart’s mouth, showing him saying, “I’m so mad I’m not mayor anymore.”
Ilona Balfour, the wife of retiring Vice Mayor Malcolm Balfour, said “the friendly little fishing village” she and her husband moved to 50 years ago had sunk to a new low with the flyer she held in her hand. She said it “was filled with accusations, innuendo and nastiness and not always the total truth.”
In victory, Mason said being on the council represented a natural progression to his years of volunteer work and said he hoped to be the kind of public servant the late Colin Powell encouraged people to be. “I want to thank you for your support,” he said to his followers.
Moorhouse and Mason collected — and spent — the most money of the six candidates, according to their campaign finance reports. As of March 18, Moorhouse raised $19,305 and spent $6,250.32. Mason raised $18,435 and spent $15,209.86.
Their runoff opponents didn’t even seek cash contributions. Raymer asked for prayers. Beverly turned down donations and self-financed her campaign, saying she did not want to owe anyone anything. Her team members, she said, were “boots on the ground” going door to door for votes.

Sign stealer a surprise
A large portion of Moorhouse’s and Mason’s campaign spending went to campaign signs and some of them went missing. Police investigated the disappearance of all the candidates’ signs on Lantana Road during the wee hours of Feb. 23 — but found the culprit was a landscaper who had no interest in local politics.
Police Chief Sean Scheller said officers tracked down the sign stealer, who drove a pickup truck, after they were able to see his license plate number on a video recording. The landscaper from west of town collected the signs, repainted them and used them to promote his business, the chief said.
“No charges were brought,” Scheller said. But the three candidates who filed complaints — Moorhouse, Mason and Shropshire — received a small amount of cash in compensation from the landscaper.

Library update
In other news, the council learned remodeling work on the library has yet to restart after construction halted in December, when it was discovered that the main contractor, Sierra Construction Management & Remodeling of Weston, was operating without a license.
The town planned to transfer the job to a subcontractor, Multitech Corp., but that company has been unable to provide the necessary documents to be a viable vendor for the town, according to Town Manager Brian Raducci.
Raducci said staff is talking to West Construction of Lantana to finish the job. West was the second-lowest bidder when the contract was awarded in July. West bid $883,932, compared to Sierra’s $723,200.
Between the higher bid price, increased prices for materials and supply chain issues, the change in contractors will be costly, Raducci warned.
Eager to see the project completed, Mayor Robert Hagerty asked Raducci to be sure to get a timeline from any new contractor.
The library has been at 205 W. Ocean Ave. since the early 1990s. Before that, it was housed in the former bridge tender’s house on Ocean Avenue since 1947. The Recreation Center at 418 S. Dixie Highway is the library’s temporary home.
Once the renovation is complete, the Ocean Avenue library will have ADA-compliant restrooms, a centralized circulation desk, special spaces for children and teens and a community center for adult activities.
Joel Cortes, the assistant director of public works whose duties included overseeing vendor contracts, was placed on administrative leave in mid-January and resigned March 3. Human Resources assistant director Myila Young would not say if Cortes’ departure had anything to do with the library contract verification oversight.

Educational events at Gumbo Limbo Nature Center are back after COVID-19 precautions kept the center closed to the public for two years. Archelon, a 25-year-old loggerhead turtle, was released in front of a crowd of more than 100 on March 1 at Spanish River Park in Boca Raton. She had been treated at Gumbo Limbo since her December rescue near the Port St. Lucie FPL plant. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star BELOW RIGHT: Tracks from a loggerhead, our most common nesting turtle. Mary Kate Leming/The Coastal Star

As nesting season starts again, public gets better chance to enjoy with reopening of Gumbo Limbo

By Larry Keller

As surely as monarch butterflies migrate to Mexico and sandhill cranes to Nebraska, sea turtles arrive annually on Florida beaches to nest. Once again they have begun to return in South County, after traveling hundreds, even thousands of miles.
Sea turtle nesting season is from March 1 to Oct. 31. The first nest spotted on a Boca Raton beach this year was Feb. 22, a leatherback’s.
“That was only the fourth time in the last 20 years that we had a February nest,” said David Anderson, sea turtle conservation coordinator at Gumbo Limbo Nature Center. Anderson and his team survey Boca Raton’s 5 miles of beaches and record nesting data every year.
Five species of marine turtles nest in Florida, but only three — leatherbacks, loggerheads and greens — typically come ashore on South County beaches. All five species are listed as endangered or threatened and protected under the Endangered Species Act.
The first to arrive are leatherbacks. They nest on South County beaches in far smaller numbers than on beaches farther north. Only 21 nests were located by Gumbo Limbo in Boca Raton last year, yet that was above average. In contrast, there were 647 loggerhead nests and 190 green sea turtle nests.
Sea Turtle Adventures tracks nests on 3 miles of beaches in Briny Breezes, Gulf Stream and part of Ocean Ridge. Its volunteers counted 24 leatherback nests last year — a record number.
Loggerheads are particularly partial to Palm Beach County beaches. In fact, they dug more nests here than in any other Florida county in 2020, according to Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation data — 29,465 nests to 26,991 at runner-up Brevard County. No other county was close.
Florida’s east coast beaches are far more popular nesting sites than those on the west coast, accounting for 88% of the 133,472 nests tabulated in 2020.
Female marine turtles nest every two to three years, digging holes on beaches at night and depositing 80 to 120 eggs, which they cover with sand. Hatchlings incubate for two months before emerging — mostly after dark — and scurrying to the ocean. Some, however, die first of dehydration. And predators such as raccoons, birds and crabs pluck eggs and hatchlings from the sand.
For those that reach the water, the challenges have just begun. They will attempt to swim out 10 miles or farther on the ocean’s surface to reach shelter in the sargassum seaweed.
“They’re snack-size for so many fish that look up and see the silhouette of a baby turtle,” Anderson said. “Not to mention birds from the sky that see them.”
Add to that the plastic and other pollution, boat strikes, disease, gill nets and other hindrances and you see why only about 1 in 1,000 sea turtles survives to adulthood.

Eisa Alam, of Lake Worth Beach, is helped by his family members and veterinarian Dr. Maria Chadam as he treats a plastic model hawksbill while learning how real turtles are treated at Gumbo Limbo’s rehabilitation facility. Honey is an effective antibacterial. This was part of the center’s Sea Turtle Day on March 12. Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

Beachgoers can help nesting sea turtles and their offspring have a better chance to succeed.
If you see a sea turtle nesting, quietly remain behind her and observe from a distance. If she’s frightened, she may return to the ocean without covering her eggs completely.
Don’t leave unfilled holes or beach furniture, sand castles and other impediments on the sand. Nesting turtles can become stuck in furniture, or more often, turn around without making a nest. These false crawls commonly exceed the number of nests.
“We get a turtle stuck in beach furniture almost every summer,” Anderson said.
Do not disturb nests. You can spot them by the stakes and signs marking their presence.
Don’t use flashlights, cellphones, flash photography or other light sources at night on turtle nesting beaches. Lights can disturb turtles and result in false crawls. If you come upon hatchlings emerging from a nest, watch them from a distance, taking care not to disorient them.
Many Florida coastal communities have ordinances regulating lighting by oceanfront properties. Compliance is crucial to hatchlings’ survival. Newborns instinctively head toward the brightest direction, usually the light on the open horizon. If they follow lights from beachfront condos and other buildings, they likely will die.
Allow hatchlings to go to the ocean on their own. If you see one that appears injured or is on a beach during the day, don’t place it in the water. Instead, put it in a container with damp sand on the bottom — not water — and place it in the cooler labeled “Hatchling Drop-Off” outside the front door at Gumbo Limbo.
Even people who monitor beaches for nests every year have no way of knowing whether it will be a boom or bust season for any particular species.
“It will be impossible to predict,” Anderson said. “We’ve got all our equipment maintained and we’re ready for whatever happens.”

By Jane Smith

Veterans Park visitors have access to more benches where they can sit and view the Intracoastal Waterway now that Delray Beach has replaced ones that were rotting away and closed off to the public for two years.
Four corroded benches were replaced with temporary metal ones in mid-March, city spokeswoman Gina Carter said.
The four had been surrounded by wooden dune fencing for nearly two years, initially to stop the public from using them while COVID restrictions were in place.
In March 2020, the city had closed all facilities, including parks, following county orders to pass restrictions against gathering, Parks and Recreation Director Sam Metott said on March 25.
“Soon we were getting phone calls that people were still using the parks and sitting on the benches,” he said. All six benches in Veterans Park were then enclosed in the dune fencing on March 30, 2020, to prevent people from sitting on them, according to Metott.
When the city lifted the restrictions in its parks a few months later, four of the six benches in the park were found to be corroded and not usable. The four remained enclosed in the dune fencing.
Last August, the City Commission approved using part of its recreation funds to beautify Veterans Park in the summer of 2022. The $150,000 project will cover the benches, gazebo and trellises, according to an email from Carter.
The new benches will be made of concrete, according to Carter. They already are ordered, but their delivery is subject to supply chain issues caused by the pandemic.
Veterans Park has had limited access to the public the past 18 months because of the nearby Atlantic Crossing development construction.
Northeast First Street, between Northeast Sixth and Northeast Seventh avenues, was closed periodically during the first phase of construction. The road surface remains torn up from the heavy construction vehicles traveling on it.

Ellie Hart loves the access to the ocean from her South Palm Beach condo, but her real passion is teaching the Mental Health First Aid course as a volunteer at the Alpert Jewish Family Services Center in West Palm Beach. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

Citing statistics showing 1 in 5 Americans suffers from some form of mental illness in their lifetime, President Joe Biden said in March’s State of the Union address that it’s time we put mental fitness on a par with physical fitness.
Ellie Hart of South Palm Beach not only concurs with that message, but she’s been teaching it for some time.
After a lengthy career in the Social Security Administration, Hart, 74, was directing another program at the Alpert Jewish Family Services Center in West Palm Beach when she heard about Mental Health First Aid, which is described as CPR for mental health.
“I went to the director and said, ‘I’d like to teach this course, will you let me do it?’” Hart said. “They agreed to send me to training and I became one of 88 instructors throughout Palm Beach County who teach Mental Health First Aid.
“I’m the only volunteer who teaches this,” she added. “The others are paid employees who also have other responsibilities.”
One eye-opener in her education was the pervasiveness of mental illness, as reflected in the 1-in-5 statistic.
“It can be depression, it can be anxiety, it can be bipolar. And in many cases, it takes 10 years from the onset until they get help. Ten years, that’s a decade of suffering.
“Had I known 40 years ago what I know today about the signs and symptoms of somebody who may have been having a mental health challenge, or substance abuse disorder challenge, my life may have been very different.”
Control issues led to a divorce from her first husband, whereupon she found “the love of my life” with her second.
His death in 2010 prompted Hart to get more involved with the Alpert Jewish center, first as an AmeriCorps volunteer, then as director of its Music and Memory program, which offers individualized playlists to clients suffering from memory loss. She also serves as a volunteer reader to two classes at Roosevelt Elementary, a Title 1 school in West Palm Beach.
But her main focus has become MHFA.
“We don’t diagnose,” said Hart, the stepmother of three. “We just listen nonjudgmentally, we train people how to do that, and what the signs and symptoms are, so they can get a referral to professionals.”
Hart recently taught the course to people at The Breakers in Palm Beach, working first with management and more recently with the golf shop employees, engineers, plumbers, kitchen help and so on. Due to their busy schedules, she streamlined what is normally an eight-hour course into two hours and called it “Mental Health Is Everyone’s Business.”
“I see this becoming as common as CPR; it’s like CPR for mental health,” she said. “Raise people’s awareness so they can get help early on and get rid of the stigma.
“It’s not dissimilar from LGBTQ; it was in the closet for many years and now it’s out in the open. So, we’re trying to do that. Years ago, if you had a friend who had serious mental illness you would never talk about it. So, it’s changing.”

— Brian Biggane

Q: Where did you grow up and go to school? How do you think that has influenced you?
A: I grew up in Baltimore, Maryland, and went to school there. I attended Emory University for the first two years of college and graduated with a B.A. from Goucher College in Towson, Maryland. At the time Goucher was an all-girls school. It became co-ed. The influence was a good education, enabling me to be articulate, interested in the community and the world.

Q: What professions have you worked in? What professional accomplishments are you most proud of?
A: I worked for the Social Security Administration for about 31 years and was able to retire early. In the course of my career, I had several different and challenging positions, from working in a field office to becoming a program analyst to becoming a systems analyst. My greatest satisfaction was working on a very early “expert system” involving the assignment of Social Security numbers.
After the death of my husband, Jerry Hart, in 2010, when I moved to Florida full time, my brother gave me some good advice: You’re too young to be retired, find something to do, paid or unpaid. So, I went to Alpert Jewish Family Services offering my services two days a week. I learned the organization’s programs, became an AmeriCorps volunteer, and did outreach to veterans.
Through someone I met at a lecture, I had the opportunity to accompany a female veteran on an Honor Flight to Washington. Very thrilling.
The service as an AmeriCorps volunteer introduced me to a new community of people (mostly veterans) and gave me a genuine appreciation of their service to America.
I developed and still run a small Music and Memory program that provides personalized playlists for clients of Alpert JFS who are isolated and/or have memory issues.
Two years ago, I became a certified instructor for the Mental Health First Aid program coordinated countywide by Alpert JFS. I have found my calling. I am most proud to be able to do this.

Q: What advice do you have for a young person seeking a career today?
A: Be flexible, exceed expectations, and make your boss look good.

Q: How did you choose to make your home in South Palm Beach?
A: My parents were seasonal residents from 1979 to 1998. After my father died and my mother chose not to return seasonally, my husband and I began using the condo in 1998, and we bought our own place in the same building, which we loved.

Q: What is your favorite part about living in South Palm Beach?
A: The height limit of all the buildings, the access to the beach and the ocean, the convenience of the location, and the beauty along South Ocean Boulevard.

Q: What book are you reading now?
A: The Midnight Library by Matt Haig.

Q: What music do you listen to when you want to relax? When you want to be inspired?
A: I don’t need music to relax or inspire me, but I like classical music and ’50s and ’60s music.

Q: Have you had mentors in your life? Individuals who have inspired your life decisions?
A: I had two mentors at different places of employment.
The first was Hilda Hicks, who was a Social Security Administration field office manager back in the early ’70s. She had great faith in me. She taught me some of the techniques involved in changing roles from a position as claims representative to a supervisor.
She was a Black woman who had trained as a claims representative in a field office in Atlanta in the mid-’60s. She told me how they were in a hotel and the wait staff would put the tray in front of the door to her room. They would not allow her into the dining room. She was just a larger-than-life individual. She shared that experience with me, and it made a big impression on me.
The other was the CEO of Alpert Family Services, Jenni Frumer. When my husband died, I went and told her I wanted something to do that was worthwhile. I went with my résumé, and she said, spend a year with me, learn the organization, and I’ll find something for you to do. So, she had faith that I had enough skills that she would be able to make use of them. She was just a really great guide.

Q: If your life story were to be made into a movie, who would play you?
A: Olivia de Havilland; she was smart, elegant and beautiful.

Q: Who/what makes you laugh?
A: A good joke, preferably clean. I really don’t like off-color humor.

Flooding during autumnal high tides and major rainstorms in December 2021 created nearly impassable standing water on North Atlantic Drive in Hypoluxo Island. Photo provided

By Mary Thurwachter

In its effort to mitigate flooding on Hypoluxo Island — a community long plagued with swamping during intense rainfall and king tides — the Lantana Town Council agreed to spend $33,314 for an engineering study to come up with possible solutions.
Eddie Crockett, the town’s director of operations, told the council at its March 14 meeting that staff met with residents and engineers from Baxter & Woodman and “determined that a study of various drainage areas was prudent.”
The study would wrap up the needs for the entire Hypoluxo Island, Crockett said. Staff “recently completed the analysis of Southeast Atlantic Drive and this one will take care of Lagoon and Barefoot Lanes, Beach Curve, North Atlantic Drive and portions of South Atlantic Drive,” he said.
But some island residents said they hadn’t heard of the meeting with staff and engineers.
“You didn’t mention South Atlantic Drive where I am and we do have flooding down there occasionally,” said longtime council-watcher Media Beverly, who lost a runoff election for a Town Council seat the following week. “I was just wondering which residents you all spoke with or if there was a meeting with everyone who is familiar with Hypoluxo Island.”
Crockett said he didn’t have a list of names of residents who attended the meeting, but that there were representatives from the Hypoluxo Island Property Owners Association.
After the meeting, Beverly gave Town Manager Brian Raducci a letter saying most of the property owners affected by flooding on the island were not notified or invited to participate in the meeting. She asked that the town not proceed with the contract until all island residents were given an opportunity to participate in a meeting, so that they “can have a voice about ongoing flooding issues of all areas on the island prone to flooding.”
The council at the March 14 meeting also approved an expenditure of $37,072 to Baxter & Woodman to do a state-required 20-year stormwater and wastewater needs analysis. The first analysis is due to Palm Beach County for compilation and reporting by June 30.
Crockett said the analysis would begin soon.
Beverly said the mandate for the analysis came last July and wondered why it had taken eight months to engage Baxter & Woodman to do it.
She also asked how much funding, from Rebuild Florida or other grants, the town had applied for and received for both the flooding study and the stormwater and wastewater analysis.
“Under Rebuild Florida last year alone, West Palm Beach received $450,000 to prepare resiliency updates to city plans, data mapping and community outreach,” Beverly said.
“Miami got $2 million to develop a mitigation plan for community stakeholders and to mitigate assessment on critical facilities. And, last but not least, in February of this year, Lake Park got $11 million to retrofit their existing drainage system to mitigate current flooding.
“And Boynton Beach got $16.5 million to make drainage, utilities and roadway improvements to mitigate recurring flooding in Sandcastle neighborhood, which is just south of Sea Pines,” another area in Lantana known to have flooding problems.
Raducci said he wasn’t aware that the town had applied for any such grants in the past, but staff and engineers had, in recent weeks, met with a grant writer to look at all town projects “so we could see what projects would be most eligible for such funding as was mentioned.”
Crockett said the town has money in its 2022 budget to handle the expenses of the analysis and the study.
“We’ll be coming back to the council in the very near future with our recommendations on how to approach the flooding,” Crockett said, but not in time for the budget process. “But we will have some preliminary estimates.”
Implementation of the plans for flooding and stormwater and wastewater needs could take several years and “would be very expensive,” Crockett said.

One of Lantana’s 10 water production wells tested positive for fecal coliform (E. coli) bacteria on March 13, according to a public notice.
The presence of E. coli bacteria indicates the well may have been contaminated with human or animal waste.
After the positive test, the well was taken out of service and isolated, and then was chlorinated and flushed. There are no steps the public has to take because the water is safe, said Eddie Crockett, the town’s director of operations.
“The well is a pretreatment water source,” he said. “The water from each well goes to the treatment plant where it is processed and dispensed town-wide.”
Crockett said the town tests its distribution system monthly and none of its samples has tested positive for total coliform or fecal coliform.
“We have not had any positive distribution sample for all of 2022,” he said.
“There is no way we can tell when we are going to have a positive test for bacteria, but it is not uncommon,” said Crockett. “Residents are notified via the town website and local newspaper.” 
The Palm Beach County Health Department was informed within 24 hours of the positive test.
The water test is not related to yellow water, Crockett said. “That has many causes which must be vetted on an individual basis.”
Residents with questions about the quality of their water may call 561-540-5760.

— Mary Thurwachter

A hand-size hole in the parking garage. Photo provided

By Joe Capozzi

A South Palm Beach condo has been cited for code violations related to an eroding sea wall, including holes that allow ocean water to spray into the ground-floor parking garage during rough seas, town records show.
The homeowners association of the Dune Deck, a six-story condo built in 1980 at 3610 S. Ocean Blvd., had been told by private engineers since at least 2018 that the sea wall is in need of repair, a resident said in an email March 5 to the town manager. 
“Because of their negligence to take action, the continuous deterioration is now at the point of being a safety hazard putting the building and its occupants at risk,’’ the resident, Leslie Yellin, said. “Parts of the wall have started to crumble, created holes that allow seawater to spray inside during rough seas.’’
Town code officials confirmed the resident’s concerns a few days later on a visit to the garage. One photograph shows a hole roughly the size of a hand. Dune Deck officials have hired an engineer and contractor to make the repairs, but the work can’t start until this fall after the end of sea turtle nesting season, Alan Haenel, president of the Dune Deck’s board of directors, said at a special magistrate’s hearing March 17. 
Special Magistrate Amity Barnard gave the Dune Deck one month to send the town a letter from the Department of Environmental Protection confirming that no work can be done until Oct. 31, the end of nesting season.
“Because it has been determined to be structurally unsafe, I want something from DEP saying that even though it has been deemed structurally unsafe that you’re still not permitted to do the work,’’ Town Attorney Aleksandr Boksner told Dune Deck officials.
In remarks to the magistrate, Haenel suggested the failure to make the repairs sooner was the fault of a previous condo board. 
“This board is going to be very proactive on the building and maintenance as well, so we never have to appear here again. But we do acknowledge there is a problem,’’ he said. 
In an interview after the meeting, Haenel said he personally has watched sea turtles hatch on the beach immediately outside the sea wall, which is why he’s confident the DEP will not allow the work to start until this fall. 
He also said the condo engineers have assured him that residents in the building are not in danger.
In other town business: 
• On March 15, the Town Council approved on first reading a new ordinance aimed at protecting pedestrians on sidewalks and other walkways that are temporarily blocked by construction vehicles. 
Companies whose work will obstruct walkways will each be required to obtain a permit. The permit will be issued on the condition that companies hire an off-duty law enforcement officer or certified flagman to keep pedestrians safe from nearby vehicular traffic. 
Penalties for violating the ordinance are $250 for the first offense and $500 for subsequent offenses. 
Council member Bill LeRoy proposed the measure because of safety concerns when pedestrians are forced to walk along the shoulder of State Road A1A.  
• Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Deputy David Hull, who patrols South Palm Beach, was recognized for being named the town’s 2021 Deputy of the Year.

Top vote-getter Monte Berendes follows a long-standing town tradition and is sworn into office by U.S. District Court Judge Daniel T. K. Hurley. Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

By Joe Capozzi

Mayor Bonnie Fischer and council members Bill LeRoy and Monte Berendes were sworn in March 15 by U.S. District Court Judge Daniel T. K. Hurley, a former resident of South Palm Beach. 
Fischer was automatically re-elected when she didn’t draw an opponent for the March 8 election. 
Newcomer Berendes (31% of the vote) and incumbent LeRoy (29.8%) won election by finishing first and second, respectively, in a field of four candidates. 
Berendes replaced incumbent Mark Weissman, who finished with 21.2%, followed by newcomer Cindy Furino at 17.7%. Votes were cast by 630 of the town’s 1,347 registered voters. 
After the swearing-in ceremony, LeRoy was appointed vice mayor by the Town Council. Weissman did not attend the meeting, even though the agenda called for the attendance of the previous council before the ceremony.
Later in the meeting, LeRoy asked the town attorney to look into creating an ordinance prohibiting non-town residents from campaigning outside the Town Hall voting precinct.
On election day, LeRoy said, at least four members of the Police Benevolent Association showed up at Town Hall with plans to campaign for him and Weissman.
He said they initially wore PBA shirts before pulling on Weissman campaign T-shirts. LeRoy said a PBA representative contacted him the night before about their plans to campaign on his behalf but he told them not to. 
“I said, ‘No, you’re not. It’s not your job,’’’ LeRoy said at the March 15 Town Council meeting. “I don’t want strangers coming in here and campaigning for me. I told them right then and there, ‘You are not supporting me. I won’t be part of this.’’’
Outside Town Hall just after 7 a.m. on election day, LeRoy said a PBA representative “asked me if I wanted them to wear my shirt or their shirt. I said, ‘I don’t want you to wear either.’’’
LeRoy said he asked one man wearing a Weissman shirt where he lived. “He said North Palm Beach. I said, ‘Why are you here?’ He said, ‘To support Dave.’’’ 
The man then corrected himself and said he meant to say Weissman, LeRoy said.  
Seeing that LeRoy was getting angry about their presence, LeRoy said, the man tried to calm LeRoy by pointing out that they’d campaigned in Wellington the day before.
‘‘This town should decide who runs this town, not outsiders,’’ LeRoy told the council. “I think we should have an ordinance, only for local elections: If you don’t live here, you shouldn’t be campaigning here.’’’ 
Town Attorney Aleksandr Boksner said he’d look into the legality of creating such an ordinance but warned the council: “We are very, very limited at the local government regarding what is constitutionally protected speech.’’
In an interview after the meeting, LeRoy said he has no desire to fight the police union, which endorsed him and Weissman. “If you don’t live here, you shouldn’t be campaigning here.’’

By Larry Barszewski

Don’t expect a downtown medley of shops, restaurants, apartments and offices that is planned for city-owned land along the west side of Federal Highway in Boynton Beach to rise anytime soon.
Even if Affiliated Development’s proposal for the property between Ocean Avenue and Boynton Beach Boulevard proceeded on the company’s schedule, it could still be as long as nine years before the first shovel of dirt is turned. The project mix also includes a public parking garage and open space to attract downtown visitors.
It’s not even certain that Affiliated, which was selected in November, will get to do the job. The company had been picked by city commissioners, who were serving in their role as the Community Redevelopment Agency’s board of directors. The CRA owns the property.
Now, what company is awarded the project — and the fate of the project itself — is in the hands of a newly reorganized commission that has two new faces on it following the city’s March elections. A third new member will be appointed by the new commission to fill a vacant seat and finish the term.
Former Mayor Steven Grant worked to nail down an agreement with Affiliated for its $73 million development proposal before he left office, but that effort ran into tough resistance at his final CRA meeting on March 9. After hours of attempting to cram through negotiations at the meeting, other commissioners decided more time was needed.
Departing Commissioner Christina Romelus asked commissioners to ditch Affiliated and go instead with Related Urban, the second-ranked applicant that had offered to make a portion of its apartments be affordable workforce housing in perpetuity. She called the last-minute bartering between the CRA and Affiliated President Jeff Burns at the meeting “highly inappropriate.”
CRA attorney Tara Duhy acknowledged the unusual nature of the all-out push to get the deal done.
“To be clear, obviously we’ve made some changes, to the extent the board wishes to approve this tonight,” Duhy said. “In normal circumstances, I would recommend that we bring it back to you for final approval. We’re going to go through all of these and I will have to do a final legal, technical review because we have been working at Mach speed to get this before you tonight.”
In the end, it was the two commissioners who are remaining — Woodrow Hay and commissioner-turned-Mayor Ty Penserga — who forced a middle ground. Departing Commissioner Justin Katz was absent.
Penserga and Hay did not support Romelus’ request to cut ties with Affiliated or Grant’s rush to finalize a deal with the company. They agreed to have CRA and city staff spend more time negotiating with Affiliated.
That decision came after City Manager Lori LaVerriere, who does not usually participate at CRA meetings, joined the discussion virtually to say more time was needed.
“I just ask that you give it time and don’t negotiate from the public dais. That’s not the way to do that,” LaVerriere said after commissioners had spent three hours doing just that. “And to provide some further input to staff to let us continue to weigh in and see if this is a workable deal.”
Some of the major project elements discussed at the meeting included:
• Affiliated offered 118 of its 236 apartments as workforce housing for 15 years using income-eligibility guidelines, with 11 of those units kept as workforce housing in perpetuity. Commissioners wanted more workforce housing apartments to be kept that way forever, as Related had offered to do with 63 of the 213 units it proposed building.
• Affiliated said it needed to keep all of the increased tax revenue its project produces for a 15-year period as a subsidy to make the workforce housing portion feasible. Commissioners said that was too much and would provide the CRA with no additional money during those years to support other projects. By the end of the night, Burns proposed receiving only 95% of the increased tax revenues annually, and only to an $8 million maximum over the 15 years.
• Affiliated originally wanted the city to pay for and take ownership of the parking garage, which would include 150 public spaces and 423 private ones. Officials did not support that idea. Instead of reimbursing the CRA $5.5 million for the land, as Affiliated initially planned, the company proposed dropping the price of the land to $100 and treating the $5.5 million it would have spent as the city’s purchase price for the public parking spaces. It would be up to the city to decide whether to charge the public to use the spaces or offer them for free.
• Affiliated plans to move Hurricane Alley Raw Bar & Restaurant from its Ocean Avenue location to a new home at the north end of the project, along Boynton Beach Boulevard next to the Florida East Coast Railway tracks. The developer said there may be a lag between when the restaurant would have to vacate its current location and when it could open at its new site.
A major difference between the Affiliated and Related proposals is that Related did not include the current century-old Ocean Avenue buildings, including Hurricane Alley’s home, as part of its project. Instead, it planned to contribute money to help restore them, which also would allow Hurricane Alley to continue business uninterrupted.
Resident David Katz told commissioners that saving those buildings, previously owned by the Oyer family, which has historical roots in the city, was a reason he thought the CRA should go with Related.
“For that reason alone, this developer should not be chosen. To tear that down is, well, maybe not a crime, but it’s a shame,” Katz said.
Related has said it could “restore these important buildings back to life as vibrant landmarks, maintaining the existing commercial fabric of historic Ocean Avenue.”
Grant said the buildings, for which the CRA paid $3.6 million in December to include in the project site, were an impediment. He said the Oyer building “is in gross need of repair but, it’s too gross. It’s something where there’s a reason why it was never historically designated.”
He lamented that the agreement with Affiliated was not accomplished under his leadership.
“It’s very weird for me to have another project on the doorstep of the CRA, and then all of a sudden, it kind of gets pulled back. It reminds me of the Cottage District, where one of the board members felt that they had better options and now it’s vacant and we have no idea what’s going to happen with the 4 acres,” Grant said.
“For the board to say, ‘You know what, Chair, we don’t really want you to make this decision; it’s better for the next people to make these decisions,’ after you’ve been here for six years. It hurts a little and I’ll let you know that.”
• In other action at the March 9 meeting, commissioners approved an agreement with restaurateur Anthony Barber, subject to final legal review and the CRA’s receiving outstanding financial documents, to purchase and turn the historic Magnuson House on Ocean Avenue into a restaurant that will use corrugated steel shipping containers for kitchen, restroom and storage space. Barber anticipates construction will take about 18 months.

By Tao Woolfe

Thomas Turkin, the final candidate to emerge victorious from Boynton Beach’s complicated March elections, would like to see the city strictly enforce a moratorium on tall buildings.
The newly elected city commissioner for District 3 said that as an animal lover and environmentalist, he believes towering structures — especially those near the coast — interfere with birds’ migratory patterns and nesting areas.
“I think development is great, but it needs to be effective,” Turkin said, adding that smaller buildings make cities friendlier.
“I don’t want to see our city turn into Fort Lauderdale,” he said, adding that Delray Beach seems to have an effective formula. “Although Delray has a lot of development, it doesn’t have many tall buildings.”
Turkin, who got about 53% of the vote in a runoff election on March 22 against Marit Hedeen, manages veterinary hospitals and animal care businesses, he said. He is also a U.S. Navy reservist.
The new commissioner said in a telephone interview that public safety is his top concern and that he would like to immediately see what he can do about slowing down speeding traffic and, if possible, increasing police presence.
Three of the five commissioners had to leave their posts because of term limits: Mayor Steven Grant, Justin Katz and Christina Romelus.
With the election of Angela Cruz to the District 1 seat in the March 8 municipal election, only Mayor-elect Ty Penserga and Woodrow Hay are holdover members.
One of the new commission’s first tasks will be naming a commissioner to fill the District 4 seat that Penserga vacated. That term runs until March 2023. Commissioners will announce the opening and likely discuss filling the seat at their April 5 meeting.
Penserga, who won his new seat with about 57% of the vote on March 8, will be Boynton Beach’s first openly gay mayor.
Penserga, who previously served as vice mayor, campaigned on a promise to bring affordable housing and revitalization to the city.
“As mayor, my priorities will include enhancing public safety through technology, promoting workforce housing, creating high-paying jobs, reducing taxes, creating a vibrant and exciting downtown, revitalizing the Boynton Beach Mall, and ensuring all parts of our city benefit from our shared success,” he said in his campaign posts.
Penserga is a scientist, educator and lifelong Florida resident.
Cruz, who got more than 62% of the votes cast in District 1, has served on the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency advisory board, as well as the senior advisory board. The longtime Boynton Beach homeowner has also served as a volunteer for Palm Beach County nonprofits, according to her campaign literature.
Hay, the District 2 commissioner and new vice mayor, said he would continue the hard work the commission has begun.
“We will be working on the distribution of ARPA funding. That’s a huge undertaking,” he said, referring to the American Rescue Plan Act. “There are also a lot of development projects going on that I’m very excited about.”
Hay was elected in 2020 after previously serving two terms on the commission, including a stint as mayor. He was first elected in 2007 and re-elected in 2011. Born and raised in Delray Beach, Hay has also served on the Boynton Beach Housing Authority and the city’s planning and development board.
He also serves as an associate minister at St. John Missionary Baptist Church in Boynton Beach.
Hay said he hopes to work well with the new commissioners and promises to be patient with them. “I remember when I was new,” he said. “The other commissioners and the staff were very patient. We have wonderful people working for the city.”
Departing Mayor Grant said he enjoyed his time in city office and wishes the new mayor and commission well.
His advice for the new mayor? “Try to say ‘yes’ as often as you can,” he said with a smile.

GULF STREAM — Shirley Coulter Cleveland, 86, of Gulf Stream, Florida, and formerly of Houston, Texas, passed away suddenly on March 6, 2022. There are a lot of trios now looking for a fourth for bridge.
A blonde-haired, blue-eyed beauty, Shirley was born in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, on August 29, 1935. After finishing high school in Michigan, Shirley spent a year thawing out at Florida Southern College in Lakeland, Florida. Apparently a year was enough and Shirley returned to finish her education at Michigan State University, where she was a member of Delta Zeta Sorority. While at Michigan State she met her first husband, Roger, the father of her three wonderful children, Scott, Kim, and Kerry.
When Shirley met the light and love of her life, Al Cleveland, the adventure truly began. He was her knight in shining armor, and if you found an old card from her to him (which we did) you would have seen that she wrote in it to Al “You Are My Life.” And he was.
The first priority for Shirley and Al was creating an “outstanding” blended family. Stepchildren Coree, Christine, Bob, and Jim joined Shirley’s three. We know that they are happy with their success in this family venture as they see us sitting here collectively writing this remembrance as a family of seven loving siblings.
Shirley and Al’s 25 years together were filled to the brim with tennis, travel, and all manner of family celebrations: college graduations, 60th/70th/80th birthday festivities, holidays and beyond. Wherever and whenever, what was important to Shirley was together time with family. She loved the water, from Cherry Beach, to backyard pools, to the Gulf of Mexico (navigating the Houston Ship Channel with Al in their post-retirement boat the “New Life”), to cruising the world together.
Shirley was devastated in 2004 by Al’s passing. In the years since then Shirley lived an active, full, happy life surrounded by family and dear friends who were blessed by her presence. She enjoyed playing the slot machines in Las Vegas and weekly Friday game nights. After she relocated from Houston to Florida to be closer to family, Shirley’s days were filled with playing cards (especially bridge), shopping, reading (highlights include World War II books and, most recently, books on Navy SEAL Team Six including Fearless and Black Hawk Down), meals with friends, watching movies, visits to out-of-state family, college football, and March Madness. The hours spent watching her twin grandsons play tennis were highlighted when their coach mistakenly thought she was their aunt, not their grandmother.
Shirley was gracious, warm, easygoing, considerate, fun-loving, lively, young at heart, and always up for an adventure. She was incredibly chic, customarily wearing vibrant colors that reflected her perpetually sunny disposition. Her answer to every question that began with “Do you want to …” was “Yes!” She made everyone around her feel important. And she really loved mashed potatoes.
Shirley was greatly loved and will be missed by her seven children and 13 grandchildren. She was the best of mothers to Scott Miller of Houston, Texas; Kimberly Miller of Houston, Texas; Kerry (Chris) Metz of Boynton Beach, Florida; Corinne (Dave) Henderson of Vienna, Virginia; Christine (Dan) Ewell of Boerne, Texas; James (Debbie) Cleveland of Wilmington, Delaware; and Robert (Donna) Cleveland of Vineland, New Jersey. She is also survived by her brother Doug (Sheila) Coulter of Newport Beach, California.
She was Grandma and Grandma Shirley to Kylie (Zack) McDonald, Matthew C. Metz, Thomas Coulter Metz, Tyler L. Henderson, Anna Elise Henderson, Katherine E. Ewell, Grace V. Ewell, Charles A. Ewell, Victoria A. Cleveland, Ryan B. Cleveland, Calysta G. Cleveland and daughter Aspen, Collin L. Cleveland, and Caulten E. Cleveland.
Her family will celebrate her life privately at Memorial Oaks Cemetery in Houston, Texas. The family would be honored if you choose to make a donation to the charity of your choice in her honor.

— Obituary submitted by the family

BRINY BREEZES — Patricia M. Barnes, the valentine of her mulitgenerational family, died Feb. 14 after a two-month illness. She was 103.
Born Tressa May Gorham on May 25, 1918, she and her twin brother, Charles, were among the eight children of Tressa and Charles Gorham of White Cloud, Michigan.
Tressa grew up on the family farm and attended a one-room schoolhouse through the eighth grade. At the age of 15 she dropped out of school, left the farm and started working as a maid and nanny in Grand Rapids. 
Since the lady of the house was also named Tressa, she was asked to use another name while in their employment. She chose the name Patricia from the popular song by that name — and was known as Patricia ever after.
In 1936 she married Judd Barnes. They moved to Lansing, where she devoted her life to raising her four children. 
In 1964 the couple traveled down to Briny Breezes and fell in love with the community.
They spent their retirement years wintering in Briny and in summers motor-homing around the U.S. and Canada until Judd died in 1978.
Some years later Mrs. Barnes married Matt Otey. They shared 21 years together before his death. Mrs. Barnes was a resident of Briny for 58 years. She was active in the craft, bridge and euchre clubs and enjoyed her weekly golf outings, walks on the beach, dancing and bicycling. Pat will be remembered for her great wit, kind soul, a bright smile and her homemade doughnuts and pies.
What a wonderful life. Mrs. Barnes leaves behind a legacy of four children, 10 grandchildren, 18 great-grandchildren and 10 great-great-grandchildren. On May 25, 2018, the entire family along with many close friends came together to celebrate Pat’s 100th birthday at Briny’s clubhouse. 
The family would like to give special thanks to Teresa Shelton for her four years of service as caregiver and her around-the-clock care in Mrs. Barnes’ last days.

— Obituary submitted by the family

Whole Foods plans to open a store as part of a development called the Boynton Beach Marketplace at Boynton Beach Boulevard and Hagen Ranch Road. Rendering provided

By Christine Davis

Good news for Whole Foods fans in Boynton Beach. A store will soon be available closer to home.
SJC Ventures, a grocery-anchored retail and multifamily development firm based in Atlanta, recently signed a new lease with Whole Foods Market, which will be in the Boynton Beach Marketplace, 7499 W. Boynton Beach Blvd.
Other expected tenants once the center is complete include sit-down restaurants, fast casual eateries, service establishments and boutique fitness options.
“This will be a fantastic addition to the Boynton Beach area and we are thrilled to bring a tenant such as Whole Foods Market to the community,” said Jeff Garrison, principal at SJC Ventures. “Our firm seeks to find regional sites that fit the demographic of specialty grocery stores like Whole Foods Market, and Boynton Beach certainly matches that.”
An opening date has not been announced.

***

South Florida-based real estate investment management group Grover Corlew announced that it has acquired the Palmetto Park City Center office building, 120 E. Palmetto Park Road in Boca Raton, for $25.2 million.
The sale was recorded on March 9. Palmetto Park City Center is adjacent to another commercial property, the Bank of America Tower, which Grover Corlew acquired in July 2021.
“We have been making continuous investments in Boca Raton since 2016, when we originally purchased 1499 W. Palmetto Park Road and subsequently purchased the adjacent 1489 building,” partner Mark Corlew said in a news release. “Our headquarters are here, and we’re raising our children here. We see these two properties as an ideal opportunity to invest in our hometown.”
Partner Anuj Grover added: “This is a strategic move for us as we continue to set our sights on underrealized areas of South Florida.” 
A Cushman & Wakefield team led by Dominic Montazemi and Scott O’Donnell brokered the latest transaction. According to public records, $21.85 million in financing for the deal was provided by Wells Fargo Bank.

***

California-based Brickstar Capital bought Spanish River Plaza, 500 NE Spanish River Blvd., Boca Raton, in a transaction totaling $12.6 million recorded Feb. 25. The seller, Chart Organization, a real estate investment and management company based in Lynbrook, New York, paid $8.1 million for the two-building plaza in 2015.
Mark M. Rubin and Bastian Laggerbauer of Colliers | South Florida Investment Services Team represented both sides in the deal.
Brickstar’s intent was to buy the plaza “as an investment, re-tenant it 100%, and when the time is right, reposition the site as a redevelopment opportunity,” Laggerbauer said.
Sited on 4.5 acres, the buildings were completed in 1974. Spanish River Plaza is 14% vacant, according to Laggerbauer, who added that tenants include Ascend Properties, IntensityX3 Fitness & Kickboxing, Mane Coffee and Dunetz Wellness Center.

***

The Delray Beach Housing Authority, partnering with Smith & Henzy Advisory Group, received approval from the Site Plan Review and Appearance Board for their Island Cove project. It includes 60 affordable-housing buildings and a clubhouse.
The site, which has been vacant for more than 10 years, is between Southwest Eighth and 10th streets and Southwest 12th and 13th avenues.
The Delray Beach Community Redevelopment Agency is contributing $1 million, in the form of a grant, toward the $27 million project.
“Rents for the 40 two-bedroom/two-bathroom and 20 three-bedroom/two-bathroom apartments are expected to range between $500 and $1,800 a month,” said Shirley Erazo, CEO of the Housing Authority.
“The units in Island Cove will be set aside for residents earning between 30% to 80% of the area median income. This phase of the redevelopment will focus on community heroes: firefighters, teachers, law enforcement officers, nurses and other members of the essential workforce.” 

***

Here’s some big (as in price and size) news in single-family home sales:
Paul Saunders, founder of the Virginia-based James River Capital Corp., and his wife, Victoria Saunders, paid $34.7 million for the oceanfront estate at 2445 S. Ocean Blvd., Highland Beach. The sale, recorded Feb. 22, represented a record high price for the town.
The home was owned by the late Mark Hamister, who had paid $12.5 million for the property in 2014.
The 16,582-square-foot house, situated on 1.1 acres, has seven bedrooms, a 14-car garage and 120 feet of beach frontage, according to realtor.com. Features include a full wing guest suite, screening room and a club room wing with a six-bay auto museum.
The property was listed for $42 million in November 2021. Joseph Liguori, Carmen D’Angelo Jr. and Gerard Liguori of Premier Estate Properties represented Hamister’s estate in the recent deal. Marcy Javor of Signature One Luxury Estates represented the Saunderses.
Gerard Liguori said an estate at 3715 S. Ocean previously held the record for Highland Beach. Public records show that it sold for $29.5 million in late 2021.  
“We’ve just returned from a conference, and there’s a sense of uncertainty with inflation and the stock market, and what’s happening in Ukraine, and people are going into hard assets such as real estate,” Gerard Liguori said.

***

Speaking of Premier Estate Properties, the firm has represented properties exclusively in excess of $1 million for 28 years, and it has paid off. The 2021 rankings by T3 Sixty Almanac, an independent report that analyzes and quantifies top real estate companies in the United States, put Premier Estate Properties No. 1 for highest sales volume per agent, No. 2 as the brokerage achieving the highest sales price, and No. 225 among the Mega 1,000 top brokerages.
Additionally, Premier garnered $4.9 billion in sales and new listings over 12 months, all with only 42 agents. 
“The reason we earn market dominance year after year is that our agents function as trusted advisers to our high-net-worth clientele,” says Gerard Liguori, one of the broker/owners at Premier. “We have the in-depth knowledge of these communities and of the market to enable us to skillfully tailor the buying or selling experience to each client’s needs.”

***

3545 North Ocean Trust, managed by Palm Beach attorney Guy Rabideau, bought the 14,000-square-foot mansion at 3545 N. Ocean Blvd., Gulf Stream, for $33 million in a sale recorded March 3. Built in 1958, the five-bedroom mansion rests on a 1.96-acre lot with 230 feet of ocean frontage. The seller of the property, Gulf Stream Ocean Properties FL, is a Florida limited liability company managed by Gary Clinton Scheier, who paid $14.25 million for the property in 2018.
Candace and Phillip Friis, agents with the Corcoran Group, represented the buyer and seller, according to realtor.com. The property was listed for $34 million one day prior to the sale.

***

Lang Realty, through its community outreach arm Lang Cares, is leading a month-long diaper drive in April to benefit several South Florida charities through The Diaper Bank, Covering South Florida.
Diapers can be dropped off at these Lang offices in South County: 4400 N. Federal Highway, Suite 100, Boca Raton; 9858 Clint Moore Rd., Suite C-124, Boca Raton; 2901 Clint Moore Rd., Suite 9, Boca Raton; 8855 Boynton Beach Blvd., Suite 340, Boynton Beach; 3700 Clubhouse Lane, Boynton Beach; 900 E. Atlantic Avenue, Suite 16B, Delray Beach.
Donate via Amazon at https://smile.amazon.com/registries/custom/3GK2RJJINGME/guest-view.

***

The Boynton Beach City Library has received a grant of $93,084 that will fund “Technology Training for Entrepreneurs and Career Advancement.”
This grant is funded under provisions of the American Rescue Plan Act from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
The money will be used for a mobile laptop cart with 24 laptops, a printer, a projector and a full-time professional trainer to teach classes for library cardholders.
Classes cover topics such as basic computer literacy, Microsoft Office products, Adobe Photoshop Elements, QuickBooks, creating art with software, job-interview preparation, and résumés.
Classes are posted on www.boynton-beach.org/city-library in the Library Program Calendar. For more information or questions about obtaining a card, call 561-742-6390.

***

The Schmidt Boca Raton History Museum hosts “The Future Began Here/The Future is Here,” a talk about the Boca Raton Innovation Campus, which will be held at the museum at 6 p.m. April 7.
What began as a location for IBM’s research and development is now a 1.7 million-square-foot office park known as the Boca Raton Innovation Campus, home to 18 national and 19 regional office tenants with up to 6,000 employees. Boca-based CP Group acquired the office park in 2018.
As part of the program, CP Group managing partner Angelo Bianco will share IBM anecdotes as well as the firm’s progress toward transforming BRiC with amenities that include a food hall, STEAM lab, and presentation space.
Before and after the session, attendees can visit the museum’s IBM Gallery. The cost is free for museum members and $10 for nonmembers. To RSVP, email office@bocahistory.org or call 561-395-6766, ext. 100. The museum is at 71 N. Federal Highway.

***

The YMCA of South Palm Beach County’s drowning prevention program was chosen by the USA Swimming Foundation to receive $4,000 in grant money toward providing free or reduced-cost swim lessons. The foundation vetted more than 250 applications and chose 102 youth and 40 adult programs to receive funding. For more information, visit www.ymcaspbc.org.

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

Crowds are expected to return by the thousands for the Delray Affair as it resumes along Atlantic Avenue. Photos provided

After a 2-year hiatus, the Delray Affair is returning — and so are the gladiolus bulbs

By Rich Pollack

For the thousands of people who have made an annual pilgrimage to Atlantic Avenue for three days each spring, the Delray Affair is more than just a street festival.
It is a tradition — one that evolved from a flower festival with parades and beauty queens — and one that has endured for six decades.
After a two-year pandemic-related hiccup, the Delray Affair is returning to the Avenue April 8 through 10, bringing with it a few of the icons that have defined the event for 60 years.
Once again this year, there will be entertainment, a kids zone and yes, conch fritters, a staple of the event. More than 500 booths of artists and crafters as well as vendors with a wide array of items for sale will line the streets along 12 city blocks.
To celebrate the gala’s 60th anniversary, there will be a ’60s theme, with some participants dressing in ’60s attire, and, of course, plenty to eat and drink.
More than anything else, however, there will be tradition.
“There’s something in all of us that likes to hang on to tradition and the Delray Affair is probably the first and oldest tradition that still exists in Delray,” said Nancy Stewart, whose Festival Management Group produces the event for the Greater Delray Beach Chamber of Commerce.
For many, the return of the Delray Affair means a chance to gather with friends and family for a yearly visit and perhaps run into acquaintances they might not have seen since the last festival.
“The Delray Affair was founded to help the business community but has grown to become a beloved event that brings the community together,” said Stephanie Immelman, the chamber’s CEO. “We need that now more than ever.”
It is that sense of community that brings artists like Deborah LaFogg Docherty — a Delray Beach resident who paints wildlife images — back every year. “The Delray Affair is like coming home to family and friends,” says LaFogg Docherty, who has been a regular at the show for at least 30 years. “It gives you that warm feeling that this is where you belong.”
This year, the Delray Beach Historical Society will give visitors a chance to stroll down memory lane via photos from Delray Beach’s Gladiola Festival, a precursor of the Delray Affair.
The historical society will sell gladiolus corms (bulbs), with the hope that residents will plant a little reminder of the community’s history in their yards.
“It is our vision to have this iconic, perennial flower growing in everyone’s backyard,” says David Cook, the Delray Affair chairman for the historical society.

Workers harvest gladiolus in the fields west of Delray Beach.

Miles of color
The bulbs are the closest thing you will see to the grown gladiolas that the festival used to sell. With the disappearance of the last gladiola farms in the area — and in most of the U.S. — several years ago, organizers discovered it was too costly to import them from overseas. Gladiolas, according to longtime resident Roy Simon, considered by many to be the founder of the Delray Affair, were once so plentiful that gladiolus fields stretched from Military Trail to U.S. Highway 441, creating a miles-long splash of many colors when the flowers bloomed.
“It was just a beautiful thing to see,” Simon said.
In all, there were believed to be 11 nurseries growing as many as 14 varieties of gladiolas, according to the historical society archives.
During the early 1950s, Delray was the nation’s leading producer of gladiolas, with about 1,600 acres under cultivation.

A float at the 1986 Delray Affair transported the 1948 and 1986 Gladiola Queens.

The gladiolas were so important to Delray Beach that from 1947 to 1953 the community held an annual Gladiola Festival with parades through the then relatively small town.
The Gladiola Festival eventually faded away as vegetable farming all but replaced the floral industry, but it was reinvented in 1960 to recognize the shift after Simon saw a street festival while visiting relatives in the Central Florida town of Winter Park. “I came home and said, ‘We ought to have this in Delray,’” he said.
A committee was formed and an agricultural exhibition was created, showcasing everything grown in Delray Beach including vegetables, flowers and citrus. There were even cows on the Avenue.
At the time, Delray Beach was known as a haven for artists, cartoonists and writers and by 1962 community leaders decided to expand the festival by inviting them to be part of the event, transforming it into a street festival that became the Delray Affair.
Even then, the party stretched from Swinton Avenue to the Intracoastal Waterway, with artists painting in Veterans Park.

Joyce Totterdale Murphree (center) serves punch during an early Gladiola Festival.

Soon, vendors asked to take part but Atlantic Avenue was strictly for writers and artists. A Thieves Market, where all sorts of merchandise was sold, was opened in the parking lot north of Atlantic just east of the railroad tracks and remained for many years.
“The ultimate goal was to show off our town,” Simon says. “If you want to show off your town, you need an attraction to bring people in.”
Back then, the Delray Affair helped keep businesses afloat after the end of the tourist season. And it remains an important fundraiser for the chamber, while at the same time helping merchants.
“I’m happy that it’s still going on and that we’re still showcasing our city and drawing people from all over,” Simon said.
Some traditions, it seems, are worth keeping.

If You Go
What: The 60th annual Delray Affair
Where: Downtown Delray Beach
When: 10 a.m.- 6 p.m. April 8-9, 10-5 April 10.
Admission: Free
Info: 561-278-0424 or www.delrayaffair.com

Visitors look at a display of historic photos at a past Delray Affair. Photo provided by Delray Affair/Julia Rose

Coming April 10: Broadway legend Avery Sommers and piano virtuoso Lisa Leonard will be honored by the National Society of Arts and Letters' Florida East Coast Chapter with the Lifetime Achievement Award. Time is 6:30 p.m. Cost is $275. Call 561-391-6380 or visit www.nsalfloridaeast.org. ABOVE: (l-r, seated) Shari Upbin, Dr. Ron Rubin, Gerry Ehrlich, and Sommers; (standing) Kimberly Wick, Judi Asselta, Leonard, and Kim Champion. Photo provided