By Patrick Sherry

Big community events in Lantana could face new requirements from the town if they impact public safety or nearby streets.

The Lantana Town Council on April 13 gave an initial OK to a proposed ordinance that would create a new approval process for special events that “significantly impact public rights-of-way or town services.” 

Town staff proposed the ordinance to improve how the town handles special event requests. The ordinance, which still requires a second council vote to take effect, would create a two-tiered approval system to ensure events are managed in a way that protects public safety, maintains access to public property and prevents roadways from being blocked. 

“It really establishes a very consistent, streamlined approval process for small-scale events and large-scale events on a very consistent, very transparent basis,” Town Clerk Kathleen Dominguez said. 

Events with fewer than 60 attendees that involve town property or affect traffic would be considered Tier 1 and require town staff approval. Anything over that threshold would be Tier 2 and would need to be approved by the Town Council. Large-scale events, depending on their size, would require a site plan to be submitted, a mandatory $1 million liability insurance policy and a special fee payment. 

Originally, the ordinance applied to events on private residential properties if they were not contained on the site or affected traffic. The ordinance faced criticism from some who attended because of that.

“You don't get to make the decision on how many people they’re allowed to have – it’s a local government,” resident Alex Hankinson said.

Council members clarified that they won’t be putting limits on how many people can attend special events. Instead, their goal was to create a more effective process to give them approval. Yet, Council member Kem Mason was more concerned about the town being involved in approving events on residents’ properties. 

“It’s a little bit of government overreach… when it comes to private property,” Mason said. 

The rest of the council emphasized that the ordinance is to prioritize safety and improve enforcement if incidents occur. They subsequently approved it on its first reading 5-0. 

At a later meeting, on April 27, Town Manager Brian Raducci suggested removing residential private properties from the ordinance based on feedback. The council agreed to the change, but still would like to further discuss the ordinance at another workshop before holding a vote on final  approval. 

The days are numbered for this massive banyan tree at the Delray Beach municipal golf course, despite the city's desire to save it. The Lake Worth Drainage District Board rejected the city's request and said the city must remove the tree by June 1 because of the flooding danger it poses were it to fall into the adjacent canal during a hurricane. John Pacenti/The Coastal Star

By John Pacenti

It’s all over but the chain sawing. 

The Lake Worth Drainage District Board expressed bewilderment at a plan Delray Beach proffered to save a massive 50-foot banyan tree that only recently came to the city’s attention as being a single tree during the renovation of its municipal golf course. The district ordered that the tree, which poses a safety hazard to businesses and homes, be chopped down by June 1.

The drainage district board said at its April 15 meeting that the flood risk and slope instability on the tree’s neighboring canal outweighed the city’s mitigation plan.

Say what you want about the Delray Beach government, it stays on brand when championing lost causes. First, it was the valiant, albeit unsuccessful, fight to save its rainbow-colored LGBTQ+ intersection in the face of state demands that the colors be removed. And now, the city’s outsized effort to save the golf course tree, with an emergency plan the city outlined for the drainage district.

The plan stations a tree-cutting crew at the Delray Beach Golf Club during hurricanes of Category 3 or greater, ready to kick into action to fight winds, rain and raging currents.

It could be a sequel to The Perfect Storm.

City Manager Terrence Moore told the board Delray Beach had assembled technical studies to support keeping the tree, noting a geotechnical engineering report, a certified arborist risk assessment and a debris-removal plan had been completed.

Mayor Tom Carney implored the board to give the city a chance to save the 70-year-old tree. 

“The city has taken such efforts these last few months, to ensure that all the worries that everyone was going to have about this tree have been mitigated,” Carney said.

The city outlined active measures: structural pruning, trunk reduction on the canal side, root removal where roots extended into the canal bank, installation of a proposed root barrier, multiyear crown management, and pre-staged emergency equipment including a 60-ton crane and a grapple barge.

“This tree has developed into its own ecosystem,” Greg Snyder of the Delray Beach Preservation Trust said. “It provides support for wildlife.”

But district engineers and supervisors remained unconvinced. Tommy B. Strowd, executive director and district engineer, warned that the combination of shallow ficus roots, steep sandy banks and hurricane conditions creates an “inherently unstable” situation. 

He described how high winds, heavy rain, saturated ground and canal drawdown could reduce slope safety and allow a large tree to topple into the canal. Just recently to the north, a ficus tree on private property toppled over during rains into the E-4 canal.

If the banyan toppled and blocked the canal, it could cause significant flooding to nearby businesses and residents.

Drainage board member John I. Whitworth III noted past storms and slow recovery times, saying he could not rely on a contractor’s ability to remove a massive tree in severe conditions. “I could never vote for this,” he said.

Board member Carrie Parker Hill questioned the city’s plans. “You can’t leave people on site in the middle of a hurricane without a hurricane shelter.”

Moore countered that the clubhouse on the golf course will meet the requirements of a hurricane shelter.

But board member James M. Alderman said keeping contractors on call during a hurricane didn’t make sense, saying it would take a few days to remove the tree if it fell.

“They’re not gonna come out and get the tree out. They don’t work the way we’re trained to do. We work in the middle of the night,” he said. “A contractor is not going to come out there in 60-, 80-mph winds and things blocked up, the water’s backing up and flooding somebody. We all know that’s not going to happen.”

Faced with the technical findings and public safety concerns, the board voted to uphold its prior denial and require the tree’s removal from the drainage district right of way by June 1, ahead of hurricane season.

State Rep. Rob Long, D-Delray Beach, a former Delray Beach city commissioner, has said the tree should be removed and replanted elsewhere, but that would cost the taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars.

Moore said the city would prepare for removal. He also disclosed that the city spent about $9,500 on the geotechnical assessment. Of course, if the plan were approved, it would cost taxpayers much more.

“Which made it somewhat palatable, because it wasn’t terribly expensive to know about the consideration process, conduct the engineering assessment, and the geotechnical support together,” he said.

At the commission’s April 21 meeting, Price Patton — president of the Delray Beach Preservation Trust and part owner of The Coastal Star — asked the city to declare an emergency and relocate the tree. He said the tree fund — $67,000, according to Town Manager Moore — is paid by local developers and can be used.

“I know you are leery about taxpayer money,” he said. “Think of it another way: The tree has grown there for 80 years for free.”

Carney put a fork in that idea, saying the tree fund is for the whole city, not just one banyan that is not even guaranteed to live if it is moved. “As much as I would like to save that tree — I fought hard for it, I wrote letters and gave interviews — but at some point we lost. “

Commissioner Tom Markert added, “I think it’s going to cost way more than $150,000 to move the tree. and I don’t think it’s feasible.”

By Patrick Sherry

Briny Breezes has a new alderman who is continuing his family’s legacy of service to the town. 

The Town Council appointed John Taylor to Seat 5, which was previously held by Bill Birch before he was appointed mayor in March. The mayor’s seat, which was supposed to be up for election in March, became vacant because no one filed to run for it. After Birch’s appointment, staff posted a notice of vacancy for his council seat, with Taylor being the only person to file for the position before the deadline. 

“I’ve been a resident of Briny Breezes for a long time … my father and mother lived here for 40 years,” he said. “They’re not with us anymore, so I figured it was my time to step up.”

Taylor is the son of Jack Taylor, who was part of the town’s corporate board for nearly 30 years. Jack Taylor was responsible for helping create the town’s local TV channel, BBC-8, which broadcasts community programming to residents. He was also instrumental in pushing for replacing the old, blighted clubhouse in 1991. 

While on the council, John Taylor believes it is his duty to step up and serve the community. 

“Hopefully I can make a difference,” he said. “Knowing what I know about Briny since I was a little kid, I think I can help.” 

John Taylor’s term will end in 2028. 

The new guardhouse, at 248 square feet, is larger than the current one, which was built in 1968. Rendering provided

By John Pacenti

Architects scaled back the once opulent design of a new Point Manalapan guardhouse, presenting an updated, more governmental design to replace the 60-year-old existing structure.

Still, the Town Commission was not satisfied, giving little tweaks to the new design at its April 14 meeting, mostly for landscaping or beautification, with a final vote still to come.

The town’s appointed architectural commission already rejected the ambitious original design and sent the matter back to elected officials.

The Town Commission has allocated $100,000 for the project. The guardhouse is on the winding Lands End Road and serves as the entrance to Point Manalapan.

Gone are the modern tropical design and the elaborate steel trellis that made the proposed guardhouse seem more like the entry to an airport and doubled the expected price. The new design is 248 square feet — 152 square feet bigger than the current one — but it fits neatly on the current footprint.

The design is more school-like, architect Jess Sowards said, with a dark gray metal roof and ample window space for visibility. There is an ADA-compliant bathroom, two guard booths, and a small kitchenette.

“To me, it seems it’s the goals we talked about. We have a bigger presence there,” Town Manager Eric Marmer said. 

The new design retains the bigger windows for better visibility for the guards. 

The building will also be equipped with updated security technology. Construction is expected to be completed over the summer. 

How much is one life worth? 

For Delray Beach Mayor Tom Carney, $676,000 in state funding is a bargain for the city’s beach rescue drone initiative. Other coastal municipalities, such as Ocean Ridge, already have one.

The Florida Legislature has yet to pass a new budget, but Carney is hoping the money will be allocated and survive Gov. Ron DeSantis’ veto pen. 

The “local funding initiative request” was proposed by State Sen. Lori Berman, D-Boca Raton.

Carney said the beach drone program would improve lifeguard effectiveness by helping locate distressed swimmers and boaters. The drones would be able to drop life rings or other flotation devices and provide real-time communication to guide people toward self-rescue — reducing risk to both victims and responders. 

The proposal also includes creating “beach safety ambassadors,” civilian-trained drone experts who would run drone operations, lead visitor education, and provide on-the-ground support and training.

— John Pacenti

This red couch, pictured while on display at the Cornell Art Museum, was once owned by Max Weinberg, Bruce Springsteen’s drummer. The city tossed the couch when the museum closed for a year. The Coastal Star/2021 file photo 

By John Pacenti

 It’s a saga indeed worthy of a Bruce Springsteen song.

A ruby red sofa, once owned by Springsteen drummer Max Weinberg and donated to the Cornell Art Museum, ended up thrown out like some common dorm couch at the end of a rowdy semester.

When the museum closed for a year, the couch got passed around the parks department like an unwanted orphan. It eventually landed in storage at Pompey Park.

The curved sofa was deemed garbage, put on the curb, forgotten … on the streets of Delray, left to the Darkness on the Edge of Town.

For Mighty Max — a Rock & Roll Hall of Famer — hearing of the couch’s final chapter didn’t sit well.

How could it ever have gone missing from the Old School Square campus? Or as The Boss once sang, “Now those memories come back to haunt me, they haunt me like a curse.”

The E Street Band member filed a claim with the city. Commissioner Juli Casale said the couch was valued at $12,000.

Well, city government can be a cold, lonely place. “Down here, it’s just winners and losers … and don’t get caught on the wrong side of that line.”

Delray Beach denied the property claim on March 31.

City Manager Terrence Moore asserted in a letter to the drummer that the city viewed the furniture as abandoned property. The couch found itself on the outs following a turbulent period.

Weinberg was once a Delray citizen and served on the board of the Old School Square Center for the Arts Inc., the nonprofit that ran the campus, including the art museum.

Then the city terminated the nonprofit’s lease — citing financial unaccountability — and took over operations of Old School Square, eventually partnering with the Downtown Development Authority. The museum was closed between September 2021 and December 2022.

In his denial, Moore cited Florida law regarding abandoned property, arguing that neither Weinberg nor a representative of the nonprofit made a claim for the item. It was thus legally considered to have “no apparent intrinsic value” to the owner at the time the city resumed management of the campus, he said.

“Indeed, if a timely claim had been made, the abandoned property would have been returned,” Moore wrote.

Weinberg had donated the couch when the nonprofit curated the Cornell Art Museum. A photo shows it placed in front of modern art as if it were on display itself.

Weinberg, who is on tour with the Boss and played in Sunrise on April 23, did not return phone calls or emails for comment. However, he did write to City Attorney Lynn Gelin on April 2, saying the couch was part of a memorabilia exhibition five years ago.

When he met with the DDA to revisit staging the exhibition again, Weinberg said he was “shocked to see the red couch missing” from the Cornell. He also questioned the story that the sofa was thrown away.

“The quality of the item suggests to me that it was not discarded into the trash but that it lives somewhere within Palm Beach County, perhaps in the abode of someone who had access to it,” he wrote.

Internal city emails between Moore and Casale show a point of contention over who, exactly, was responsible for the item when the nonprofit vacated the premises in February 2022.

The city maintained that the sofa was essentially “left behind” by the previous tenant. In early 2022, the city facilitated the removal of items, Moore said.

Casale said Weinberg’s claim is part of a bigger issue where Moore looks to pay out claims without investigating. Email traffic showed Moore reversing his previous decision to pay an outside law firm to look into the matter once Casale got involved.

“Mr. Weinberg is a lovely gentleman, and this is certainly an unfortunate situation, but I do not believe this should be the financial responsibility of Delray Beach taxpayers,” Casale wrote to Moore.

Mayor Tom Carney weighed in on the matter when he heard The Coastal Star was writing the sofa saga. He said under state law, Weinberg’s beef should be with the nonprofit foundation that initially accepted the sofa.

One can only hope there’s a heaven — a Promised Land, so to speak — for all discarded once-loved furniture. 

By John Pacenti

Gregg Brian Weiss — a well-known figure in Delray Beach’s civic, business and nonprofit sectors — is facing felony fraud charges for allegedly bilking a senior of $30,000, according to the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office.

Weiss, 58, was arrested following an investigation spanning more than a year and faces charges of obtaining property by deception from a person 65 or older, a second-degree felony, and engaging in fraudulent investment transactions, a third-degree felony.

He was taken into custody March 31, the same day he appeared before the City Commission to defend restaurateur Rodney Mayo and the coffee shop Subculture.

The case against Weiss began in February 2025, when the victim — a 75-year-old woman — and her son reported suspected fraud to authorities. 

She said she met Weiss through a Facebook group and hired him for $900 to prepare a will. 

Investigators allege Weiss identified himself as an investor with Ruby Capital Management. He told the woman he could help her accrue enough money to afford a move into a Wellington assisted living facility, according to an affidavit by Deputy William Goldstein.

In January 2025 the woman, who lives west of Boynton Beach, provided Weiss with a $30,000 check, intending to invest $15,000 each into separate certificates of deposit.

The subsequent investigation revealed significant red flags regarding Weiss’s business operations. 

Records from the Florida Division of Corporations indicated that Ruby Capital Management had been administratively dissolved and was inactive as of September 2024.

Furthermore, Weiss allegedly provided the woman with “client confirmation of trade” documents for the CDs. But the woman’s existing financial firm reported no record of any such communications or transactions.

Although Weiss had been a registered investment adviser for nearly two decades, state records confirmed his registration ended in January 2023.

Detectives used subpoenas to track the woman’s $30,000 deposit and found the funds were placed into a Ruby Capital Management account that Weiss controlled.

Instead of being invested, the affidavit states, the money was shifted through various accounts and used for personal gain. 

A message left for Weiss seeking comment was not returned. After his arrest, he was released from the Palm Beach County Jail on $67,000 bail.

New Delray Beach City Commissioner Judy Mollica, who is president of Friends of Delray, said Weiss served as secretary and would take minutes of any meetings. The group sent out newsletters on development and other pertinent issues to the city.

“It’s too unbelievable even to conceive,” Mollica said of Weiss’ arrest.

Bank records showed that over $14,000 of the alleged victim’s money was transferred to a personal checking account held by Weiss and another individual, with the funds being used for food, gas and personal bills, according to the affidavit. 

Additionally, records from the Seminole Tribe of Florida showed Weiss gambling with a slot cash buy-in ­of more than $41,000 between January and May 2025, with documented losses during that period.

When the woman grew weary of the investment and requested her money back, Weiss reportedly sent her a letter claiming his business was entering Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization. 

The letter informed the victim she would receive follow-up information once the firm had direction from the courts, yet a search of the Palm Beach County Clerk of Courts showed no record of a bankruptcy filing for the business or for Weiss personally, the affidavit states. 

Weiss, who lives west of Delray Beach, has been a visible member of the community, previously serving on boards for several nonprofits and working as a community justice planner. He is also an administrator of the Facebook group Delray Beach Community Forum.

Weiss is the second prominent Delray Beach resident arrested in the last six months. Developer Scott Porten was arrested in December on 12 counts of child pornography, according to a police report. Porten was the chair of Old School Square Center for the Arts before it was ousted by the city for failure to provide financial audits for the group.

Weiss spoke at the March 31 commission workshop reviewing whether Mayo’s coffee shop was in compliance regarding special events and parking. He said the restaurateur — who also owns DaDa in the city — was being attacked.

He gave a list of his community service before speaking in public comments: “I’ve been involved in Delray Beach over the past 30 years in many capacities, including chair of the Chamber of Commerce, chair of economic development for four years, as well as working with the city CRA on multiple committees for business purposes.” 

Highland Beach Mayor Natasha Moore, 55, is the youngest member of the Town Commission. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Rich Pollack

Natasha Moore had been on the Highland Beach Town Commission for just two years when her role switched overnight from vice mayor to mayor.

As vice mayor, Moore had watched then-Mayor Doug Hillman lead a mostly unified commission. So when Hillman died in March 2023 just days before he was to start his second term, Moore had a good idea of how a town should be run.

Doing the job, however, was a different story.

“I don’t think I was that well prepared,” Moore says. “Sitting on the commission, you tend to take for granted what the mayor does.”

Now three years later, Moore is in the beginnings of another term as mayor, after having been reelected without opposition.

Those who have worked with Moore and have watched her in the mayor’s role say she has evolved well as a leader.

“I believe she has gotten better every year,” says former Commissioner Evalyn David, who spent six years on the commission, four of them overlapping with Moore’s tenure.

“She’s really stepped up to the plate.”

Moore says that becoming mayor and taking on a leadership role where she’s encouraging discussion and consensus, is more of an evolution than something that happens overnight.

“It takes some time to grow into it,” she said.

David says that Moore’s ability to take charge when necessary has grown stronger over the years but at the same time she still creates a welcoming environment.

“I think she’s gotten tougher but she’s still very approachable,” David said.

Moore said that early on, it was easy to be influenced by those residents who came to meetings with specific issues or ideas. As time passed, she said, she learned to reach out to others and to get input from those with differing viewpoints.

“The people who come to meetings are not always with the majority of residents,” she said, adding that she’s focused on being approachable and getting feedback.

“I think more and more people feel comfortable reaching out to me,” she said.

Moore credits much of her success as mayor to the collaboration with her fellow commissioners and with Town Manager Marshall Labadie.

“I’m incredibly impressed with how active my fellow commissioners are,” she said. “They’re truly an inspiration.”

Labadie, she said, has been instrumental in helping her evolve in the mayor’s role through his guidance and support.

At 55, Moore is the youngest member of the commission and the only one still working full time. She is also the only member of the commission who lives in a single-family home.

Born in Miami with a Cuban mother who loved the name Natasha, Moore graduated from the University of Florida with a degree in statistics. That led to a job at NCCI in Boca Raton, a firm that collects data on worker’s compensation and helps states set rates based on that information.

In 2016 she and her husband started their own real estate firm focusing on homes in the coastal South Florida area.

She has two daughters, 19 and 20, who are students at Florida State University, and a 17-year-old son still in high school.

Moore will tell you that the best part of being mayor is getting to know residents and being involved in major decisions facing the town.

“I like being part of the conversation that helps Highland Beach evolve in a responsible way,” she said. “I want to keep a good thing going.”

For her part, David sees Moore as a solid match for the “concierge town” she believes Highland Beach is.

“It’s kinder and gentler and she fits in perfectly,” she said. 

By Brian Biggane

Aiming to make a clear break between itself and the previous administration, South Palm Beach’s new Town Council made “accelerate” the watchword of its April meeting, pushing forward two initiatives that had long been awaiting action.

The council agreed to spend $4.3 million and gave the go-ahead for construction of a new wastewater lift station. It also approved a partnership with the Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council on a plan it hopes will bring needed improvements to the sidewalk along the west side of State Road A1A.

“The goal is what we did today,” Mayor Rafael Pineiro said at the end of the marathon 2-hour, 40-minute meeting. “We have a number of initiatives, and we will move every one of these infrastructure initiatives to that level of simplicity.”

Treasure Coast council representative Kim DeLaney, who addressed the former council in February and was asked to return with a plan to improve the A1A corridor, laid out a timetable that encompassed improvements in transportation, utilities and infrastructure that would result in such projects being started in 22 months, or early 2028.

Pineiro listened patiently to DeLaney’s nearly 10-minute presentation, then told her at least one issue won’t work with that timetable.

“There are a lot of goals that we have, but we have certain short-term goals, in particular our sidewalk,” he said. “I would like to see us proceed with a full plan, but there has to be a place in there for us to be able to accelerate the implementation of what is a life-and-death issue.”

The previous council had been waiting for guidance from the Florida Department of Transportation with the understanding that if the town took the initiative and the FDOT disagreed with that plan, the town would be stuck with the entire bill.

Town Manager Jamie Titcomb preached caution in that regard, saying, “We can’t just build it, put our hand out and ask for money. They could say, ‘Tear it out.’”

Pineiro, however, returned to the safety issue, noting he has known a number of residents who have fallen on the sidewalk and been injured, including one woman who broke her elbow. He said he would be willing to hold a public hearing at which residents could voice their opinions, but nothing was decided.

Ultimately a motion was passed to agree to proceed on DeLaney’s plan, but at the same time to make the refurbishing of the sidewalk a priority.

Two engineers from Mock Roos, which is overseeing the lift station project, then unveiled their proposal for a project they also expect to be completed in spring 2028.

Hired last October to formulate a plan, Mock Roos engineers John Cairnes and Garry Gruber produced five options for the new facility but recommended one that will have it built at its current site on the west side of A1A. 

Cairnes told the council the station was originally built in 1965 and was last significantly upgraded in 2006. Recent breakdowns have prompted the town to hire other companies for emergency repairs on several occasions, the most recent of which had been done only a week earlier. Cairnes said the engineers’ studies showed several areas that needed to be addressed promptly.

While the actual on-site construction is expected to take only six months, Cairnes acknowledged that some condos, in particular the 3560 and 3555 buildings, are likely to be inconvenienced by heavy machinery in the vicinity of their driveways. He also said the sidewalk will be affected, but didn’t get into specifics.

Pineiro requested a voice vote, and the motion to have Mock Roos get started on the project passed unanimously. 

Town Hall update — The future of the South Palm Beach Town Hall remains in limbo, but Town Manager Jamie Titcomb shed some light on its status after the April Town Council meeting.

Titcomb said the last time the council received a report on the status of the building was 2018. The council intended to authorize an update in 2020, but the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic put that on hold, and none has been issued since.

Titcomb said he expects the council to address the issue as early as the May meeting. However, since Mayor Rafael Pineiro announced at the March meeting that it was no longer a priority, it may not come up anytime soon.

Looking ahead — Executive administrative assistant Emma Trotto made a presentation to the council regarding town-wide social activities that included some statistics regarding the population. 

The ice cream socials were the No. 1 activity this past season, attracting 150 residents, followed by the annual Fall Fest and art shows. The least attended were the Quest for Knowledge lectures.

The population breakdown for the town showed 60-65% of residents are age 65 and older and another 35%-37% are 45-64, prompting council members to observe that low-impact activities such as stretching and chair yoga attract the biggest crowds.

Delegates and appointments approved — The council designated Mayor Rafael Pineiro as its voting delegate and the other council members as alternates to both the Palm Beach County and Florida leagues of cities. Also, Carla Berenice Groh, Catherine Andreoli and Lisa Newfeld Thomas were appointed to the Community Affairs Advisory Board, and Matt White was appointed to both the Planning Board and Architectural Board.

— Brian Biggane

By John Pacenti

Delray Beach is advancing a multiagency effort to improve pedestrian and vehicle safety at the busy East Atlantic Avenue and Swinton Avenue intersection.

If adopted, officials say the measures are intended to reduce pedestrian conflicts, discourage unsafe crossings, and improve traffic flow along the heavily traveled downtown corridor.

Mayor Tom Carney said the project, developed with the Florida Department of Transportation and Palm Beach County, will focus primarily on signal timing and software changes. 

“We’ve developed a very good relationship now with the FDOT,” he said, adding that Palm Beach County Commissioner Marci Woodward has been helpful with the FDOT.

Key measures under study include an all-red pedestrian phase that would stop traffic on all approaches to allow pedestrians to cross in any direction, and possible mid-block crossings near Old School Square and even diagonal crosswalks.

“So it would allow pedestrians to cross the road like in an X,” Carney said, noting the city’s goal of making downtown “a walkable and safe downtown.”

FDOT is completing vehicle and pedestrian counts and related studies required for design and approval. Carney said the costs will likely be shared by FDOT, the county and the city. 

Delray Beach has secured a $240,000 federal grant through the Safe Streets and Roads for All program to address safety at the intersection of historic Atlantic and Swinton avenues.

“I am optimistic that something is going to come across our desks, at least in some form, in the next few months,” Carney said. “I really want to see that roll out in late July or early August.”

A public announcement is expected once FDOT completes its analysis and a recommended plan is ready for local review. 

Dick Cohen of coastal Delray Beach, a classic car collector and retired professor, is surrounded by models but still covets the real thing: a 1969 Shelby GT350 convertible. He says it’s fun to drive. His shirt is a remembrance of a famous race car he once owned. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

Retired college professor and serious car collector Dick Cohen just sold the last two cars in his impressive collection: a 1968 Shelby GT350 convertible and a restored 1964 Corvette convertible fuel-injected. 

These days, the Delray Beach auto aficionado drives a 2025 Range Rover Sport. His wife, Rebecca, drives a 2021 Mercedes convertible.

“But I’m still looking,” Cohen says. “I want a ’69 Shelby GT350 convertible. I’ve had a lot of them in my day, but I just want one last one. They are fun to drive. They only made 194 of them, and I think they’re way undervalued.”

Starting as a student in 1962, through his years co-owning four salvage yards in Little Rock, Arkansas, with partner Gary Nufer, until today, Cohen has owned or co-owned with Nufer about 200 classic vehicles. 

These included at least 15 Shelby Cobras; more than 50 classic Corvettes; 50 Shelby Mustangs, and three early Ford GT40s, including the legendary P/1015 that Ken Miles drove across the finish line at Le Mans in 1966. 

During Cohen’s salvage yard years, 1980-1991 — when he and Nufer bought, sold, collected and raced cars — he estimates that they purchased about 18,000 cars for parts and resale.

Cohen, 82, has a wealth of interesting stories to tell, and they can be found in the book he wrote with Jim Kreuz: Cobra Man: The Automotive Odyssey of Dick Cohen, from Corvettes to the Ken Miles GT40 (mcfarlandbooks.com/product/Cobra-Man/). 

People always want to know about the Ken Miles GT40 Le Mans car. Here’s a condensed version: 

Cohen and Nufer first saw the GT40 in 1985 at the Monterey Historics at Laguna Seca. Then, it was owned by Les Lindley. “We knew that it had to have been at Le Mans,” Cohen said. And that got the two thinking. Later, at a race in Memphis, Nufer approached Lindley and asked if he still had it. “Les said he did, but would never sell it, so Gary gave him a deposit slip and said, if you ever decide to sell it, call us,” Cohen said.

A couple of years later, Lindley was ready to part with the GT40, and Cohen and Nufer bought it. At that time, they only surmised that it was the car that Miles drove. “We had no idea, no insurance and we let other people drive it. We were just having a good time and raced it all over the place,” Cohen said. 

Eventually, Ronnie Spain, an authority on the GT40s, was able to authenticate it. They sold the car in 1990 to Brian Mimaki in a multicar deal, where, in addition to a significant amount of cash, they received an Alan Mann lightweight GT40 and two 427 Cobras.

After selling the salvage business, he and Nufer divided their co-owned collection, and Cohen moved to Palm Beach County, bringing with him three Cobras, the Alan Mann lightweight GT40 and his wife’s 1979 930 Porsche.

Before his salvage yard career, Cohen, with a doctorate of education, was a tenured professor at the University of Arkansas. He returned to his career in education in Florida, eventually becoming Lynn University’s dean of the Ross College of Education. He retired in 2006. 

In his retirement, he’s by no means done, he says. He’s still looking, hankering, wheeling and dealing.

For new collectors, his words of advice: “Be careful. You’ve got to authenticate the car and be sure what it is.” For experienced car collectors, he advises: “You’ve got to be quick.”

For those who want to know more, he encourages them to read his book. 

— Christine Davis

Q. Where did you grow up and go to school? How do you think that has influenced you?

A. I grew up in Chelsea, Massachusetts, with my twin brother, Phil, and older brother, Earl. Phil and I had a twin acrobat revue, which took us to New York to perform on Ted Mack’s Original Amateur Hour. At the time, we were the youngest professional acrobats in the country. 

When I was 9, my parents divorced, and we went to live with our father, John. Growing up in a lower-middle class community, we formed tight bonds, and I am still close with many of my friends from there. Our father, an MIT graduate and chief meteorologist at Boston Logan Airport, placed a strong emphasis on education. He chose to live in Chelsea so he could walk to work whenever needed — a small detail that reflected his discipline and dedication. 

More than anything, he taught us that, in life, it’s not what you say but what you do and how you do it. That principle has stayed with me ever since.

Q. What professions have you worked in? What professional accomplishments are you most proud of?

A. I have spent my career in education as a professor and dean at several universities. After earning my doctorate from the University of Kansas, I began teaching at the University of Arkansas, where I later received tenure. At that point, I took a leave of absence to pursue a unique opportunity with a college friend, Gary Nufer, in the auto salvage and classic car collecting business. 

My passion for classic cars began in high school and eventually grew into a remarkable second career. My business partner and I collected and raced notable vehicles, including the Ken Miles Ford GT40 — later featured in the 2019 film Ford v Ferrari — all over the United States. That experience remains one of the highlights of my life. 

Among my professional achievements, I was appointed dean of the College of Education at Lynn University and honored as Teacher of the Year by its student body. More recently, my life story has been published in Cobra Man: The Automotive Odyssey of Dick Cohen, from Corvettes to the Ken Miles GT40, a reflection on both my academic journey and my lifelong passion for automobiles.

Q. What advice do you have for a young person selecting a career today? 

A. I’ve come to believe that success in life often comes down to timing — being in the right place at the right moment. Equally important is surrounding yourself with the right people and learning from strong mentors who guide and challenge you along the way. 

 Q. How did you choose to make your home in Delray Beach?

A. When our oldest daughter, Amee, graduated high school in 1993, and after selling our companies, we moved from Little Rock, Arkansas, to Boca Raton, after years of visiting friends in South Florida. Living near the ocean had always been a dream for my wife, Rebecca, who grew up in Dodge City, Kansas. When our youngest daughter, Andee, graduated from high school, we decided it was time to turn that dream into reality and moved to a home along the Intracoastal in Delray Beach. 

More than 26 years later, we’re still in east Delray and can’t imagine living anywhere else. Rebecca takes full advantage of our surroundings, walking six miles along the beach several days a week. I walk along A1A daily with my childhood friend from Chelsea. We truly feel fortunate to call this place home — it really is paradise.

Q. What is your favorite part about living in Delray Beach? 

A. What I enjoy most is being just moments from the energy of downtown Delray — the restaurants, the atmosphere — and having the ocean in view every single day. 

Q. What book are you reading now?

A. I’m currently reading Go Like Hell: Ford, Ferrari, and Their Battle for Speed and Glory at Le Mans, recommended by my co-author, Jim Kreuz. He knows me well.

Q. What music do you listen to when you need inspiration? When you want to relax? 

A. My favorite music, any time of day, is classic rock ’n’ roll from the 1950s and 1960s — there’s simply nothing better, in my view.

Q. Do you have a favorite quote that inspires your decisions? 

A. “Life is a two-minute drill” has been a long favorite. My new favorite line is “I didn’t forget, I just forgot.”

Q. Have you had mentors in your life? Individuals who have inspired your life decisions?

A. In addition to my father, John Meyer Cohen, who was my first mentor, Bill Collier was my first professional guide. I met him while teaching special education and fifth grade at Miller Elementary School in Dodge City. After observing one of my classes, he returned the next day with a brochure for an assistantship/fellowship position at the University of Kansas master’s program in special education. That simple but thoughtful gesture set me on a path I never could have imagined — and ultimately shaped the course of my career. 

At the University of Kansas, another influential mentor, Richard Schusler, asked me to serve as his graduate teaching assistant during my doctoral studies — an opportunity that further deepened my commitment to education. 

Later, Gary Nufer — whom my wife knew from Dodge City — encouraged me to join him in the auto salvage and classic car collecting business. That decision became another pivotal moment, opening the door to an entirely new and rewarding chapter in my life.

Q. If your life story were made into a movie, who would you want to play you?

A. Brad Pitt, who starred in this year’s car-racing film F1.

Hundreds of boats with thousands of people jammed into Lake Boca Raton for the unsanctioned Boca Bash, held annually on the last Sunday in April. Boca Raton police charged one person with boating under the influence. Officers with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission charged one man with BUI, another with BUI and reckless operation of a vessel, and a third, a 58-year-old man, with battery and cruelty toward a child after he was spotted having a confrontation with three females on his boat. ABOVE: A group applauds an angler who shows off a sizable tuna that he caught offshore. BELOW: The crowded scene on Lake Boca Raton to the south of the Palmetto Park Road Bridge (in background) during the annual floating party. Photos by Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

One source of cats was this building, which had been covered in brush. The owners plan to build a new home. Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

By Steve Plunkett

Gulf Stream is moving to ease a feral cat problem after North County Road residents complained that their street was being overrun by unwanted felines.

“They are running rampant,” Amy Rowe told town officials at an after-hours town hall meeting on March 25.

Neighbor Olivia Lyons showed a photo of multiple cats waiting to greet her. “I have them in my backyard all day long,” she said. “And my Jack Russell, who’s 2, barks and is jumping up against the window.”

Town Manager Trey Nazzaro sent a letter to all residents on March 30 cautioning them not to feed feral or stray cats.

“When food sources are made readily available, stray cat populations tend to grow quickly,” he wrote. “This can lead to increased noise, territorial behavior, and the spread of disease among animals.”

The town uses a trap-neuter-vaccinate-return program to stabilize and gradually reduce the number of feral cats, he said. 

“Since October of 2025 our TNVR provider has trapped 15 cats or kittens” on County Road, Nazzaro told town commissioners at their April 10 meeting.

Nevertheless, he said the town would switch providers to monitor the situation more regularly.

Adding to the problem was the house at 4220 N. County Road, which residents Stephen and Jennifer Streit bought in late 2022 but had fallen into disrepair and was overgrown with vegetation.

Nazzaro put the couple on notice March 27 that the property was an unlawful nuisance. The Streits, who live on Wright Way, had the underbrush cleared and sent a representative to the April 10 commission meeting to say they expected to submit plans in May to demolish the dilapidated structure and build a new house.

Nazzaro said the new structure might be the largest on North County, possibly 7,000 square feet or almost as large as the home being built at 3400 Polo Drive.

He is also having the town attorney look at updating the fine for code enforcement violations from $25, set when it was enacted in 1978, to $125, the same value in today’s dollars. 

By Rich Pollack

Palm Beach County is quickly moving forward with the development of Milani Park, filing permit applications and a massive compliance package with the town of Highland Beach in mid-April.

Once the permits are approved, the construction phase of the long-proposed park straddling State Road A1A at the south end of Highland Beach could begin, and county leaders say that could be as early as June.

Construction, according to Palm Beach County Parks and Recreation Director Jennifer Cirillo, could take about 18 months, meaning work on the park could be completed by fall 2027.

Town Manager Marshall Labadie said the paperwork the county sent to Highland Beach includes documentation demonstrating how the county has complied with a 2010 settlement agreement.

The agreement listed 43 points, including that the county ensures a lifeguard was on the beach portion of the 5.6-acre park and that bathroom facilities were available.

Labadie said documents sent to the town included required approvals from several agencies, including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the South Florida Water Management District.

The package also contained reports from archeologists who studied the historical value of portions of the property, which native Americans and Japanese farmers used.

“There were a lot of documents, several thousand pages,” Labadie said. “The compliance package is very comprehensive, very detailed and very complete.”

Labadie said the town is in the process of looking over the building permit applications the county submitted and is hoping to have that process completed within the next few weeks.

He said it could take a little longer than usual because of the complexity of the project and because it is a unique project in the town, which has no other parks or public recreational facilities.

Beaches in Highland Beach are all private and there is no public beach access.

In addition to permit applications for construction of the bathroom facilities, the lifeguard station and gatehouse for a parking attendant on the west side, the applications include work to connect needed water and sewer lines to the park parcel.

The permits will also cover any fill that needs to be added to the west side of the park, which will be used primarily for 46 parking spaces.

The construction of Milani Park, which has an estimated price tag of $8.6 million, will likely put an end to more than 30 years of uncertainty that began when the county purchased the property from the Milani family in 1987 for $3.9 million.

Since then, Highland Beach and many of its residents have fought to prevent development of the park.

In a compromise aimed at addressing concerns of residents, the county late last year agreed to install just 46 parking spaces in the park’s first phase of construction rather than 100 spaces required under the settlement agreement.

The remaining 54 spaces would be part of a second phase that’s left up in the air to a time to be determined by the county.

Staff report

While Florida is prohibiting its towns and cities from banning gas-powered leaf blowers, Delray Beach officials hope they’ve got another way of giving residents a break from the roar of those machines.

Instead of banning the blowers themselves, the city is considering changing its noise ordinance to limit how loud the leaf blowers — or any other lawn equipment, for that matter — can be. It may also look at limiting the hours of operation for both electric and gas-powered leaf blowers. 

It’s a Hail Mary, but anybody who has had a quiet morning disrupted by 115 decibels of leaf blower is looking for any relief.

When the crowd at the Beach Property Owners Association  meeting on March 31 heard about the new restriction on banning leaf blowers, there was a collective groan.

“When we realized that the leaf blower preemption was going to take effect, we talked to people in the city about using the noise ordinance to potentially start citing people,” association President Hal Stern said.

State Sen. Lori Berman, D-Boca Raton, addressing the BPOA and taking questions, said, “That’s a smart potential way around it.”
Mayor Tom Carney said he wants to take a look. The city just invested in five sound meters at $7,000 each. Carney has long said leaf blower noise — and noise from other lawn equipment — is one of the top complaints he hears from residents.
Delray Beach’s current noise ordinance, Carney said, looks at sustained periods of 10 minutes in order to trigger enforceability. “So we may have to look at that again,” he said. 
Carney called the leaf blower ban “yet another thing coming from Tallahassee, which we have to deal with locally.” 

“It just makes it difficult for us to try to control what goes on in our own neighborhoods.”

The new law, passed by the state Legislature this year and signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in March, takes effect July 1.

During the bill signing in Sebring, DeSantis called it a win for personal choice.

 “If you want to use different stuff, fine, it’s a free country. But I like the gas powered better,” he said. “I just think it’s more reliable.”

The legislation was pushed by lobbyists for the powerful Florida Nursery, Growers and Landscape Association. 

The new legislation will affect communities like the towns of Palm Beach and Juno Beach, which previously banned the gas-powered leaf blowers.

Juno Beach officials decided not to wait for July 1 to roll around. The town announced April 2, following the governor’s signing of the legislation, that it was immediately stopping enforcement of its ban.

“We understand that many residents transitioned to electric equipment in support of our local sustainability goals,” said the notice posted on the town’s website. “While the Town can no longer mandate the use of electric blowers, we continue to encourage the use of quieter, lower-emission alternatives whenever possible to maintain the peace and air quality of our neighborhoods.” 

By Ron Hayes

BRINY BREEZES — Rental spaces in the former dairy farm called Briny Breezes were going for $3 a week when Dorothy McNeice’s father first parked his travel trailer there in October 1938. She was 10.

In 1958, when winter residents bought the land, she was 31.

When the seasonal mobile home park was incorporated on March 19, 1963, she was 35.

And on April 3, when she died peacefully at her summer home in Norton Shores, Michigan, she was 98.

Dorothy McNeice was a part of Briny Breezes’ history long before the town became a town, and much of that history lives today because she preserved it.

“When I retired in 2014, I found myself in charge of the Briny Breezes Library,” remembers library director Donna Clarke. “I was facing a mountainous pile of ragtag scrapbooks. Several of us worked on identifying and organizing the photos and stories of Briny history, and Dorothy saved us when she helped put together stories and dates.”

Most years, Mrs. McNeice would share her memories at community events, supplemented by information she learned from her mother, Ellene, who died at 102 in 2000.

In 2011, Mrs. McNeice wrote her family memories in longhand and gathered photographs to illustrate them. Her daughter-in-law, Valerie McNeice, edited the material into “Looking Back In Time,” a Briny Breezes history in the town library.

“She made Briny history come alive,” Clarke said, “and those scrapbooks are a legacy we can enjoy for years.”

Mrs. McNeice’s love of the past did not keep her from living in the present. She was a member of the town’s hobby club. She collected seashells. She loved the Big Band music of Glenn Miller and Benny Goodman, and the movies of Doris Day.

In 2013, Mrs. McNeice was asked what made her laugh.

“Just being with people and reminiscing can make me laugh,” she replied. “We look at each other and say, ‘Did we really do all that?’ and we laugh.”

Janet Naughton, a professor of American history at Palm Beach State College and an authority on county history, met Mrs. McNeice in 2000 during an all-class reunion at Boynton Beach’s Schoolhouse Museum.

“She was a lovely, energetic and genuinely positive woman who clearly loved both life and history,” Naughton recalls. “She had a remarkable memory for small details and didn’t just care about the past. She actively preserved it.

“She shared stories with me about growing up with her sister, Helen, collecting sea beans, shells and coconuts, and selling them along A1A to tourists. She told those stories with a sparkle in her eyes. She truly lived in paradise and loved coming down each year to return to the sea.”

Dorothy Jane Mann was born on Nov. 11, 1927, in Highland Park, Michigan. She graduated high school in Port Huron and attended Port Huron Junior College.

On Sept. 16, 1950, she and James Mark McNeice were married in Port Huron, and the couple settled in Norton Shores, Michigan, where they raised three sons and she served as a city clerk for 15 years, retiring in 1984.

James McNeice died in 1997 after 47 years of marriage.

Her favorite quote came from that font of endless wisdom, Anonymous, who said, “If we celebrate the years behind us, they become steppingstones of strength and joy for the years ahead.”

Dorothy McNeice celebrated Briny Breezes’ past, and the writings and photographs she leaves behind are steppingstones to the years ahead.

She is survived by her sons, James II (Cindy), Gregory (Vicky), and Michael (Valerie); her grandchildren, Mark, Amber, Heather, Brandon, Niki, JD, Tiffany, Ashton and Alexa; and 21 great-grandchildren.

A graveside service will be held at Norton Cemetery.

Memorial contributions can be made to St. Mark Lutheran Church in Norton Shores, Michigan, or the Muskegon Rescue Mission.

LANTANA — Jackson Hill Payne, 33, of Palm Beach, passed away on Feb. 1, leaving behind a profound sense of loss for all who knew and loved him.

Jackson graduated from the college-preparatory boarding program at The Frederick Gunn School in Washington, Connecticut, and then went on to earn a degree in sociology from Palm Beach State College. He carried his curiosity and love of research throughout his life. He worked for the Town of Lantana, where his leadership implemented new protocols and organization strategies for all heavily populated community events. Organized and dependable, he had a natural ability to lead and communicate, sharing his gifts through writing, public speaking, and patiently teaching others.

He gave generously of his time and energy, including volunteering abroad in Nicaragua, where he taught English and helped improve access to books in local libraries. Summers were spent in Cape Cod, where he worked as a lifeguard, protecting visitors from the dangerous surf. Only those closest to him knew of a small, meaningful gesture he often shared — raising his arm in quiet solidarity, inspired by Amar Bharati, the Indian spiritual practitioner whose decades-long raised arm devotion symbolizes a vow for peace and a protest against global conflict.

Jack found happiness in life’s simple, uncomplicated, and intuitive moments. An avid athlete, he enjoyed tennis, surfing, snowboarding, and skateboarding. He felt most at peace near the ocean, embracing the freedom it gave him. He also found joy in cooking and had a passion for nutrition, always mindful of the connection between food, health, and well-being. Thoughtful and disciplined, he was a careful planner and excellent with finances, known for his ability to budget wisely, invest with keen insight, and live with intention. A true bibliophile, he had a deep love for history, art, and music — zeals that reflected his soulful nature. He also worked as a model, where his striking eyes, radiant smile, and natural beauty drew attention, yet it was his placid kindness that truly stayed with people.

He faced and overcame many obstacles in his life, including struggles with addiction, demonstrating remarkable strength and resilience. He was a deeply sensitive soul, and those who loved him were grateful to walk beside him, offering support through both his joys and challenges. Despite these triumphs, he continued to face mental health challenges in the final part of his journey, a reminder of both the fragility and complexity of the human spirit.

A follower of Christ, he believed deeply in the value of human life and all living things. He was a man of strong character and integrity, carrying himself with compassion, humility, and a gentle spirit that made others feel seen, valued, and loved.

He is survived by his loving mother, Josephyne McC. Payne, his father, George Jackson Hill Payne, and his brother, Lee Standish Payne. His godparents are Paul W. A. Courtnell Jr., Edmund Melson Webster Jr., and Jennifer Ann Mentzer. All will forever hold his memory close to their hearts. A funeral was held in April at the Church of Bethesda-by-the-Sea, Palm Beach.

Though his time here was far too short, the love he gave and the lives he touched will never be forgotten. He was older than the world knows, carrying a wisdom and warmth beyond his years. Those who knew him will always carry a piece of his timeless soul.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Church of Bethesda-by-the-Sea or Hope for Depression Research Foundation-Palm Beach.                                                        

— Submitted by the family

By Ron Hayes

BRINY BREEZES — Joan Nicholls lived a double life on Facebook.

She was Joan Nicholls on her personal page, and she was Joan Briny Nicholls on the page reserved for the countless photographs she took of her town and its people.

“She had her own account, and she had an account for Briny Breezes,” explained her daughter, Sandy Miatello. “She always wanted to share those photos so people could see what was going on in their favorite club.”

Joan Nicholls died at her home in Pickering, Ontario, on April 1. She was 91 and had been a winter resident of Briny Breezes since 1971.

As the town’s roving photographer, Mrs. Nicholls photographed here, there and everywhere, then took the photos home, edited them, and shared them both to Joan Briny Nicholls on Facebook and on the walls of the town auditorium.

With the town’s historical preservation club, she helped curate documents, photographs and interviews, and pored through old copies of The Briny Bugle for interesting articles to display.

“She was competitive,” her daughter said. “She would go into the Everglades and take pictures of different birds. One time a gator was coming up behind Mom while she was trying to get a bird. She got the bird and the gator didn’t get her. She was fearless with a camera in her hand.”

Joan Pamela Gates was born in Eastleigh, England, on June 14, 1934, and arrived in Canada in 1949, three weeks before her 15th birthday. She lied about her age to secure a job with the American Consulate in Toronto, where a coworker introduced her to William Nicholls, her future husband. They married June 20, 1953.

The Nichollses were dedicated travelers.

During their early days in Briny Breezes, Bill and Joan Nicholls often traveled with their friends and neighbors, Willard and Ella Mae Hartz. Mrs. Hartz died in 2008.

“One time around 2010, they took me along as a driver,” Willard Hartz recalled. “We were hauling a trailer, and Bill made a fake license plate and put it on the back. We traveled all the way from Florida to right outside my summer place in Sunrise Beach, Missouri, before we got stopped.”

At 96, Hartz still laughs at the memory.

“We fooled everyone for about a thousand miles,” he said. “Joan just laughed about it and said, ‘Well, we’ll get out of this one way or the other.’ And we did.”

Her daughter laughed, too, when she heard the story.

“No, I never heard that one,” she said, “but I wouldn’t put it past them.”

After Mr. Nicholls’ death in 2012 after 58 years of marriage, Joan and Willard Hartz became friends.

“I was what you’d call a sidekick,” Hartz said. “We never married, but just very, very good friends. We traveled to England together, Spain, France, Italy, Gibraltar, Scotland and Ireland. Joan would say, ‘We’re going here,’ and I’d say, ‘OK.’”

Mrs. Nicholls died in the same home where her husband had spent his final days.

“She wasn’t ready to go,” Sandy Miatello said. “She was still talking to my niece about her upcoming nuptials next August. But she got to meet her newest great-granddaughter.

“Sofia Yolevski was born on March 24. My mother met her on March 31 and passed away on the morning of April 1.”

In addition to her daughter, Sandra, she is survived by her son, Scott, and his wife, Debbie; her grandchildren, Melissa (Matt), Mandy (Alex), Emily (Marcus), Amber (Peter), Kelsey (Brad), and Sarah (Justin); four great-grandchildren, Aubrey, Elio, Rory and Sofia; and thousands of photographs.

Memorial donations can be made to the Canadian Cancer Society.

Although expected, it is now official: The three candidates in Boca Raton’s mayoral race raised the astonishing total of just over $1.4 million.

City and state records show that winner Andy Thomson, who squeaked to victory by a mere five votes in the March 10 election, raised $484,748.

Former Deputy Mayor Fran Nachlas, who won 20.7% of the vote, took in $513,338, which included a $100,000 loan to her campaign.

And political newcomer Mike Liebelson, who supported the Save Boca movement, raised $407,050.

The money came from direct contributors to their campaigns and through contributions to political action committees clearly affiliated with their campaigns.

Though it is hard to trace, it is possible the candidates received additional contributions through other PACs.

City records show that Thomson’s campaign by itself raised $154,848, while Nachlas’ took in $236,544. Liebelson’s received $287,550, most of which came from personal loans and donations.

Those amounts were boosted significantly by their PACs.

State records show that Running With Andy Thomson brought in $329,900. Fran for BocA drew $276,794. Friends of Mike Liebelson garnered $119,550.

Both the city and state totals included donations that arrived during the first three months of 2026.

— Mary Hladky