The owner of this retail center has been in a dispute with Lantana over  code enforcement at the site. Photo provided

By Jane Musgrave

What began as disputes over white rocks and mahogany trees has morphed into lawsuits that call into question the legitimacy of code enforcement in Lantana.

In the latest lawsuit filed in March in Palm Beach County Circuit Court, Manalapan real estate investor John Bols claims the town is improperly using code enforcement to harass people and make money.

“The town of Lantana has intentionally devised and implemented a deliberate policy and plan of action which is … designed to levy fines against citizens and business owners, such as (Bols), with excessive penalties in an attempt to create profits for the town,” attorney Christopher Mills, who represents Bols, says in the lawsuit.

The claims aren’t new.

Since Bols was first cited by code enforcement in May 2023 for using white rocks to landscape his four-store retail center in the town’s small downtown on East Ocean Avenue, a legal war — and he claims a code enforcement one — has erupted.

After a special code enforcement magistrate ordered him to replace the rocks with grass, shrubs and flowerbeds at his property at 114 E. Ocean Ave. or face $250-a-day fines, Bols filed his first lawsuit against the town.

And he won. 

An appellate panel of county and circuit judges agreed that the town had used the wrong code against Bols. While a prior code required natural vegetation, one approved in May 2022 allowed the use of xeriscaping, the three-judge panel agreed.

“This is a clear violation of the essential requirement of law as the town applied the wrong law at the code enforcement hearings by applying the prior code to the violation,” the panel wrote. “It is widely acknowledged that the application of the incorrect law is a violation of the essential requirements of law.”

Other rulings, other fines

By the time the panel ruled in February 2025, Bols had been cited and fined $1,250 for trimming two mahogany trees on his property on two occasions in 2024, court records show.

Again, he asked county judges to reverse the decisions. This time, the judges denied his requests. Unwilling to take no for an answer, he appealed one case to the Florida Supreme Court. It refused to hear the case.

But, he has two other lawsuits pending, including the one filed last month. The suits could cost Lantana at least $100,000 and, if Bols has his way, could rein in what he sees as a rogue agency that is wreaking havoc in the small town.

Bols readily admits he is on a quest.

“Lantana has a distinct pattern of going after people,” he said. “It’s not about code enforcement. It’s about collecting money.”

In addition to the roughly 15 citations he or his tenants received in the 28 months between April 2021 to August 2023, four nearby businesses were fined a total of nearly $109,000 for code violations. All were minor, Bols said.

A real estate office in his building was cited because pictures it posted in its windows, promoting its listing, violated a town code. Another tenant, a smoothie shop, was cited for an improper sign.

He was cited for “hat-racking” two mahogany trees, which is against town codes because it weakens trees. Two years later, he said the trees are thriving.

An issue for years

Then, there’s the infamous case of Zenaida “Sandy” Martinez. She was cited in 2013 and fined as much as $250 a day for parking cars on the grass near her driveway, not replacing a storm-damaged fence and not repairing a cracked driveway. At first unaware of the fines and then unable to pay them, she saw them balloon to $165,000.

While the town offered to settle the dispute for $25,000, that, too, was beyond the reach of the single mother who lived with her three adult children, her mother and sister.

In 2021, she sued the town. She lost, in part because she hadn’t appealed the decision eight years earlier. 

Circuit Judge Luis Delgado acknowledged the fines were “admittedly high.” But he rejected Martinez’s claim that they were “unconstitutionally excessive because they are grossly disproportionate to her offense.”

Noting that the Florida Legislature hadn’t put a cap on code enforcement fines, he ruled that those imposed on Martinez were “well within the range deemed appropriate by the legislature and substantial deference must be given to its determinations.” 

His ruling was upheld on appeal. The state’s high court declined to hear the case.

What happened to Martinez is heartbreaking, but not unique, Bols said.

“This is a pattern with them,” he said. “It’s not just me. They’re so used to getting away with it.”

Prior setbacks for plaintiff

Mayor Karen Lythgoe declined to address Bols’ allegations, saying she can’t comment on pending litigation. Town Manager Brian Raducci didn’t return an email seeking comment.

In court papers, the town’s attorneys pointed out that two judges rejected Bols’ claims of retaliation in a 2023 lawsuit that grew out of the landscaping and tree citations. 

U.S. District Judge Robin Rosenberg in 2024 threw out Bols’ claim that Lantana went after him because he exercised his constitutional rights to sue the town and to speak out.

“Although (Bols) attempts to show that (Lantana) customarily issues retaliatory citations, (he) does not provide any facts demonstrating that any other citations issued were without basis or motivated by retaliatory intent,” Rosenberg wrote, sending the case back to state court.

Circuit Judge Carolyn Bell followed Rosenberg’s lead. While most of Bell’s 11-page order dealt with procedural flaws in Bols’ lawsuit, she ruled that Bols couldn’t sue Lantana for fraudulently and intentionally citing him for violating the wrong code. Lantana is protected from such claims by sovereign immunity, an ancient legal doctrine that protects governments from lawsuits.

While people can sue governments if they cause death, injury or loss of property, sovereign immunity protects them from being sued for financial loss, Bell ruled.

Further, she rejected Bols’ request to stop Lantana from engaging in “continued unlawful enforcement.” The request was akin to asking her to “weigh in on matters that have not and may never happen.”

Lantana’s attorneys urged the 4th District Court of Appeals to accept Bell’s “well-reasoned” order and reject Bols’ appeal.

The fights aren’t over

Bols’ attorney countered that Bell missed the point of the lawsuit.

“(It) alleges a clear pattern of retaliatory enforcement and policies causing substantial harm and seeks a declaration that the town’s entire code enforcement framework is unlawful,” Mills wrote.

While that suit continues to move through the appellate process, arguments in the other one are just beginning.

In the lawsuit filed in March, Bols wants the court to order Lantana to pay the $100,000 in attorneys fees he racked up fighting the improper landscape citation. 

He is also seeking damages, claiming he was the victim of malicious prosecution by the town and its attorneys who knew the code allowed xeriscaping but cited him anyway.

Bols, who bought the retail center in 2021 for $1.1 million, said he didn’t set up shop in Lantana to start a fight with the town.

“But they made it very clear to me that I was a wealthy guy who bought property in town and I should just pay up,” he said. 

If it is successful, Mills said, the lawsuit could help others. “There’s just so many people who took the repercussions, paid the fines and moved on,” he said. 

By Jane Musgrave

After looking at dozens of places to live in South Florida, Leah Mills said she and her husband settled on Hypoluxo Island because they fell in love with what she described as a “quintessential whimsical Florida Keys-style home.”

That whimsy, however, has turned into a nightmare since the couple last year made what seemed like a routine request to add two bedrooms to their dream home along the Intracoastal Waterway.

With a permit in hand from Lantana, the Oklahoma couple demolished parts of the house in February 2025. Since then, town officials have refused to give them permits to rebuild it.

“This has wrecked our life,” Brent Mills said of the couple's yearlong odyssey. “It would be better if a hurricane hit it. It’s an absolute mess.”

The crux of the dispute, which is playing out in Palm Beach County Circuit Court, is whether the estimated $875,000 addition is worth more than 50% of the value of the house. 

If so, the Federal Emergency Management Agency would require the entire house to be elevated and rebuilt at a cost the Millses estimate would reach at least $2 million.

But the bigger question in the dispute is why Lantana officials would give the couple a permit to demolish much of the house, making it unlivable, if they weren’t going to allow them to rebuild it. In the court battle that is becoming increasingly contentious, Lantana building officials insist that the two issues are separate.

“The demolition permit only authorized demolition and did not approve or authorize any improvements or construction associated with any improvements,” Elizabeth Eassa, Lantana’s assistant development services director, said in an affidavit. 

But, the Millses countered, they would never have torn down much of the house unless they were assured that their plans to double the size of the 2,300-square-foot house wouldn’t trigger federal regulations.

Banking on appraisal

Before they received the demolition permit they submitted an appraisal that showed the house was worth $2.2 million, which meant the cost of the planned addition was $250,000 below the FEMA threshold.

The Millses talked with town building officials before crews ripped out walls and part of the roof off the house, said Miami attorney Matthew Maranges, who represents the couple. They were assured that the cost of the addition was below the federal threshold.

“The town made clear that it would not issue the demolition permit absent satisfaction with the appraisal, precisely to avoid leaving the owners with a demolished structure that could not be lawfully rebuilt or improved,” Maranges wrote in the lawsuit.

Michael Desorcy, the town building official and floodplain administrator, disputed that such a conversation ever took place. He said the appraisal was received on Feb. 13, 2025, the same day the demolition permit was issued.

“The appraisal played no part in the determination of whether to approve or deny the demolition,” Desorcy said in an affidavit that is part of court records. “Appraisals are not required or used to make decisions whether to issue permits for demolition.”

It wasn’t until after the Millses submitted their building plans in September that the appraisal was reviewed. Desorcy and other Lantana officials said they didn’t believe it.

“In my years of experience as the floodplain administrator and building official, I have never observed any construction project for property on Hypoluxo Island that had a replacement cost of $1,200 per square foot,” Desorcy wrote, indicating that the value of the Mills house, as set by the couple’s appraiser, was inflated.

Conflict in valuations

However, in his report, Palm Beach appraiser Michael Vincent John Spaziani said he set the replacement value of the home at $1,200 per square foot based on recent sales of nearby homes. The square footage costs ranged from $1,100 to $1,300 per square foot, he wrote.

 Since the FEMA regulations apply only to the cost of the house, not the pricey real estate beneath it, Spaziani didn't include the land cost in his calculations. The price per square foot was only for the value of the Mills house and others nearby that had recently sold, Maranges said in the suit.

Desorcy was dubious. He instead used the valuation set by the Palm Beach County Property Appraiser. It put the house market value at about $268,000, meaning the value of the proposed $850,000 addition far exceeded the 50% limit.

Maranges said it was absurd to look to the tax appraiser to determine a home’s market price. The property appraiser’s values are “intentionally conservative” and don’t reflect the true cost of homes, particularly in coastal areas where prices are skyrocketing.

“In neighborhoods where residential properties routinely sell for several million dollars and continue to appreciate, using tax-assessment improve-ment values would virtually guarantee that any meaningful renovation or alteration would exceed 50% of the assessed structure value, regardless of the true market value of the building itself,” he wrote.

Judge puts town on notice  

Circuit Judge James Sherman has already issued an order, telling Lantana officials to either give the Millses a building permit for the addition or explain why they are refusing to do so and why they believe the 50% threshold has been met.

In court papers, Maranges said town officials have refused to try to resolve the dispute. So, he said, it will be up to Sherman to do so.

A timetable Maranges suggested would put any resolution at least two months away. The Millses, he said, need to move forward.

“(They) have been displaced for over a year,” Maranges said. “The construction cost continues to escalate.”

Brent Mills said he and his wife have been forced to live in hotels when they come to the county to keep watch on the shell of their house that could easily be vandalized.

The reason for the addition was simple, he said. He and his wife wanted to add two bedrooms so their adult children would be comfortable when they visited.

Mills said he is insulted by the town’s suggestion that he and his wife were trying to skirt the rules. Both are lawyers. They give back to the community.

“We hire the best appraisers, the best architects, the best engineers, the best contractors,” he said. “We follow the law to the letter.” 

Mayor ousted as three newcomers win seats; incumbent ’did not expect this at all’

Related: Overflow crowd welcomes new council as incoming mayor lays out his agenda

By Brian Biggane

In a surprising vote that all but ended the effort in South Palm Beach to build a new Town Hall, mayoral candidate Rafael Pineiro and the two first-time council candidates aligned with him swept to victory in the March 10 town election.

Pineiro ended the 11-year run of Mayor Bonnie Fischer, securing about 52% of the vote. Fran Attardi led all five Town Council candidates in the race for three council openings and newcomer Adrian Burcet finished second.

Pineiro, Attardi and Burcet won regular four-year terms, though a machine recount was mandated because of the closeness of the finish between Burcet and the third-place council finisher, incumbent Sandra Beckett.

Beckett was also elected, but her finish — with four fewer votes than Burcet received — left her with only a two-year unexpired term.

Defeated in the election were Vice Mayor Monte Berendes, who finished fourth, and Council member Elvadianne Culbertson, who came in fifth.

Council member Ray McMillan was the lone incumbent not up for election; his term runs until March 2028.

None of the three newcomers has any experience in town government.

Berendes said the results caught him totally by surprise.

“I am in complete shock,” he said. “This just blows me away. I did not expect this at all.”

Fischer, first elected to the council in 2011 and as mayor in 2015, was more subdued.

“It’s a disappointment,” she said after the results were posted. “We had a good council, working together, and it will be interesting to see now what happens with the town.”

The council spent much of the past two years working toward building a new Town Hall to replace the existing one. Fort Lauderdale-based CPZ Architects was hired and delivered drawings for a new two-story building expected to cost about $6-7 million. 

Pineiro made it the focal point of his campaign to stop the project and to hire an engineering firm to study the possibility of renovating the existing building. 

Berendes and Fischer have both gone on record in the past saying Pineiro didn’t have all the facts and that, after nearly 10 years of planning, the time for a new building had come.

“I feel like Rafael misled a lot of people,” Berendes said, “putting out a lot of misinformation on what was going on. But it’s on him now.”

Fischer said she was “calmer than I thought I would be” upon getting the results.

“I’ve had a good run,” she said. “I would have liked to have done more, especially with the beaches and the things I was working on. I’ve spent many years on beach issues.

“I never looked at it being a burden, I really didn’t. I enjoyed it. My position allowed me to meet a lot of people I probably wouldn’t, and that’s very important to me.” 

Mayor

R. Pineiro*         234                

B. Fischer (I)         217  

Town Council (three seats)

F. Attardi*         262  

A. Burcet*         237  

S. Beckett (I)*^         233  

M. Berendes (I)         208  

E. Culbertson (I)         177  

(I) Incumbent

*Elected to four-year term

*^Elected to two-year unexpired term

Source: Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections

The huge tree sits near the golf course clubhouse (at left). John Pacenti/The Coastal Star

By John Pacenti

The giant banyan tree on the Delray Beach municipal golf course that has become a cause célèbre in recent months has weathered hurricanes and plenty of golf balls. But can it stand tall against bureaucracy?

Well, that answer remains to be seen after the Lake Worth Drainage District allowed the city to postpone its presentation on saving the tree for another month.

The city is seeking expert advice from arborists and engineers to obtain a variance from the district to allow the 50-foot tree — possibly the largest in the county — to survive.

The problem, as the district sees it, is that the tree impedes the E-4 canal and, if it falls in a major storm, would cause surrounding properties to flood. The tree stretches nearly across the canal.

The district has ordered Delray Beach to remove the 70-plus-year-old tree at its cost per an agreement the city signed in 1994.

State Rep. Rob Long, a former city commissioner, says after speaking to the district that there is simply no way that the decision it made in February gets reversed.

Long, though, has a radical idea: move the tree.

“While the tree may be ineligible for Champion Tree designation due to its non-native status, its size, age, and significance to the Delray Beach community and to the historic golf course itself warrant serious consideration of preservation,” Long wrote to the district.

Long says that the tree would have to be cut back before being relocated, but that the primary trunk and branches would remain.

Long, when asked, did not know how much such a relocation would cost.

The Lake Worth Drainage District Board will take up the issue on April 15 at a meeting where the city could learn the tree’s fate, said city spokeswoman Gina Carter. 

Ever since The Coastal Star was first published, I have found it an excellent local newspaper that I have always looked forward to reading. The publication has consistently covered southern coastal Palm Beach County news extremely well, with many interesting articles. Besides that, reading The Coastal Star has always provided a refreshing break from the national media which, on both sides of the political spectrum, reports news with a very biased slant.

Sadly, beginning with your article on Canadian visitors and then continuing with your stories on Florida property taxes and ICE, The Coastal Star is joining the mainstream media in not just covering the news, but in reporting in a decidedly biased way. 

The aforementioned stories are certainly pertinent to your readers, but your writing was clearly slanted towards the liberal view.

Our local community paper should not be a political paper, but if you are going to list political opinions you should give both sides equal coverage. I have spoken to many conservative friends and neighbors that feel the same way about your recent reporting. My wife, Linda, and I prefer the old Coastal Star that reported the news in our community without a partisan slant.

— Joe Carballosa, Delray Beach

As a resident and Briny author, I was pleasantly surprised to see a front-page article about Briny’s library and Briny authors (“Tiny Briny library has an abundance of local authors,” March 2026). 

I was equally disappointed to see that the one sentence in the article referencing me states that “... Snyder-Carroll offers her ‘Joe the Plumber’ mystery trilogy,” which incorrectly implies that is the entirety of my work.

Since 2013, I have written and self-published the following novels, most of which I advertised in your paper:

• The Dangerous Things Trilogy — Three suspense murder mysteries set primarily in Briny Breezes. 

• Click/Kill — an historical, sci-fi, murder mystery.

• Catch Me Some Sky — a YA murder mystery. 

• When the Moon Hits your Eye ... — just released last week, a quirky romance novel set in both Italy and America. 

All of my novels are available on Amazon.com, where you can read the beginning chapters. 

The Coastal Star is a great newspaper with high standards, and I understand there are space constraints. However, for such a lengthy article I do believe a better balance could have been struck. 

— Suzanne Snyder-Carroll, Briny Breezes

By Larry Barszewski

Widening the Boynton Inlet and replacing its fixed-span bridge on State Road A1A with one that opens should be a goal of Boynton Beach and neighboring coastal communities, city commissioners suggested during a March 26 workshop on the city’s comprehensive plan.

Vice Mayor Thomas Turkin said that while a slew of agencies at the federal, state and local level would need to be part of such an undertaking, the projects are important for the city’s future.

“Advocating for that to be an unfixed bridge, I think is a huge opportunity, not just for marine tourism, but also looking at property values, what that would do for the city of Boynton Beach” in the downtown and along the waterfront, Turkin said.

Commissioner Aimee Kelley said she, too, sees the inlet issue as important to be included as the city updates its comprehensive plan, which serves as a guide to the city’s future goals. 

The inlet, though widely used by boaters, was designed to flush out the Intracoastal Waterway and not for navigation. It is not maintained as a federal channel and is considered dangerous.

The city needs to figure out “what we can do to enhance it and make it more usable and more safe,” Kelley said. “A lot of our Ocean Rescue is due to that inlet and it being very difficult to traverse.”

City staff said there would also be environmental benefits to widening the inlet — officially named the South Lake Worth Inlet — including for water quality purposes.

The discussions were just that, with no specific plan developed yet for moving forward. The comments are expected to be included as staff finalizes the draft update of Boynton Beach’s comprehensive plan, which will then be sent to the state. A public hearing will be held by the city before its adoption.

“I think that is extremely important because there has been discussions I believe with other municipalities that are advocating for this,” Turkin said of inlet improvements. “So, the squeaky wheel gets the oil. I want to make sure we try to be as squeaky as possible.”

Back in 2009, a special Boynton Inlet Committee looked at the very same issues. The City Commission at the time voted to adopt the committee’s recommendations to keep things as they are and bypass other options, which had included widening or deepening the channel, ebb shoal dredging, shifting the south jetty and replacing the A1A bridge over the inlet.

Engineers had warned that  widening or deepening the inlet would lead to greater flooding of property along the Intracoastal from storm surge. 

Although the committee at the time didn’t advocate any long-term structural changes, its members favored erecting more signs letting boaters know about dangerous conditions in the Boynton Inlet. 

The bridge is currently undergoing a $579,000 improvement project by the Florida Department of Transportation. The project includes “repairing, painting, and sealing the bridge, sidewalks, railings, and sea wall to strengthen the structure and extend its lifespan,” according to FDOT. 

The work is adding non-slip surfaces on the bridge deck and sidewalks to improve safety for both drivers and pedestrians.

The project began in January and is expected to be completed by the summer. 

The current bridge opened in 1975 and state reports list it in “fair” condition. 

Brave walkers and shell collectors brace themselves as large waves crash and erode parts of Delray's beach — even as more sand is being dredged up and placed on the beach. The gray sand is from the ongoing beach renourishment project. High-energy waves and rip current warnings were frequent in March. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By John Pacenti

You’ve heard of the luck of the Irish? Well, could there also be the curse of the Carney?

Real estate broker Judy Mollica, a familiar face in local civic circles, defeated well-funded political newcomer Andrea Keiser on March 10 in a race she believed hinged on voter turnout and her long‑term ties to the community.

Her victory came in a three‑way Delray Beach City Commission race in which Mollica argued that roots and record should matter more than last‑minute campaign gloss. 

Mayor Tom Carney endorsed Keiser, saying she was the most qualified candidate on budget and policy matters. 

Mollica replaces Rob Long, who left the commission in December after being elected state representative for District 90. Mollica captured 40% of the vote to Keiser’s 34%. A third candidate, Delores Rangel, a former executive assistant for the city, had 26% to finish third. Voter turnout was 17%.

Commissioner Angela Burns won a second term without opposition.

“I think it’s just the work I’ve done in the community and that many of the residents saw my commitment,” Mollica said after the votes were counted. “I am incredibly grateful for the voters putting their trust in me.”

Mollica and Burns took their oaths of office on March 26. Pastor Lenard Johnson of Mount Olive Baptist Church swore in the new commissioner while her daughter and family watched remotely from their home in Denmark. 

Mollica — who had been on the city’s Planning and Zoning Board — got some key endorsements from the police and fire unions. She opposed the city’s ousting of the nonprofit that ran Old School Square and praised the Downtown Development Authority, often criticized by Carney as wasting taxpayer dollars.

On coastal issues, Mollica campaigned that the city should pursue reef‑based shoreline protection guided by marine scientists, rather than relying solely on trucked‑in sand and offshore dredging. She also backed exploring noise‑camera technology to ticket modified exhausts on vehicles on State Road A1A and address a long‑running quality-of-life complaint on the island.

In an era where campaigns often measure strength in the number of lawn signs lining major intersections, Mollica intentionally bucked that strategy. She said she refused to “litter the world with lawn signs,” opting instead for targeted yard placements only where homeowners specifically requested them.

“I’m door-to-door every single day, and I’ve got groups making phone calls, so we’re fighting till the end,” she told The Coastal Star before the vote.

Mollica also openly questioned Keiser’s $102,000 investment of her own money in the race, saying it showed her opponent did not have name recognition or a track record of civil service in the community.

Mollica is president of Friends of Delray, which has the motto “accountable government, sensible growth and civic pride.” She said she closed the gap with some late donations but ran her campaign “on a shoestring budget.”

The runners-up

On the trail and in interviews, Keiser framed herself as the most technically prepared candidate for a commission that spends much of its time on development and budgeting. The land-use and zoning attorney has touted that she is a board member of the Early Learning Coalition of Palm Beach County, which manages a $300 million budget with 5% administrative costs.

She also promised to address permitting delays for residents.

“Although this election did not end the way we hoped, I remain incredibly optimistic about the future of our city,” Keiser said. “This campaign brought together many residents who care deeply about Delray Beach, and I look forward to continuing to stay involved in our community and working to make our city even stronger.”

Rangel was hampered by the flu during a key stretch of candidate forums and struggled with public speaking, failing at times to get her positions across. However, in a one-on-one interview, Rangel showed her expertise on a range of issues.

At one point, a meme surfaced on Delray Beach social media circles asking, “Where’s Delores?” showing a Where’s Waldo scenario with Rangel in front of the “Invisibility Office.”

Rangel thanked her team and congratulated Mollica.

“I am so grateful to all my volunteers and supporters, and especially to my family who I put to work for me during this campaign,” she said. “We did not get the result we wanted, but I am proud of my campaign, and running for office was an incredible experience.”

Before the election, she told The Coastal Star that the direction of the city regarding development and policies was at stake. She said she was the “only candidate who does not have donors hidden in a PAC, and I’m not supported by any developers and special interest groups.”

Mollica says she has no hard feelings toward Carney — who sent out a long memo endorsing Keiser.

“I’m not one of those vindictive people,” she said. “I just want to work and get the work of the city done.”

Mayor’s letter criticized

At the March 9 commission meeting the day before the election, Carney got quite a bit of pushback on the endorsement letter he disseminated. 

Commissioners Tom Markert and Juli Casale said the assertion that he was the only one who sought budget cuts last year while other commissioners were silent was false. Casale, especially, told the mayor that when discussing the 2025-2026 budget, she was open to cuts if they were feasible. She disagreed with Carney’s proposals. 

“This is yet another clear violation of the charter and our rules that we have up here,” Markert said. “You are not allowed to criticize once decisions are made, and you’ve continually done this. This behavior is chronic, it’s unnecessary, and it’s fostering a negative culture.”

Markert noted the criticism of his fellow commissioners follows Carney’s comments at the Feb. 24 meeting that he was committed to fostering mutual respect on the dais.

Casale added, “We campaigned on transparency and honesty, and that letter was remarkably dishonest. And I have to say, you know, it is true, you are violating our rules of decorum. I mean, you should be censured at a certain point.”

Paul Cannon, chair of the Police Advisory Board, also lit into Carney in public comments.

“As a voter in Delray Beach, I feel it is highly improper for a sitting elected official to tell me how I should vote, sir,” he said. “This is entirely inappropriate, and I do hope that it doesn’t backfire when you seek reelection.” 

City Commission

J. Mollica*     2,745      

A. Keiser        2,324      

D. Rangel       1,744      

*Elected to three-year term

Source: Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections

Gulf Stream Commissioners (l-r) Joan Orthwein, Scott Morgan, Tom Stanley and Michael Greene are sworn in March 13 at the first meeting after they were reelected. Robert Canfield was unable to attend the meeting. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Steve Plunkett

As they usually do, Gulf Stream voters March 10 chose to keep the five incumbents running for Town Commission.

Returned to the dais are Scott Morgan, Tom Stanley, Robert Canfield, Michael Greene and Joan Orthwein, all officially receiving at least 294 votes, according to the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections Office.

The commissioners took their oaths of office at the start of their March 13 regular meeting and quickly chose Morgan to continue as mayor and Stanley as vice mayor.

Town Clerk Reneé Basel said 399 people voted in person and 67 by mail, making for a 57% turnout of Gulf Stream’s 818 registered voters. 

Newcomer Michael Glennon, who campaigned on bringing “a fresh perspective” to the commission, garnered 241 votes, more than double the 112 that Julio Martinez got in his losing effort in the last contested election in 2017 but 54 shy of winning a seat.

Glennon was picked by more than half the voters casting ballots in the town election, but that wasn’t enough to overcome the incumbents who each were chosen by between 63% to 73% of participating voters.

It was the first time Greene and Canfield stood for election after being appointed to the commission. Greene had 305 votes, Canfield 294.

Morgan, Stanley and Orthwein each received the most votes they’ve ever had. Morgan had 340, or 15 more than in 2014; Stanley clocked in with 333, up 16 from 2014; and Orthwein had 318, or five more than in 2014.

A PAC supporting the five incumbents took out an ad telling voters that “results require a team” and listing the commission’s accomplishments over the years, including zero tax increases for 10 years and 25% lower costs for drinking water once Gulf Stream switches to Boynton Beach’s system in 2027. 

Town Commission

(five seats)

S. Morgan (I)*         340          

T. Stanley (I)*          333          

J. Orthwein (I)*        318          

M. Greene (I)*         305          

R. Canfield (I)*         294          

M. Glennon              241          

(I) Incumbent

*Elected to three-year term

Source: Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections

By Steve Plunkett

Mere months after raising the rates that residents pay for drinking water — with many paying up to 36% more — Gulf Stream town commissioners have scaled back the level of the increases.

After hearing complaints about “almost shockingly high” bills, Mayor Scott Morgan and the commission in February asked staff to review the increases they had approved in October after Delray Beach boosted its base rate. 

It did not help that water bills cover two months of use, doubling the perceived increase, and that residents before the change paid only $3.60 per 1,000 gallons of water for the first 20,000 gallons, effectively being subsidized by neighbors who use a lot more.

On Oct. 1, the rates for the town’s four “tiers,” categories based on lot size and water usage, each went up $1.30 per 1,000 gallons of water after Delray Beach’s rate for Gulf Stream rose to $4.90 per 1,000 gallons.

Commissioners, succumbing to complaints, on March 13 lowered each tier’s rate for each 1,000 gallons of water used by 40 cents, to $4.50 for the first tier, $4.73 for the second, $6.24 for the third and $10.20 for the fourth. That makes the overall rate increase for this year 90 cents per 1,000 gallons.

“I think it sounds good,” Commissioner Joan Orthwein said.

With the lowered rates, the town will break even with what Delray Beach charges it, said Mark Bymaster, the town’s chief financial officer. The higher rates would have provided a $100,000 cushion to cover repairs or capital expenses of Gulf Stream’s water infrastructure.

The town charges increasingly higher rates for residents who use increasingly greater amounts of water — a system designed to discourage property owners from watering their lawns too much.

Delray Beach, which has supplied Gulf Stream with drinking water for at least 50 years, told the town in 2024 that it had to leave the city’s system. The city is building a new water plant and says it can only afford one large enough to serve its own population, which is expected to grow by 7,000 residents.

Gulf Stream is in the process of switching providers and connecting to Boynton Beach’s system. When it does so, estimated to happen in April or May 2027, the cost to the town will plummet to $3.75 per 1,000 gallons under a 25-year agreement Gulf Stream and Boynton Beach signed last fall.

“Looking forward to lower rates in ’27,” Commissioner Michael Greene said.

But to do that, a water main must be installed from Seacrest Boulevard east along Gulfstream Boulevard to a connection just inside the entrance to Place Au Soleil on the west side of the Intracoastal Waterway.

Along with lower rates, Gulf Stream expects to get better water pressure from Boynton Beach once it connects. 

A coastal Palm Beach County special election to fill a vacant statehouse seat attracted national attention when the Democratic candidate defeated her Republican rival in a district that includes President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home.

Democrat Emily Gregory, a small-business owner from Jupiter, beat Republican Jon Maples, a financial planner and former Lake Clarke Shores council member who had been endorsed by Trump — with the president voting by mail-in ballot in the March 24 election.

Gregory captured slightly more than 51% of the vote in the unofficial count reported on the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections website as of March 27. 

The District 87 house seat includes most of Manalapan, the eastern part of Lantana, plus South Palm Beach and points north to Juno Beach. It had been held by Republican Mike Caruso, whom Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed Palm Beach County’s clerk of courts and comptroller in August. The previous clerk, Joseph Abruzzo, left the position after being hired as county administrator.

DeSantis scheduled the election for Caruso’s replacement to be held after the 2026 session of the state Legislature was to have ended, but lawmakers are expected back in April because they still need to approve a state budget.

Gregory may not have much of a say as the GOP has a supermajority in the state Legislature.  

And she won’t have much of a chance to warm her seat, as it goes up for election again in November for a full two-year term.

The election provided fodder for the nation’s political pundits trying to divine clues for how Republicans who control the U.S. House and Senate might perform in November’s congressional elections.

The unofficial results of the District 87 race showed Gregory with 17,122 votes to Maples’ 16,322, an 800-vote margin. 

— Larry Barszewski

FL House District 87

Special election* 

E. Gregory      (D)  17,122      

J. Maples         (R)  16,322      

*Unofficial results

Source: Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections

By John Pacenti

Manalapan’s ambitious Town Hall project hit a snag when the owner of a former bank on a corner of Plaza del Mar failed to respond to the town’s overture to purchase the property.

The Town Commission at its March 10 meeting authorized an outside attorney to prepare to proceed with the acquisition of the property by eminent domain.

The former bank building at 131 S. Ocean Blvd. has been a troublesome property for the town, which imposed a $163,000 lien on it last year for unpaid code-enforcement fines related to unapproved renovations. 

Town Attorney Keith Davis told commissioners the resolution mirrors language used in prior actions and is a procedural step to preserve the town’s ability to acquire the property if the owner does not reach an agreement with the town. 

Davis told commissioners that the April 5 deadline for the offer period is approaching. If the deadline passes without a response, town staff will move forward under the authority granted by the resolution.

Town Manager Eric Marmer said Manalapan has already made an offer to the building's owner, Salute Realty LLC, based on an appraisal.

The resolution adopted states the property — called Parcel 101 — is necessary “for the expansion or relocation of the Town Hall and parts of its offices and facilities, including but not limited to police and fire department facilities.”

The item drew limited public discussion at the meeting.

The town is working to secure additional land around the bank building owned by the plaza. The site is considered the best option because it would allow the current Town Hall to remain operational during construction.

Salute Realty LLC is based in New York. It purchased the building for $1.2 million in 2019, according to Palm Beach County property records.

State records do not list a direct phone number for Salute Realty or the registered agent.

The lack of a response from the ownership to the town is curious, given that Salute Realty vigorously fought the code violations.

The council-approved resolution is just the first step in the acquisition process. If negotiations fail, the town would file a Petition for Condemnation in Palm Beach County Circuit Court.

A judge would then decide whether the project serves a valid public purpose and whether the municipality truly needs the specific property. A jury would determine the final amount the town would pay to Salute Realty. 

By John Pacenti

You gotta spend money to make money — or something like that.

The Manalapan Town Commission at its March 10 meeting approved $71,700 for an engineering firm to obtain a low-interest loan for the town’s $20 million septic-to-sewer project.

Tom Biggs, vice president for Mock Roos & Associates, told the commission that multiple submissions are required to obtain a low-interest loan from the State Revolving Fund administered by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.

“There’s a long checklist,” Biggs said. “The process is somewhat complicated.”

The loan program — funded by federal and state contributions — functions like an infrastructure bank to provide local governments with the capital needed to plan and build wastewater, stormwater and drinking water projects.

“The subsidized loan currently operates in the 2% (interest) range, and it fluctuates based on income statistics for the town,” Biggs said. He said the loan would cost the town significantly less than a bond issue — which would have to be approved by voters.

There was relatively little discussion among commissioners. Another Florida coastal town — Key Biscayne — recently paid a different engineering firm more than $20,000 to fill out an application for the revolving fund for its stormwater project.

The issue was controversial for the village because it had a staff member in charge of obtaining outside funding for infrastructure projects. Manalapan has no such staff member or expertise.

Town Manager Eric Marmer said Mock Roos will incorporate simultaneous work, such as a rate study, that will show how many customers will need to be connected to a central sewer line and what they should be charged.

Mock Roos is also putting in two applications for two different state grants, he said. The town has also applied for U.S. Rep. Lois Frankel’s community project funding, which directs federal dollars to Palm Beach County to improve infrastructure, public safety, health services and education, Marmer added.

Marmer has called the septic-to-sewer project the town’s top priority.

Septic systems are used by most single-family homes in Ocean Ridge, Manalapan and Gulf Stream.

The state’s porous limestone and sandy soil allow nitrogen and pathogens from septic systems to leach directly into the groundwater and coastal estuaries. The chance that Manalapan gets the State Revolving Fund loan seems good.

Former DEP Secretary Shawn Hamilton, addressing legislative subcommittees in 2023, said the agency was committed to addressing septic tanks, saying they “represent a direct threat to water bodies, so we’ve prioritized those efforts for replacement.” 

The Taj Mahal of guardhouses will, alas, remain on the drawing board.

Manalapan’s Architectural Commission severely cut back on the ambitious plan originally proposed, Town Manager Eric Marmer said.

The new plan scales what could have been a $340,000 structure back to the size of the current aging guardhouse. Marmer said it will now cost the $100,000 that the Town Commission allocated for the project.

Gone is the elaborate steel trellis that would stretch over the guardhouse at Point Manalapan on Hypoluxo Island.

After some pushback to its original design, Currie Sowards Aguila Architects presented several new design options — contemporary, coastal, and Caribbean variations — at ARCOM’s March 5 meeting.

“The design, essentially, is like what you already have there, except the added features for better security and deterring crime with wider, bigger windows,” Marmer said.

Marmer described the new design as not the modern design initially proposed, “but it’s not going to be like the shack from the 1960s anymore.”

Police have emphasized that the new design will provide better sightlines, CCTV and license plate readers, on-site police staffing and an ADA-compliant restroom.

The new design will head back to the Town Commission for final approval.

— John Pacenti

No more dog ban — The first official action initiated by newly elected South Palm Beach Vice Mayor Fran Attardi was a proposal to remove the ban on dogs on Town Hall property, including signage. The ban had been in place since 2023.

Attardi said early in the campaign she and newly elected Mayor Rafael Pineiro had initially bonded over efforts to remove the ban and went as far as to circulate a petition to do so, but the council never responded. The March 17 vote to overturn the ban was greeted with a large ovation from the overflow crowd.

Generator move approved — Representatives from Dune Duck Condominium made a presentation to retroactively have approved moving their generator and placing a vinyl covering on it to make it less unsightly to residents. The proposal had already been approved by the Architectural Review Board on March 5.

— Brian Biggane

Delray Beach commissioners denied a waiver that would have allowed this three-story, 7,330-square-foot house at 1006 Brooks Lane. The house would have exceeded the maximum square footage for the property. Image provided

By John Pacenti

The Delray Beach City Commission stood firm on development on the coast, denying a request to exceed the city’s building code for a proposed three-story, 7,330-square-foot house along the Intracoastal Waterway.

The unanimous vote at the Feb. 24 meeting gave a victory to the Beach Property Owners Association. Its president, Hal Stern, argued that the commission stick to the ordinance it adopted in March 2024 with input from coastal residents.

“Those standards were enacted in direct response to widespread neighborhood concern over oversized, out-of-proportion, three-story buildings,” Stern said.

He said the proposed single-family home at 1006 Brooks Lane “would be incompatible with the established neighborhood context, and therefore fails to meet the waiver requirement of adverse impact.”

Stamm Development Group, the owner, asked for the waiver to exceed the city’s Floor Area Ratio — or FAR — that measures a building’s size in relation to the overall size of the property. The proposed home would be 1,724 square feet over the maximum adopted two years ago.

For the commission, this was a messy conundrum because a permit to build an even bigger home on the property was issued before the new FAR was adopted. 

“This is a complicated one, no doubt about that, all the way around,” said Commissioner Tom Markert.

Stamm said $40,000 was spent to obtain a building permit in June 2023, before the new ordinance was adopted.

The city in January 2025 then notified the owner that the permit was issued in error, and new applications would need to adopt the current land development regulations, or LDRs.

Ownership appealed to Tallahassee. Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier issued a letter stating that, under state statute, the city could not revoke an extended building permit, according to a presentation by Stamm to the commission.

In January, the builder met with city staff to reach a compromise. The waiver request reduces the home’s design area from 9,112 square feet to 7,330 square feet. The city’s regulations allow for a maximum 5,606-square-foot building on the property.

“We don’t feel that it does adversely affect the neighboring areas,” said Sean McAllister, director of development for Stamm.

Besides BPOA opposition, Tom Kustura, who owns the property immediately adjacent, framed the matter as both a compatibility and a legal fairness issue. 

“If you approve this waiver, I’ll be the next in line asking for a waiver to enlarge my house,” he said. “Where does it end?” 

Joe Chalal, who said he was representing homeowners on both Brooks Lane and White Drive, pushed back on the builder’s claim. “There’s definitely an impact. And it’s not a minor deviation,” he said.

Chalal told commissioners he had gathered signatures from nearby residents opposing the waiver and warned the decision would be cited in future requests across the barrier island.

Mike Stamm, principal in the development firm, told commissioners he feels there is a valid permit. 

But Anthea Gianniotes, the city’s development services director, pushed back on the claim that the original permit is valid. She said ownership of the 0.2-acre lot moved from Dr. Boris Zusin, a restorative dentist, to an LLC in August and Florida law stipulates that owner-builder permits cannot be utilized by a company.

“This permit that they’re trying to travel under is no longer valid because the ownership has changed,” she said.

The commission remained steadfast in adhering to the LDR.

“I do think that this will affect the neighborhood,” said Commissioner Angela Burns. “So it’s not consistent with the code.”

Commissioner Juli Casale added, “While I appreciate your situation, and I feel it’s unfortunate that you find yourself in front of us asking for this, I can’t agree to it.”

Mayor Tom Carney said his issue was that the owner-builder permit became invalid when the deed of property changed to the LLC.

“I’m not worried about the precedent here,” Carney said. “There’s too many special facts and circumstances to try to duplicate this.” 

This image highlights a proposed multimillion-dollar renovation for Lantana Beach Park. Council members are mulling over the project, but some residents say they don’t want it to wind up like local beachfronts they consider overdeveloped. The numbers denote proposed amenities such as a playground (11), splashpad (12), event lawn (25), and space for a future parking garage (29). The beach is at the bottom. Image provided

By Patrick Sherry

The Lantana Town Council is considering a multimillion-dollar, major renovation project for Lantana Beach Park, but residents say they don’t want it to turn into another overdeveloped beachfront. 

Town staff invited residents to give their feedback on a new Lantana Beach Master Plan at a well-attended community workshop on March 14. The plan includes building more amenities on site and improving landmarks that have been around for decades. 

Council members first discussed the renovation project during a 2024 visioning session. Last year, they reprioritized the project because of the aging facilities at the park. 

“We can kind of have a Band-Aid approach, if you will, just kind of repair things as they break,” Town Manager Brian Raducci said. “Or we can take a comprehensive look at the entire 7.19-acre site and do something a lot more comprehensive.”

CPZ Architects, which has worked on a few town projects, was hired to create a conceptual proposal. Its plan would rebuild the boardwalk with new small shops, move the Dune Deck Café a bit farther west, add a parking garage, and construct a pier on the south side of the beach. Several attractions, including a splashpad, sand volleyball court, amphitheater, and picnic area, would also be added. Developers aim to build all this while maintaining the area’s existing tree canopy and dunes as much as possible. 

Before moving forward with any of this, town officials wanted residents’ opinions. More than 30 people spoke at the workshop, with most of them opposed to the project’s added developments, saying it would go against the small-town character for which the beach is known. 

“Who wants to take this lovely space and change its use; who gains from this change?” Jerome Burke said. “It looks to me like many, many people, couples and families have much to lose if this park changes.”

The council doesn’t know how much the project will cost yet, but it is expected to be expensive. It has already allocated $1.2 million for it, and external partnerships and financing will be needed to cover the rest of the cost. To fill any funding shortages, Raducci also presented the idea of selling three town-owned vacant parcels that are worth about $3.6 million.  

Residents appreciated the town staff’s willingness to hear their opinions and adjust the project based on their suggestions. 

“I do believe that there could be some things added or subtracted based on the feedback from the survey; you’ll have data to be able to adjust appropriately,” resident Tammy Gianfortune said. “As a first step, I think this will be a good starting point from which that data will guide you to improve the plan as we move forward.” 

Town officials conducted an online survey to get more input from the public. The survey asked respondents what improvements and additions they would like to see and what should be removed from the current plan. Their input will be considered in future revisions.

The results of the survey will be presented at the April 10 Town Council visioning session at the Finland House. 

L-R: Alicia Taylor, Alan Hoover and Cindy Demma sing ‘Hey, Baby (I Wanna Know If You‘ll Be My Girl).‘ Photos by Jerry Lower/The Costal Star

By Ron Hayes

“Live from Briny Breezes, it’s … !”

Tuesday night, actually.

Tuesday night, March 17.

This is not NBC’s legendary sketch show, Saturday Night Live.

This is St. Paddy’s Night LIVE! And not to brag, but the town’s annual Curtain Raisers variety shows have been around even longer than NBC’s fabled half-century show.

Saturday Night Live debuted in October 1975. The Briny Breezes library has Curtain Raiser photos dating to 1950.

What is a Curtain Raisers variety show?

It’s 80 minutes of sketches, songs, dances and a generous helping of corny jokes you’d have to live in Briny to appreciate.

It’s 48 men and women, most in their 70s and 80s, who have written, rehearsed and are about to perform five skits, five songs, two dance performances, one stand-up routine. All supported by a dedicated backstage crew to work the lights and sound and carry the rocking chairs, fake palm trees, and make-believe campfire on and offstage.

Mostly, though, a Curtain Raisers show is a full house of friends and neighbors having fun watching their friends and neighbors have fun.

The laughter is loud, the applause frequent, and none of the performers ever need fear being booed.

There are men and women performing on Broadway who only dream of having this much love come at them across the footlights.

One night only

The woman charged with bringing all this together and keeping it there for one night only is Kathy Hoover, the Curtain Raisers’ artistic director.

“I was heavily recruited three years ago because of my experience,” she says.

A third-generation Brinyite and retired English teacher from Columbus, Ohio, Hoover was part of the Ohio State Arts Initiative and participated in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s “Stand Up For Shakespeare” program in Stratford-On-Avon, teaching teachers how to teach Shakespeare.

The Curtain Raisers are not Shakespeare, but Hoover has her challenges.

Before Monday’s final dress rehearsal, for example, she had to reassure Andy Abraham of the town’s maintenance crew that they would be done in time for him to set up the tables for Bingo Night.

And they were.

Cindy Neureuther with her husband, Andy. The show was held in memory of Andy, a longtime Curtain Raiser who died in September at 84.

In memory of ‘a ham’

At 6 p.m., Sherry Tauber and Deno Langel entertain the line waiting outside the auditorium with live music.

When the doors open at 6:30 p.m., Len Drapeau plays jazz piano onstage as the auditorium fills. Every seat.

The shamrock green program notes that tonight’s performance is “In Memory of Andy Neureuther,” who died last September at 84 after being a Curtain Raiser for 19 seasons. He sang, he acted, he danced, he worked the sound board and lighting.

“He was a ham,” said Cindy Neureuther, his wife of 46 years, who is in the audience. “He taught at UC Berkeley and played tuba in the faculty club celebrations. He loved Briny and looked forward to coming here every year.”

In welcoming the audience, Hoover reminds them that the show is for Andy. She sends up a prayer that he has a front-row seat in heaven for tonight’s show.

And now, showtime!

A gag about ‘trailers‘ ... 

In 2024, the show was A Magical Place, a parody of The Wizard of Oz.

Last year was A Briny Cruise On The SS Iguana.

This year it’s St. Paddy’s Night LIVE! but apart from the green lighting, the Irish music between scenes and an Irishy dance finale, this is an old-fashioned variety show.

Judith Kraft plays the part of a woman under hypnosis who is speaking into her new ‘i-Sandal’ phone and arranging a date with Brad Pitt.

Ron Vaughn, as The Amazing Ron in black hat and cape, “hypnotized” four ladies and ordered them to yell “mobile home!” every time he said “trailer.”

Apparently, those who reside in mobile homes do not like to have their dwellings called trailers.

“Mobile home!”

That became a running gag throughout the show, and the audience soon joined in.

The most elaborate skit of the night was “The Pursuit of Warmth & Abundant Sunshine,” with Alan Hoover, president of the Curtain Raisers club, as George Washington, future president.

Sitting with his fellow soldiers around a campfire outside Valley Forge, the father of our country mused on a future day when Florida would be part of the country. In a place called Florida, George predicted, Yankees would pull their trailers to a little park called Briny Breezes.
“Mobile home!”

Jan Burkhart and Marj Cline sang a parody of that Drifters classic Under The Boardwalk.

“On The Briny Porch, 

in a rocker with my baby, 

that’s where I’ll be.”

When Brinyites announce they are going to the beach, they mean they are going to sit in a rocker on the clubhouse porch and look at the beach.

Annie Harkness made her 19th appearance as a Curtain Raiser with a solo rendition of Little Old Wine Drinker Me.

Along with Harkness, Michele Tysse, Toni Alexander and Camille Scrip became “The Briny Girls,” their version of “The Golden Girls.”

Sam Cooke’s Chain Gang provided background music for a tribute to the men who unload the attic of donations for each year’s Briny Bazaar, and Cindy Demma and Alicia Taylor sang a powerful version of Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.

... and a sketch on old age 

If the performers were nervous onstage, it wasn’t because they can’t laugh at themselves. They are old, they know it, and they don’t mind joking about it.

In “Later Daters,” a sketch about online dating, Grant Perry and Becky Jones bantered after meeting via the internet.

“Why is someone calling so late? It’s almost eight-fifteen.”

“What do you want in a partner?”

“Someone who can drive at night.”

“Can I get your number?”

“It’s 120 over 70.”

The show closed with Diane Butler, who is clearly a trained singer, performing My Heart Will Go On, from Titanic.

“Near, far, wherever you are,

I believe that the heart does go on.”

No doubt the Brinyites who put on those early shows 75 years ago are gone, but the Curtain Raisers go on.

This month the players will begin dreaming up ideas for next year’s show. Back North for the summer, they’ll email ideas around for reactions, and when they return in December, the work gets underway.

A script will be distributed in January 2027, and for the final six weeks before the show, the acts will rehearse the skits for an hour a week.

And then, a year from now, it’s showtime again.

What is a Curtain Raisers show?

The Amazing Ron put it best.

“We’re just a bunch of old people up there making fools of ourselves,” he said, “but Briny Breezes is the best audience in the world. They’ll laugh at anything.” 

By John Pacenti

The Florida Legislature’s war on home rule has now left municipalities paralyzed on — of all things — synthetic turf.

The result for residents: install at your own risk. 

The problem is a Tallahassee two-step that left the Ocean Ridge Town Commission tied up in knots for two meetings.

The legislature in 2025 took the first step to block local governments from enforcing any ordinance that prohibits single-family property owners from installing synthetic turf, provided it meets statewide standards. 

The rub is the Florida Department of Environmental Protection has yet to take the second step to incorporate those new standards to fit the new law — rules that could sometimes take years to hash out.

“All towns, all cities are not enforcing their turf laws at this time because everybody’s waiting to see the preemption that comes from Tallahassee in its final state,” Ocean Ridge Town Manager Michelle Heiser said at the Feb. 2 commission meeting. “So here we are in a predicament.”

It’s another example of the state Legislature cutting into the self-determination of cities, towns and villages. And you can blame “Big Turf” — manufacturers of synthetic turf and developers who contributed to the sponsors of the legislation and then hired powerhouse lobbyist firms to make sure the legislation passed. 

Proponents argued that uniformity on turf installation was needed throughout the state.

“Tallahassee is really trying to change the culture in some cities and towns away from overregulation and having community standards that are so strict that it’s very much like an HOA,” Heiser said at the February meeting.

Two former town commissioners didn’t like the idea of the state or the town easing up on artificial turf when the issue resurfaced at the March 2 meeting.

“This is bad stuff. It’s ugly. It doesn’t do all the stuff they say it does,” Terry Brown said during public comments. “It’s successful lobbying by large manufacturers.”

Betty Bingham, another former commissioner, added, “They don’t even really know whether it’s environmentally sound. As it gets older, it makes fumes. It could cause various diseases. It doesn’t absorb water. I don’t see any benefits to artificial turf.”

Heiser first broached the artificial turf issue at the Feb. 2 meeting, saying a homeowner on Harbour Drive North wanted to install some artificial turf after cooperating with the town on a drainage field. 

Homeowners in beachside communities are familiar with that patch of property that gets battered by the elements, where nothing seems to grow.

“We’ve got a handful of very patient homeowners,” Heiser said. “I’m just looking for a common-sense approach.”

Multiple considerations ...

The existing code requires artificial turf to appear grass-like, meet a minimum permeability standard, and have an eight-year manufacturer’s warranty. It cannot be installed in the front yard and is limited to 25% of a lot’s size.

In anticipation of FDEP adopting new standards, the commission considered getting rid of the location and size requirements. It also considered just not enforcing the current ordinance, knowing it will be changed once FDEP makes its decision.

“Every local government is going to have to pivot,” Town Attorney Christy Goddeau said at the Feb. 2 meeting.

FDEP is deciding the technical and environmental rulebook for synthetic turf statewide — how permeable it must be, how it’s installed, how it affects drainage, heat, water quality and trees.

“Doesn’t it seem crazy to enforce an ordinance that we know is going?” Vice Mayor Steve Coz asked at the Feb. 2 meeting.

Commissioners then discussed just ignoring its own code. Such a policy seems to be becoming the Ocean Ridge way, as the town has taken a similar approach regarding hedges and the trimming of coconut palms. 

Commissioner Carolyn Cassidy wasn’t a fan of carving out exceptions for certain properties. “If we allow one homeowner to go ahead, I mean, how long before the builder, who was forced to rip it out of the front yard very recently, comes in here making noise about it?” she said.

That’s when commissioners said residents could be informed that they could install artificial turf, but would be at the mercy of the FDEP once new rules were handed down.

Goddeau interjected at the March 2 meeting, “I do not recommend adopting something and telling people you could do it, but if it doesn’t comply with the final DEP rule, then what are we going to do? Take code enforcement and go to people’s houses, require them to rip out what they installed?” 

... but decision is to wait

Mayor Geoff Pugh said he was never a fan of the town’s artificial turf ordinance. Still, he pressed for a mechanism that keeps the town accountable for what gets installed — floating the idea of a no‑fee permit so the town can at least track products and advise residents on risks as rules evolve.

In the end, the commission punted. It decided not to change its ordinance and to revisit it in July, when FDEP will possibly have its new requirements.

Commissioner Ainar Aijala Jr. put things in perspective a bit, saying it’s not like the whole town will soon be carpeted with artificial turf like Ford Field in Detroit.

“It’s not like there’s a whole lot of our citizens who are going to be put out by this. So let’s just wait,” he said.