What is wrong with the Delray Beach commissioners?  They have as a whole completely ruined the award-winning small town of Delray Beach. It has been ruined and they are all to blame. 
With their approved overdevelopment, the city has, in a mere couple of years, turned into a big city like Fort Lauderdale, and no one except the tourists is happy about it.  The commissioners should all be ashamed of themselves and if they allow the overdevelopment to continue east of Atlantic Crossing, they should all be run out of town!
There have been so many overwhelming mistakes that they have made in governing this town — overdevelopment being the worst and then the fiasco with Delray’s water system and now the Cornell Art Museum in Old School Square.
Again, what is wrong with their heads? The Boca Museum of Art has conducted the finest exhibits, lectures and classes in the whole county. It would have been an overwhelming win for Cornell to have been managed by the Boca Museum of Art.  One of the commission’s main reasons for shooting itself in the foot was that they didn’t want someone from out of town running this institution.
Well, since Delray Beach government hasn’t managed to do anything right in the past five to 10 years, it would have been a safer bet and one that all of us would have benefited from.
Drain the swamp!

— Susan Hansford
Delray Beach

Honoring the fallen

Memorial Day, once known as Decoration Day, began after the Civil War to remember the fallen of that conflagration. It now honors all who have died in military service to the country. More than 100 people gathered at the Delray Beach Memorial Gardens Municipal Cemetery to honor men and women who have died in service to the military.

Jayne Morrison, a member of Boca Raton American Legion Post 277, prays during the ceremony’s invocation. Photos by Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

Honor guard commander Jacquie Sandoval leads the Delray Beach Fire Department in a presentation of the colors. She works in the Highland Beach fire station.

Delray Beach American Legion Post 65 chaplain Bill Stanton places his hand over his heart during the playing of taps.

Boy Scouts from Troop 301 in Delray Beach unfurl a flag before it is raised, and then flown at half-mast, at a ceremony in tribute to the nation’s war dead.

Related story: Along the Coast: Condo reserve rules, inspections become law

By Charles Elmore 

Days before the June 1 start to hurricane season, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed what he called the “most significant reforms to Florida’s homeowners insurance market in a generation” as home and condo owners struggled with dropped policies and runaway rates rising sometimes 30% or more.
But legislators in southeastern Palm Beach County questioned how well the plan’s touted consumer benefits stand up to scrutiny, from rate relief to roof rules.
Insurers are getting access to a new $2 billion taxpayer fund to help them cover claims, but GOP legislators rejected amendments from Democrats to tie that to a rate freeze or cut.
“We are giving $2 billion in general revenue, so it’s basically a corporate bailout,” said Sen. Lori Berman, D-Boynton Beach and an attorney. She called it “reasonable” to make sure customers get something out of it.
The companies taking advantage of the temporary state reinsurance layer must refile rates to reflect that during one of the next two years. Bill backers said they could not provide any average or projected savings for consumers, and cautioned that at any given insurer, overall premiums could still rise, though perhaps less than they might have otherwise. They said it may take time, but the important thing is to stabilize the market.
“I think we can say we did everything we could to drive down rates,” said sponsor Sen. Jim Boyd, R-Bradenton, who owns an insurance agency.
Also in the package: a provision that insurers cannot drop policies just because a home’s roof is 15 years old or older. Supporters cited that as an example of how the insurance industry was giving up something in a balanced approach to legislation.
At first glance, “it looks good,” said Sen. Tina Polsky, D-Boca Raton, a mediator and lawyer.
But she asked Boyd during late May’s special session: Can’t insurers simply cite another reason, such as they think they have too much concentration of risk in a certain area, and not renew the policy anyway?
Boyd did not deny it.
“Insurance companies have marketing and underwriting guidelines they employ all the time,” he said.
Polsky said that sounded like a rule with “no teeth.”
On the other hand, she said, insurers were getting a wide array of things they wanted in the bill, such as measures making it harder to sue them for acting in “bad faith.” 
Industry officials have blamed what they call abusive lawsuits for driving up costs. A string of companies have gone out of business or are in danger of losing financial ratings in a crisis that has accelerated this year.
But Sen. Gary Farmer, D-Fort Lauderdale, said a big problem lies in state regulations, which allow owners to divert money to affiliated companies and maintain low capital requirements, $15 million. He called that a “joke.” His amendment to double that to $30 million was defeated.
Another rejected proposal: Consider allowing last-resort insurer Citizens Property Insurance Corp. to insure homes worth more than $700,000. That matters in a market like Palm Beach County, where home values have been soaring, particularly near the coast. If state-run Citizens is shut out from a growing share of the market, that can leave homeowners with few options aside from “surplus lines” companies, whose rates are not regulated by the state.
The package revives a safe home program that offers grants up to $10,000 for measures to retrofit homes against hurricanes. It pays $2 for every dollar the homeowner spends for approved purchases. Palm Beach County is within the geographic area eligible for the program, but it is only available for homes with insured value up to $500,000 and the program was not ready to take applications at the time the bill passed.
One option that could lower premiums is a new roof deductible, but it comes with some risk. If the roof does need fixing under certain conditions, the consumer could be on the hook for an amount equal to 2% of the policy dwelling limits or 50% of roof replacement costs. For a $400,000 home, that could mean $8,000 out of pocket.
In the end, legislators labored for assurances the package would help their constituents.
“What is the guarantee I can take back to Palm Beach County that we are going to decrease their premium at all?” said Sen. Bobby Powell, D-West Palm Beach.

By Jane Smith

Delray Beach commissioners have not settled on a plan yet for how best to use the Cornell Museum of Art at Old School Square during the fast-approaching summer season.
Following a May 17 commission workshop on the subject, City Manager Terrence Moore was to meet with the Community Redevelopment Agency’s executive director and Arts Warehouse manager about their ideas for the museum, then report back to the commission at its June 14 meeting.
The commission has been considering a “Summer of Delray Arts” idea suggested by Commissioner Ryan Boylston that would give local nonprofits a chance to provide displays in the museum’s four galleries.
Many questions remain, including how displaying at the Cornell would affect the organizations’ finances.
At the workshop, Deputy Vice Mayor Juli Casale questioned the cost to set up the exhibits, the hours the Cornell would be open and whether the Cornell would charge an entrance fee.
Vice Mayor Adam Frankel, who previously met with CRA Executive Director Renee Jadusingh and Arts Warehouse manager Grace Gdaniec in February about their interest in running the Cornell this summer, wants the emphasis to be on local cultural and arts groups.
“We have so many nonprofits in our city. Let’s showcase them, giving a six-week exhibit for the Spady,” Frankel said, referring to the Spady Cultural Heritage Museum.
But Casale said displaying at the Cornell might not benefit the organizations because each one has its own building to create displays.
Boylston said: “You are minimizing our arts and culture community.”
“I have been begging for a workshop for nearly one year,” Boylston said. “It’s criminal not to explore turning over the Old School Square campus to our arts and culture community.”
The commission has been trying to figure out what to do with the Cornell museum since it voted 3-2 last August to end the lease with the former Old School Square operators. The commission gave the former operators 180 days’ notice to leave, ending a 32-year-long relationship in February.
Frankel and Boylston voted against ending the lease.
At their April 5 meeting, commissioners narrowly rejected allowing the nationally known and accredited Boca Raton Museum of Art to handle the Cornell’s operations.
The city will host a charette at 6 p.m. June 23 in the Fieldhouse to gather long-term ideas for the Old School Square campus, which has five venues — including the Fieldhouse and the Cornell — at Atlantic and Swinton avenues.

Emma Imperatore and Valentina Autiero show the Gulf Stream Town Commission possible new locations for duck crossing signs. BELOW RIGHT: Prototype they drew two years ago. Photos by Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

By Steve Plunkett

Thanks to the determined efforts of two Gulf Stream School fourth-graders, signs will soon go up on Sea Road and south of the school warning motorists to watch out for ducks.
Armed with a letter of approval from their head of school, Valentina Autiero and Emma Imperatore returned to the Town Commission’s chambers on May 13 after making their initial presentation in March 2020, mere days before COVID threw off the commission’s calendar.
“We are here because two years ago I saw a Muscovy duck get hit by a car on Gulfstream Road,” Valentina said. “I thought the idea to install a duck crossing sign on Gulfstream Road might help.”
The girls wrote letters to The Little Club and two homeowners, seeking buy-in for the placement of signs on Gulfstream Road, as well as contacting the head of school.
“Congratulations on a wonderful idea for having duck crossing signs in the town of Gulf Stream. I applaud your desire to protect our area’s wildlife,” Cathy Abrams, the assistant head of school, wrote on Head of School Gray Smith’s behalf. “We look forward … to finding a place that has maximum visibility.”
The homeowners were against putting the signs at the front corner of their properties, saying that might interfere with backing out of their driveways. Instead, they proposed the school grounds and police station as better locations.
“We thought that was a good suggestion,” Valentina said.
Despite many requests, the girls did not receive a response from The Little Club, which the ducks frequent, Valentina reported.
“We appreciate your support and thank you for your time,” she concluded.
Mayor Scott Morgan, who in 2020 counseled Emma and Valentina to contact the club and the school, applauded their “dedication and perseverance.”
“More importantly, you’re involved in what is our true democratic process, bringing an issue of your concern to a body that can respond to it and hopefully help with that,” Morgan said. “I think it’s an admirable effort by you two young 9-year-olds.”
Added an enthusiastic Commissioner Paul Lyons: “I think it’s a great idea!”
The next step for the girls will be meeting with Town Manager Greg Dunham to determine a final design and site locations.
In other business, commissioners welcomed newly appointed Thom Smith to the dais. Smith replaced Commissioner Donna White, who has her Place Au Soleil home up for sale and is moving out of town.
Commissioners also voiced concern about the condition of Little Club Road, a private thoroughfare that is maintained not by the town but by its owners, The Little Club and two condo complexes — the Hillside House and St. Andrews Club.
“I think it’s an embarrassment to the town,” Morgan said. “Anyone who goes to The Little Club or goes to the St. Andrews tennis courts or visits Hillside House thinks it’s a public road, and it’s just in terrible shape.”
Commissioner Joan Orthwein agreed. “Also on that road they’ve let the landscape grow out far into the road, which I find dangerous,” she said.
Town officials will explore getting the road’s owners to deed their right-of-way to the town.

By Mary Hladky

After years of steady growth, the taxable values of Palm Beach County properties have surged in a reflection of the white-hot real estate market and a spike in new construction.
 All southeast county municipalities saw impressive gains, with Manalapan’s estimated 26.5% jump, Ocean Ridge’s 16.5% and Boynton Beach’s 15.1% outdistancing the rest.
Those three were also the only southeast coastal communities to outperform the countywide figures, which had taxable property values increasing by an estimated 13.6% from 2021 to 2022, up from 5.8% in the previous year.
Boca Raton’s taxable values rose 12.7%, up from the previous year’s 3.8%. Delray Beach’s went up 13.4%, an increase from 5.4%.
 Briny Breezes’ rose by 13.4%, Gulf Stream’s by 12.3%, Highland Beach’s by 10.8%, Lantana’s by 13.4% and South Palm Beach’s by 8.7%.
In releasing the numbers on May 27, Palm Beach County Property Appraiser Dorothy Jacks pointed to new construction and the demand for real estate.
“Demand for properties of all types continues to grow,” she said. “Both commercial and residential markets have seen an increase in value and new construction.”
The rise in residential values is due to the influx of new Florida residents and limited supply of homes, while hotels, multi-family apartment complexes and warehousing all saw value increases, she said.
New construction countywide totaled $4.3 billion, up from the previous $3.2 billion.
Meanwhile, as demand for housing continues to exceed supply, home prices are through the roof.
The county’s median sale price hit a record $601,000 in April, up 29% from $466,000 in April 2021, according to Broward, Palm Beaches and St. Lucie Realtors.
“Properties are coming off the market almost as soon as they are listed,” Carlos A. Melendez, the organization’s president, wrote in an April report. “Our median time to contract is an astounding nine days.”
The property appraiser’s numbers are estimates that are based on market conditions as of Jan. 1, 2022.
They will be revised at the end of June, when they will be submitted to the state Department of Revenue. The numbers will change as the Property Appraiser’s Office adds more properties to the tax roll and makes final calculations, but the estimates give a good idea of how taxable values fared.
The results are good news for municipal leaders as they head into the time of year when they finalize their budgets for the new fiscal year.
Local governments use taxable values to calculate how much property tax money they can expect. They then set their annual budgets and tax rates.
An increase in taxable values means they will collect more money from property owners if they keep their tax rates the same as the previous fiscal year.
Elected officials can increase the tax rate even though taxable values have risen, but they typically are loath to take that politically problematic step. They often opt to decrease the rate a small amount so they can say they have done so, even though property owners actually will see a tax increase.

Jayne Malfitano has been with HomeSafe of Palm Beach County since the 1990s. Its Boca Raton facility houses and supports survivors of child abuse. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

From her desire to become a candy striper as a teenager, to earning a degree in sociology, to her long-standing role with HomeSafe of Palm Beach County, Jayne Malfitano of coastal Boca Raton has lived a life of caring for people in need.
Malfitano first became involved with HomeSafe in the early ’90s and served on the board of directors from 2001 to 2007. She was a driving force behind HomeSafe’s establishing group homes in east Boca Raton in 2002.
“My role is just to let people know about HomeSafe, and that I believe it to be a worthwhile place to put your money and put your love,” Malfitano said.
Recent contributions have included $5 million from the Stoops Family Foundation and $1 million from the Bernstein Family Foundation.
Launched in 1979 as the Council on Child Abuse and Neglect of Palm Beach County Inc., the program soon became known as Connor’s Nursery in West Palm Beach, where families and babies with HIV issues would receive treatment. It became HomeSafe in 2011.
“We had volunteers who would come and hold the babies, and adults would get the drugs they needed,” Malfitano said. “But after the HIV drugs addressed that issue, it became more of a place where children who were sexually abused or had other needs would come.”
Soon it became apparent that one failure of the foster care system involved those children who were badly damaged and placed in facilities where they were being locked away from the rest of society.
“HomeSafe gets these children very specific, individual therapeutic care,” Malfitano said. “There’s nothing else near us that provides this.”
As part of its Healthy Beginnings program, HomeSafe also has volunteers serve as hospital liaisons who meet with the parents of newborns in Palm Beach County. The goal is to address parents’ needs and put the children on a path to being ready to start kindergarten at 5 years old.
HomeSafe works with the Department of Children and Family Services as well as the court system and even individual families to find candidates for its programs.
“Some come from families who don’t know what to do next with this child,” Malfitano said. “They bring them to HomeSafe, and the people who work there — loving, compassionate, caring people, because it’s not an easy job — work with them and some have been able to go home.”
HomeSafe has several facilities throughout Palm Beach County and has helped nearly 1,500 children and families over its 43 years in operation.
“I don’t think this will be a problem that ends soon, so I think we’ll see more homes — some call them shelters — for kids,” Malfitano said.
In addition to her HomeSafe duties, Malfitano is president of the Harcourt M. and Virginia W. Sylvester Foundation, which offers grants to a wide array of charitable and educational outlets.
Malfitano’s husband, Chris, whose career has included jobs in advertising and government, has also launched a nonprofit, Second Chance Initiative, in Boca Raton. It works with women whose histories include drug abuse or prison time. The goal is to teach the women skills they can use to find full-time jobs.
“It’s just another wonderful way of giving back,” Jayne Malfitano said.
The couple enjoy traveling and have two children: Jeff, 35, who recently moved from California to Naples, and Clare, 30, who resides in New York City.

— Brian Biggane

Q: Where did you grow up and go to school? How do you think that has influenced you?
A: I was born in Rochester, New York, went to high school in the suburban town of Pittsford, then on to college at Florida Southern and Nazareth College, which is back in Rochester. Going to a public school was a more diverse experience than a private school would have been, so I got a lot of different thoughts and opinions.
I graduated with a degree in sociology, so I’ve always been on the path of working with and helping people.

Q: What professions have you worked in? What professional accomplishments are you most proud of?
A: I’ve always worked in counseling, but early on didn’t have the educational degree to be a counselor, so I worked as a volunteer. After I got married and raised my two kids I returned to the field and am now the president of the Harcourt M. and Virginia W. Sylvester Foundation, where I am proud of our work with nonprofits. I am also proud of the partnership when I was an active member of the Junior League of Boca Raton with HomeSafe to bring a children’s shelter to Boca Raton. I was guardian ad litem from 1990-95, working with sexually abused children, where I saw children languishing and some of the issues happening in the homes, so HomeSafe and our Boca facility came out of that.

Q: What advice do you have for a young person seeking a career today?
A: My advice is to listen, be open to others’ thoughts, and be kind. You never know when you will meet again. I see so many kids who can’t listen to what other people have to say. You may still not agree, but listen. And also, being kind. If I’m rude to you the first time we meet, you’re going to remember that and have a negative opinion of me going forward.

Q: How did you choose to make your home in coastal Boca Raton?
A: My grandparents and dad moved to Boca Raton in the early ’70s and we would come and visit from when I was young. It has always been a second home to me. I met my husband here, at the Boca Raton Ball of all places, and we moved to New York City but moved back down to the Royal Palm Yacht and Country Club in 1986 and have been there since.

Q: What is your favorite part about living in coastal Boca Raton?
A: My wonderful memories of family and friends that we’ve made over the years. It’s such a giving community. Many of the women I’ve met in Junior League have become very good friends, and it’s because we have such a commitment to all of this. They may be involved in something different, but it’s wonderful that we’re all doing something.

Q: What book are you reading now?
A: The Boys, by Ron Howard and his brother Clint Howard. It’s like an autobiography that I’m reading for my book club. But what I really enjoy reading is murder mysteries. My book club friends all know that.

Q: What music do you listen to when you want to relax? When you want to be inspired?
A: When I relax, I like quiet, but I love the Doobie Brothers, and I’m going to see them this summer up in Syracuse, where my husband is from. Michael McDonald is going to be on their tour so it’s going to be great.

Q: Have you had mentors in your life? Individuals who have inspired your life decisions?
A: Fortunately, I have had many and appreciate them all. There’s so many people who have taught me so many things. Probably the best mentors I’ve had have been the volunteers I’ve worked with. It’s not necessarily people as much as it is moments that teach you what you need to know.

Q: If your life story were to be made into a movie, who would play you?
A: Sandra Bullock, because she has a great sense of humor. You have to have that when you see the sadness all around you. You have to smile and laugh.

Q: Who/what makes you laugh?
A: Just about everything. Laughter is what keeps the joy in your life. I try to find the humor everywhere. When you see the kids smiling and so happy about something like having their own bathroom, after all they’ve been through, that makes me happy. When you see that, you say: Why am I upset over such little things that really don’t matter?

By Joe Capozzi

In what town officials call “a huge win,’’ Briny Breezes has received a $330,000 state grant to help pay for an ambitious flood and sea level rise protection plan.
The plan is one of 98 projects statewide awarding nearly $20 million through the Resilient Florida Program, including five others in Palm Beach County. 
Delray Beach received $100,000 for a citywide vulnerability assessment and adaptation plan. Palm Beach County received $500,000 for vulnerability assessments in unincorporated areas, but for now the assessment will not include the pocket immediately south of Briny Breezes behind Nomad Surf Shop, or any other areas in the Coastal Resilience Partnership of Southeast Palm Beach County, a county official said. 
For other local vulnerability studies, $192,475 went to West Palm Beach, $105,000 to Palm Beach and $28,500 to Palm Beach Shores.
For Briny Breezes, where the property tax rate is already at the maximum allowed under state law, the grant will help pay for the plans and studies needed to prepare construction-ready documents for enhanced sea walls, an improved stormwater drainage system and other 50-year adaptation measures. 
“It is a huge win for Briny Breezes,’’ Michael Gallacher, president of Briny Breezes Inc., told residents in a newsletter. 
The grant money will function as a reimbursement, so the town will have to spend money on the projects first and then use the grant to recoup those costs, Town Manager William Thrasher said.
Combined with $145,000 from the town and corporation, the grant money will help Briny Breezes complete a sustainability study, using state-mandated modeling, and a stormwater master plan. A townwide survey of underground utilities has already been completed.
The corporation paid $30,000 to the engineering firm Brizaga for a 144-page flooding adaptation plan, completed in April 2021, to get a head start on its strategies.  
“This grant will get us to the next step. It is basically the final step before actually looking at sending out bids. It will give us a picture of how much it might cost,’’ Thrasher said.
“It’s a multifaceted project that’s going to take multiple years to develop. We are fortunate to receive the grant. That also indicates that others believe that we need to be doing similar work,’’ he said.
Though construction costs will be in the millions, Thrasher said he’s optimistic the town will receive assistance from federal and state grants. 
“I believe in the project,’’ he said. “I believe it’s necessary and I believe there will be additional funds granted to the town of Briny Breezes for the re-establishment of its sea
walls.’’
However, in order to be eligible for future assistance, Thrasher told the Town Council at its May 26 meeting that it would be good to create and begin putting money into a reserve fund specifically for the project expenses. Those dollars could be used to meet any matching grant requirements.
Mayor Gene Adams agreed with the concept.
“I do think it’s important for us to start to set aside money because everyone I’ve spoken with talks about cost sharing on it,” Adams said.
The town needs to discuss how it might build reserves — money that’s not there now — to qualify for the much larger grants needed to pay for future work, Thrasher said.
If the grants don’t come through, a future council could designate those reserves for other purposes, he said.

Larry Barszewski contributed to this story.

By Larry Barszewski

More than two years after the coronavirus first surfaced and after more than a year of vaccinations, the virus can still disrupt the workings of local governments.
The Town Commission in Manalapan canceled its May 24 monthly meeting because there weren’t going to be enough commissioners on hand. At least one commissioner had COVID-19 and several others had been exposed to the virus, Vice Mayor Stewart Satter said.
“There would not have been a quorum at [the] meeting due to this,” Town Manager Linda Stumpf said.
The Manalapan cancellation follows a similar situation in Lantana, where an April 25 Town Council meeting had to be canceled after council members were exposed to the virus.
In Manalapan, where commission meetings typically last an hour or less, the cancellation didn’t have major consequences. The only items on the agenda were reports from staff and a public hearing on a proposed ordinance that would give people receiving a town-approved variance or special exception more time to complete their work.
The canceled meeting was a first due to the pandemic for the Town Commission. The town continues to take precautions, strongly requesting that people attending commission meetings and other Town Hall visitors wear masks inside the building. Stumpf said May 23 she was aware of only one current COVID-19 case among town employees.
Of note in Manalapan in May:
• Town officials had to revise trash collection schedules for several days as the town lost two sanitation workers and a supervisor was taken ill, Stumpf said. Three new employees have been hired, she said. Residents are asked to have their trash out on pickup days by 5 a.m. or the night before.
• The Police Department had four vacancies as of May 13, with one officer accepting a job with school police and a sergeant going into the private sector, Police Chief Carmen Mattox wrote in his report for commissioners. Those were in addition to two existing openings.
Mattox said he was processing applications from a retired Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office deputy and two officers with out-of-state experience. Another applicant is to attend police academy training in June and be available for employment in July, he said.
“We are staffing as manpower allows. Due to staffing shortages, vacation requests are not always approved,” Mattox wrote to commissioners.

Endless, the 43-foot Bristol sailboat that came ashore during windy weather on March 3, was finally removed from the beach in Ocean Ridge on May 4. Numerous inflatable floats and three Sea Tow boats were used to lift and tow the sailboat off the sand. The process took two days and at times drew at least 50 spectators. Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

By Price Patton

DELRAY BEACH — JoAnn Kern Peart, a longtime champion of preserving the charm of Delray Beach’s historic places, died on May 4. She was 72.
She was a native Floridian who spent most of her life in Delray Beach, beginning at the age of 6 months. She attended Virginia Intermont College and the University of South Florida. 
Mrs. Peart worked to preserve Delray Beach’s history by serving as a co-founder, longtime president and board member of the Delray Beach Preservation Trust; president and longtime member of the Delray Beach Historical Society; member of the city’s Historic Preservation Board; and president and member of the Lake Ida Neighborhood Homeowners Association.
During her service on the Delray Preservation Trust, she fought the overdevelopment of a precious segment of the Old School Square Historic District, which contained some of the city’s oldest and most important buildings. Later, she led the two-year effort to get the Old School Square Arts District listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Among the buildings she helped save were the 1924 Cason Cottage on the campus of the Historical Society, the 1924 Willie Franklin House in the West Settlers Historic District and the 1928 Clint Moore House on North Swinton Avenue.
She also chaired the City Commission-appointed Historic Task Team, which helped strengthen the city’s preservation ordinances.
She selflessly gave her time and attention to many causes and to her many friends and family.
For years, she helped manage the family business, Universal Beach Services, founded in 1973 by her husband, John Frederick Peart. He won contracts to clean beaches from the Panhandle to the Florida Keys, as well as contracting with Palm Beach County municipalities and private beachfront homeowners.
The business will continue to be operated by her son Clayton Russell Peart of Delray Beach, who worked for his father and has run the business since 2012. Mr. Peart, her husband of 38 years, predeceased Mrs. Peart, as did her parents, Joe Russell Kern and Ann Sells Kern.
She is survived by two sons, Curtis William (Joanne) Peart of Tamarindo, Costa Rica, and Clayton; a daughter, Ann Margo (Christopher) Cannon; grandchildren Julie Elizabeth Peart, Jack William Peart, John Peart Cannon and Elizabeth Ann Cannon; a brother, John (Patricia) Kern of Juno Beach; three sisters, Mary Kevin Reynolds of Point Pleasant, New Jersey, Kathy Sherrard of Stephenville, Texas, and Janet Kern of McKinney, Texas; and many nieces and nephews. 
A memorial service was held May 13 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Delray Beach.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Delray Beach Preservation Trust and Trinity Delray.

DELRAY BEACH — Dickie McCusker died surrounded by family in his Delray Beach home on May 2, four years after a cancer diagnosis. He was 67.
Dickie was born on Nov. 25, 1954, with a twin sister, Diane, in Braintree, Massachusetts. Parents Richard McCusker and Rosemary Sheehan raised the twins and five more children — Tim, Mark, Kathryn, Michael and Megan (who are also twins) — in Wellesley, Massachusetts. They spent their summers making memories at Oyster Harbors Beach on the Cape.
Dickie moved to Boca Raton with his family in 1965, where they resided in Royal Palm Yacht & Country Club. He attended elementary school at Hillsboro Day School, and then attended Alexander D. Henderson School at FAU. He was a graduate of Boca Raton High School, Class of 1973.
During his younger school years Mr. McCusker played in a garage rock band. He carried this talent with him throughout his life, as he became an accomplished drummer, singer and guitar player.
After high school, Mr. McCusker packed up his VW camper van — along with two friends, Paul Nolan and Jeff Cutts — and set out to explore life on the road, leading the hippie lifestyle characteristic of the ’70s generation. After the many places they traveled, their final stop was Cape Cod, where he worked at his cousin Jep’s restaurant.
Eventually, his journey took him to Boulder, Colorado, where he attended the University of Colorado. He then went on to study law at the University of Denver, Sturm College of Law, where he received his Juris Doctor degree. He passed the Florida Bar in 1983 and practiced in the federal courts in the Southern District of Florida. He was also licensed to practice law in Massachusetts.
Dickie met his law partner, Ken Hemmerle, while working in a law office in Boca Raton in 1985. The pair established a law firm in Fort Lauderdale and practiced together for 30 years. He later established a home office in Delray Beach.
Dickie was a champion for the “little guy,” practicing law with integrity, a big heart and a good soul.
What he loved the most in his life were his wife, Lisa, and daughter, Erin. Dickie first met Lisa Withall in high school. Little did he know that she would be the love of his life when they reconnected at a party in Old Floresta in Boca Raton in 1990. After dating for two and a half years, they were married. Three years later they welcomed their beautiful daughter, Erin, into the world.
Dickie was a devoted father spending time with Erin, who was the “apple of his eye.” He was also a wonderful son-in-law, who dropped what he was doing to join Ted Withall for a game of golf or to visit Ted and Helen Withall.
Dickie had a love for life, nature and his music. He was an avid reader, loved to cook, and was a huge foodie. He spent his free time running on the beach and many of those years with his dog, Tybee. He rarely missed a day practicing yoga, his favorite being Bikram.
He continued to perform with his friends and band members Greg Welch, J.P. Goss, Jimmy Pearl, Kenny Ropp, John Gillespie, Michael Biro and Paul Norris up until the pandemic.
Dickie did not miss a beat in living life to its fullest. His energy and fun-loving spirit will be missed by his family and friends.
Dickie is survived by his wife and daughter, Lisa and Erin McCusker; siblings Diane McCusker Dopheide (husband Jeff and daughter Caitlin); Megan McCusker Shalvoy (husband Mike, daughter Meredith and son Sean); Kathryn McCusker Johnston (husband David and daughter Hannah); Tim McCusker (wife Carol Marinelli McCusker); Michael McCusker, and Mark McCusker. Other survivors are cousin Thomas Jeptha Smith, sister-in-law Robin Withall Cox, and nephew J.J. McDonough (wife Elizabeth Ziegenfuss and sons Kane and Van).
The family is grateful to Bertha Prosper of Vitas Hospice for her loving care.
Please join us for a celebration of Dickie’s life from 4 to 8 p.m. on Saturday, June 11 at Chapel 4, 200 SE Seventh Avenue, Delray Beach.
In lieu of flowers, donate to one of Mr. McCusker’s favorite charities:
• World Central Kitchen, donate.wck.org, led by chef Jose Andres, first to the front lines, providing meals in response to humanitarian, climate and community crises.
• Make A Wish Foundation, wish.org, creating life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses.

— Obituary submitted by the family

DELRAY BEACH — Maude Erskine Banta — gardener, volunteer and enthusiastic letter writer — died at her home on May 15. She was 97.
Maude Erskine was born Aug. 13, 1924, in Brooklyn, New York, to James Douglas Erskine and Marguerite Maxwell Ogilvie. She was the oldest of three sisters and was raised in a loving multigenerational home. She was a lifelong Dodgers fan, even after they left her hometown.
She graduated from Packer Institute in Brooklyn and attended Wells College in Aurora, New York.
During a family summer vacation, she caught a glimpse of a handsome redhead and knew she had met her future husband, John Stuart Banta. The couple wed in October 1943 and were married for 57 years.
Maude worked at The Colony hotels in Maine and Florida, splitting the year going north and south, as a director of purchasing. She also prepared flower arrangements for the lobby, dining rooms and for guests with extended stays, and wrote the Colony newsletters. Mrs. Banta was dedicated to the family’s hotels and worked well into her 80s.
Mrs. Banta was a devout Christian who was on the altar guild at St. Anne’s Episcopal Church in Kennebunkport, Maine, and St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Delray Beach. She traveled with her church group to Honduras to help girls in need.
She was a docent at the Morikami Museum in Delray Beach and the Taylor-Barry House in Kennebunk.
Mrs. Banta was dedicated to health and wellness before it was in vogue, playing tennis or golf throughout the year. She and her husband could be seen pedaling their bikes through downtown Delray to the tennis courts. In her later years she swam laps daily.
Maude traveled throughout her life and shared her travels with her family through her keen photography and written journals. She was an avid gardener and an environmentalist at heart who could be found many afternoons with a basket of flowers draped over her arm.
She is survived by her loving family: her sister, Margot Atwood; her daughter, Carol Banta Walker; her son, John Erskine Banta; her five grandchildren, John Edward Martin, Hilary Martin Roche, Paige Martin, Aloveiz Heredic and Nick Banta; her goddaughter, Barbara Backer; her four great-grandchildren — who fondly called her GG — and many cousins, nieces and nephews.
Mrs. Banta was an avid writer of letters to family and friends, and occasionally to people she hardly knew. Her letters were full of humor and details and could brighten the recipients’ days. In lieu of flowers, please write a letter to a friend or family member.
A memorial service was held May 24 at St. Paul’s.

— Obituary submitted by the family

By Jane Smith

Delray Beach has no way of telling if its city employees are accurately reporting their paid time off, Internal Auditor Julia Davidyan reported to city commissioners at their May 17 meeting.
As examples, she said the city had overpaid an employee 240 hours of sick pay and had continued to pay one employee who passed away $2,537.60.
Davidyan blamed the shortcomings on the city’s manual payroll system and said an automated payroll system with a proper audit trail is needed to ensure accurate reporting.
The question now is how soon can the city find the money to pay for a new system, estimated to cost $100,000. Once purchased, it will take six to nine months to put in place for employees to use.
City Manager Terrence Moore told commissioners he would try to find the money in the current year’s budget. He will let them know the “specifics of what needs to be done” in his June 10 letter to them.
Delray Beach has an estimated $65 million annual payroll, said Juli Casale, deputy vice mayor, who asked Davidyan to review the payroll system in August. “We have to be accountable to the taxpayers,” Casale said.
Davidyan reviewed payroll records for the previous budget year that ended Sept. 30.
Davidyan found the majority of the payroll records were processed accurately. But when she pulled 40 employee payroll records, she found internal controls were needed over payroll and paid-time-off processing.
“There’s no way to detect who was responsible” for the overpayments that were made, Mayor Shelly Petrolia said at the meeting. “I can’t understand how that happens.”
For the past two budget years, the city’s former external auditor, Caler, Donten, Levine, Cohen, Porter & Veil, pointed out the deficiencies in the city’s payroll processing system, but the city took no action even though city officials agreed with the external auditor’s recommendations.

Palm Beach County engineers showed county commissioners pictures of the broken shaft that forced closure of the George Bush Boulevard bridge in Delray Beach for most of March and April. Photo provided

By Joel Engelhardt

In their first detailed account of efforts to fix the George Bush Boulevard bridge, county officials told commissioners on May 17 that initial repairs were halted in late March when consultants determined that key parts needed additional work in the shop.
The bridge reopened April 29 after a 57-day shutdown. The cost of repairs, borne by four consultants, came to $206,910, an amount paid from Palm Beach County reserves.  
Additionally, the county took a first step toward replacing the bridge, issuing a formal notice May 12 for a $5.5 million project to study design and financing options for a new bridge and then, in phase two, to design the replacement bridge. 
In his presentation to commissioners, Assistant County Engineer Steve Carrier showed pictures of the broken shaft that stopped the bridge in midair and was shipped for rebuilding to Steward Machine in Birmingham, Alabama.
After shipping the part on March 7, the county hired New York City-based Hardesty & Hanover, which has offices in Fort Lauderdale, to oversee repairs.
H&H recommended replacing additional drive-shaft parts in mid-March. But when the parts were installed on March 28 and 29, H&H halted work because tolerance limits were exceeded and shipped the parts back to Steward for adjustments. 
Workers reinstalled the parts from April 4 to April 8 and began testing, with the bridge reopening to traffic April 29. 
The county also hired H&H for $72,000 over 12 months to continue monitoring the bridge.
After his presentation, Carrier announced plans to add detection equipment and an audible warning system to enhance safety at the county’s eight drawbridges. The move comes after West Palm Beach resident Carol Wright fell to her death Feb. 6 after the state-owned Royal Park Bridge in downtown West Palm opened while she walked her bike across it.
The county also plans additional training for bridge tenders, public service announcements, better signage and cameras to detect people in harm’s way.
In South County, the county owns movable bridges at Palmetto Park Road, Woolbright Road, George Bush Boulevard, Linton Boulevard, Ocean Avenue in Lantana and Camino Real in Boca Raton.
While movable bridges are inspected annually, the details are not readily available to the public, The Coastal Star reported in May. The county cited the newspaper a $1,025 fee to redact security information and make available a single inspection report.

By Joe Capozzi

South Palm Beach officials are taking tours of the West Palm Beach water treatment plant to gain a better understanding of the quality of the town’s drinking water supply. 
Council members Ray McMillan and Monte Berendes took separate tours May 23. Mayor Bonnie Fischer and council members Robert Gottlieb and Bill LeRoy said they expected to take tours in early June. 
West Palm Beach supplies drinking water to South Palm Beach under a contract that expires in 2030. 
Invitations for the tours were extended by Darrel Graziani, assistant director of West Palm Beach public utilities, as part of outreach efforts nearly a year after unacceptably high levels of the blue-green algal toxin cylindrospermopsin were discovered in the water supply.
In May 2021, the city waited eight days before warning customers in West Palm Beach, Palm Beach and South Palm Beach not to drink from the tap, sparking concerns about why the notifications weren’t sent out sooner.
At the time, the city said it needed eight days to conduct a series of tests to confirm the contamination, which posed a risk to physically vulnerable customers. 
But even after West Palm Beach finally disclosed the problem on May 28, South Palm Beach residents were left in the dark. They didn’t receive text messages or robocalls from the Palm Beach County Health Department, though West Palm Beach residents did, Fischer said.
In presentations to the Town Council in December 2021 and May of this year, Graziani said the city pledged to improve the notification system in the event of another problem. He also presented testing data showing vastly improved water quality over the past year. 
On May 10, he invited the Town Council to tour the water treatment plant at Australian Avenue and Banyan Boulevard. A council meeting and tour were scheduled at the plant for May 23. 
But on May 20, the town was forced to cancel the meeting/tour because the city, citing security concerns at the plant, refused to allow The Coastal Star or other members of the public to attend.
Under Florida law, council meetings must be held in public. As an alternative, the city agreed to host separate tours with individual council members. 
Berendes and McMillan said the hourlong tours they took separately on May 23 reinforced their beliefs that South Palm Beach is getting quality drinking water. Both council members said they believe the problem in May 2021 was an isolated incident.
“They put in a lot of stopgaps so we don’t have those scares anymore,’’ Berendes said. “The water starts out not too pretty, but it comes out perfect or as close to perfect as you can get. I think they are doing more than they need to do to give us better quality water.’’
West Palm Beach relies on surface water that flows 20 miles from Lake Okeechobee to canals and Grassy Waters Preserve to Lake Mangonia and Clear Lake. 
The city uses powdered activated carbon, post-filtration chlorination and ultraviolet disinfectant to make sure its drinking water is safe.
“When you see the amount of filtration and the different chemicals and how they use ultraviolet light tubes, it’s just phenomenal,’’ McMillan said. 
“I feel totally confident that we are in good hands with our water.’’ 
Fischer, who has long been suspicious about the quality of the town’s drinking water supply, said she hoped the tour would give her a better understanding of the treatment process. 
Gottlieb said the timing of the tours will also help council members as they prepare in coming years to consider possible alternatives for drinking water when the town’s contract with West Palm Beach expires.
“It’s time to review options and to make sure our residents get the best quality with good delivery,’’ he said.
Options include staying with West Palm Beach or contracting with other providers such as Palm Beach County, Manalapan and Lantana.
“It’s good to take a tour and see how they operate,’’ Gottlieb said.

A steady breeze from the east for at least a week piled up mounds of sargassum along the shore in mid-May. Warm temperatures make the naturally occurring seaweed reproduce in large numbers, often to the frustration of beach-goers. ABOVE: A resident picks up trash that floated in with the sargassum. Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

A steady breeze from the east for at least a week piled up mounds of sargassum along the shore in mid-May. Warm temperatures make the naturally occurring seaweed reproduce in large numbers, often to the frustration of beach-goers. ABOVE: A resident picks up trash that floated in with the sargassum. Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

By Mary Thurwachter

Construction work resumed in mid-May in what town officials hope is the final chapter to the renovation saga at the Lantana Public Library.
“The contractor is out there this morning,” Town Manager Brian Raducci said May 16.
A week earlier, on May 9, the Town Council unanimously approved a $734,227 contract with West Construction Inc. of Lantana to finish the project.
Work on the library had been idle since late December, when it was discovered that the main contractor, Sierra Construction Management & Remodeling of Weston, was operating without a license.
Council member Mark Zeitler, who discovered the licensing problem, said he was relieved when he drove by the construction site at 205 W. Ocean Ave. and noticed the Sierra Construction signs were gone and replaced with West signs.
“I’m glad we finally found a qualified contractor,” Zeitler said.
A plan to turn the work over to a subcontractor, Multitech Corp., failed earlier this year because that company was unable to obtain the bonds required to restart construction.
The town then negotiated with West, which was the second-lowest bidder when the contract was originally put to bid last July.
“It’s good to get the work finished since costs continue to go up,” Zeitler said.
The total projected cost of the renovations is about $277,000 more than originally anticipated, according to Raducci.
“West has agreed to complete this work in 120 days from when the notice to proceed is issued [May 11],” Raducci told the council. “That would be Sept. 8.”
As an incentive to finish earlier, the contract includes a performance bonus if the job is done in 90 days, by Aug. 8. The bonus would equal anything remaining from the $34,963 contingency included in the contract for unexpected expenditures, bond and insurance costs.
“This is obviously very important to the community,” Raducci said of the library project.
“I know we’ve had a couple setbacks and timing is of very much importance. The performance bonus and contingency funds go hand in hand. That performance bonus would be equal to the maximum amount of the contingency, assuming any of the contingency remains.”
On the other hand, if West doesn’t finish within 120 days, a $500-per-day penalty would kick in Sept. 8 and continue until the company completes the job.
The renovations will improve how space is used in the library and add a meeting room and outdoor reading garden. The changes include ADA-compliant restrooms, a centralized circulation desk, special spaces for children and teens and a community center for adult activities.
The contract includes a one-year warranty.
While construction continues, the library is temporarily housed in the recreation center at 418 S. Dixie Highway.
In other news, the council canceled its Aug. 22 meeting, which would have been its second of August. Staff recommended the cancellation, saying it would come at a less busy time of year and would provide staff more time to take summer breaks before adoption of a new budget.

Although the design may change, the plans for a 231-unit complex drew a positive response at a community meeting. The Lantana Kmart on this site closed two years ago. Rendering provided

By Mary Thurwachter

The Lantana Kmart on South Dixie Highway has been shuttered for two years. If developers have their way, the store famous for blue-light specials will be torn down to make way for a 231-unit apartment complex.
Hugo Pacanins, a regional development partner with Morgan Group, shared the proposal for the 18.6-acre site at a neighborhood meeting at Lantana Pizza, another of the businesses in the Kmart plaza. The property is owned by Saglo Development Corp. of Miami.
Besides construction of studios and one- and-two-bedroom apartments, the plans include cosmetic improvements for the other retail portions of the property, including Winn-Dixie.
Four out-parcels — Bank of America, Dunkin’ Donuts, Burger King and a vacant restaurant building — are not part of the application.
The Town Council paved the way for the Lantana Village Square development in September 2019, when it approved a necessary change to the comprehensive land-use plan for the shopping center on the north side of Hypoluxo Road. The council will be reviewing a site plan in June. If approved, construction could begin as early as next year, Pacanins said.
Cushla Talbut, an attorney with Greenberg Traurig who is processing the application for the planned development, said the project proposes five four-story buildings with elevators and an entry from Greynolds Circle. Among the amenities would be a dog park, gym, pool, upgraded parking lot and a pocket park on the north end of the property.
Community benefits, Talbut said, would include adding more than 500 trees, four electric car charging stations and public art.
Rents haven’t been decided but it is estimated they will range between $1,700 and $2,800 a month. Ten percent of the project would be designated as workforce housing, with rents designed to be affordable to workers in professions such as teaching, firefighting and nursing.  
While many attendees seemed to like the plans, not everyone approved of the architectural designs.
“Where did they get their inspiration — Lego?” asked Ed Shropshire, a former council member who attended the gathering. He suggested something more in line with Lantana’s seaside fishing village look would be more suitable.
Pacanins said the architectural design was not set in stone and changes were likely.
“Maybe something with more a Key West look,” Pacanins said.