Related stories: Interim public safety chiefs win permanent status |Commission selects police captain to be city manager

By Tao Woolfe

The romance between Boynton Beach and the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office is officially over. Both sides announced separately last month that negations to allow PBSO to take over the city’s police services had ceased.
Boynton Beach Mayor Ty Penserga told a delighted crowd at an Aug. 16 City Commission meeting that the merger was “financially infeasible” due to unspecified pension fund liabilities.
“Given the financial reality, it is not in the best interest for the city to move forward at this time,” Penserga said.
The previous day, Sheriff Ric Bradshaw had announced the breakdown in merger talks.
In his statement, Bradshaw made it clear that Boynton Beach had approached the PBSO about a possible merger — not the other way around.
“At no time did we ask for or initiate the discussions,” the sheriff said.
Nevertheless, the sheriff had presented a $42.5 million proposal in July to provide Boynton Beach with “greatly enhanced security and depth of law enforcement,” if the commission hired PBSO.
Although the Boynton Beach Police Department’s proposed budget for next year is a relatively modest $38.5 million, newly named Police Chief Joseph DeGiulio and interim City Manager Jim Stables said the City Commission would not regret its decision.
The future city Police Department will be reorganized, adequately staffed and willing to work more closely with the community, DeGiulio and Stables said.
The commissioners promised to support the department and its goals.
“The people have spoken. Sorry it took so long,” said Commissioner Woodrow Hay, who had been opposed to a PBSO merger all along. “I’m happy we are headed in the right direction. Let’s not waste more time and money. … Let’s work together with our Police Department and our citizens.”
Residents at the meeting applauded the commission for opting to stay with the city police, but some questioned the rationale.
“You didn’t make the motion because it’s the right thing to do, but because it’s financially infeasible,” the Rev. Richard Dames, pastor of the Hopewell Missionary Baptist Church, said of the decision to end the talks.
Community activist Bryce Graham said negotiations with the sheriff’s office should be called off permanently. “This should not come up again,” Graham said. “This should be a cease and desist.”
He added that going forward, the City Commission should heed the community’s “cries for transparency and accountability” from the Police Department and city officials.
The possibility of bringing PBSO in to replace the Boynton Beach Police Department was raised in April following months of tumult and anger — especially from the Black community — after 13-year-old Stanley Davis III was killed during a Dec. 26, 2021, high-speed police chase. The teen was riding a dirt bike.
Residents had expressed frustration that an internal investigation was taking so long. Nevertheless, Black and white residents had repeatedly said at commission meetings that they did not want PBSO to replace the city’s police.
Instead, residents said, the local force should be winnowed of bad officers and more enlightened policies enacted.

Officer fired; union protests
Just days after the commission meeting, the Boynton Beach Police Department announced that its internal investigation into the circumstances of Davis’s death had come to an end.
As a result, Mark Sohn, the officer involved in the deadly chase, was fired.
On Aug. 19, the same day the termination was announced, Palm Beach County Police Benevolent Association attorney Lawrence K. Fagan sent a letter to DeGiulio to initiate the union grievance process with the city, alleging that Sohn had been disciplined through termination “without just cause.”
The union is seeking Sohn’s reinstatement as a police officer “along with back pay, wages, pension contributions and all associated emoluments,” according to the grievance document.
According to the findings of the months-long internal affairs investigation, Sohn violated the department’s strict vehicular pursuit policies on more than one occasion.
“By repeatedly violating this policy, Officer Sohn unnecessarily placed the safety of the public and officers at risk,” DeGiulio wrote in the report dated June 29.
Sohn also violated the officers’ code of ethics and engaged in conduct unbecoming a police officer, according to the report.

Reorganization planned
Stables and DeGiulio told the commissioners and the residents that community policing would be a top priority going forward.
“We have been thinking through reorganization, and looking at efficiencies,” Stables said. As for staffing, “we don’t have the budget this year, but we will look at expansion in the future.”
DeGiulio said the department would specifically like to add to its road patrol, investigations and communications personnel.
Commissioner Thomas Turkin said city officials should ensure, during upcoming budget hearings, that the Police Department has the money it needs to meet its new goals.
“We need to put our money where our mouth is and invest in the Police Department,” he said. “I hope this support of the Boynton Beach Police Department does not disappear overnight.”
For his part, the sheriff said there are no hard feelings about the city’s decision.
“The Sheriff’s Office wishes the city all the best, and will assist them in any way if asked to do so,” Bradshaw said.

Retired Air Force Col. Ron Standerfer of Gulf Stream keeps an image of the F-100 Super Sabre, an aircraft he flew in Vietnam. In 1969, he was shot down and ejected over Laos. He received the Purple Heart. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

No matter that it happened more than 80 years ago, Dec. 7, 1941, is still etched in the mind of Gulf Stream’s Ron Standerfer.
“I came down the steps from my bedroom and saw my father listening attentively to the radio while the Japanese were bombing the naval base in Hawaii,” Standerfer, 87, recalled.
“The look of seriousness on my father’s face told me this was big stuff, and planted the first seed of what would become my career.”
That career, which included 237 combat missions during the Vietnam War and ultimately earned him a Purple Heart, two Silver Stars and 13 Air Medals, was celebrated this past May when Standerfer was invited by the Air Force to the unveiling of an F-100 jet refinished in the markings of one he was flying when he was shot down over Laos in April 1969.
Standerfer’s father was too old to be drafted when the U.S. entered World War II, so he volunteered and was sent to boot camp in Idaho, then on to San Francisco, where the Navy made him a signalman and assigned him to an aircraft carrier in the Pacific. Standerfer and his mother followed — he attended the third grade in San Francisco — before returning to their native Belleville, Illinois.
Standerfer went to the University of Illinois, but by early in his sophomore year his grades were so poor he worried he might flunk out. With the Korean War on and knowing he would be drafted if that happened, he joined ROTC and soon after visited a local air base that had a vintage WWII bomber on site.
“It was my first airplane ride, it was noisy as hell, but boy, by the time it was over I was hooked on flying,” he said.
He learned about the aviation cadet program and that if he passed a physical and spent a year as a cadet to learn how to fly, he could join the military as a pilot.
“So that changed everything,” he said.
The war ended only months after he joined the Air Force in 1954 so he didn’t get a chance to participate, instead joining the New Jersey National Guard 177th Tactical Flight Group.
Fourteen years later, in January 1968, Standerfer was working as a newly hired flight engineer for Pan American Airways when the USS Pueblo was seized off North Korea and accused of spying.
President Lyndon Johnson called up 14,000 Guardsmen to Vietnam, including Standerfer’s group, and he was one of 11 pilots who volunteered for combat duty.
“The other pilots had been there for a year and thought we were going to be a bunch of hicks,” Standerfer said. “But it turned out we had way more experience than they did, and we were the ones who became the flight commanders.”
Twenty-two of his missions were as part of the secret and highly dangerous “Misty” program, flying F-100 Super Sabres over North Vietnam and Laos. Shot down by antiaircraft fire on April 1, 1969, he and air crewman Lacey Veatch were rescued by a U.S. helicopter.
“I’ve had “some pretty unusual things happen to me,” he said. Among them:
• When he was 21 his operations officer in Maine picked him to watch a test of an atomic bomb near Las Vegas. “They miscalculated the strength of it, and it was twice as big as the Hiroshima bomb. I stumbled across a military film of it (later) and there were guys and girls wearing sunglasses at hotel pools in Las Vegas watching this mushroom cloud going up 20 miles away.”
• When he returned from Vietnam he was sent to train on a single-engine F-105 fighter bomber. “On my very first flight the engine flamed out when I came back to land, so I almost had to bail out. I got the engine started. The first thing you learn in the military is how to start an engine when it quits in the air. ”
• After dinner one night in Lima, Peru, he was kidnapped by three armed men. “They had a gun to my head but kept arguing about what they were going to do. They let me go and drove off and I had to hitchhike back to my hotel.”
Standerfer has been married to his wife, Maya, a native of Poland, for 33 years and has three stepchildren: John Harrell, 57, who works for the Navy in Washington, D.C.; Steve Harrell, 56, the vice president of a computer company in Pittsburgh, and Michael, 50, an artist in New York.

— Brian Biggane

Q: Where did you grow up and go to school? How do you think that has influenced you?
A: I was born and raised in Belleville, Illinois, a town across the Mississippi River close to St. Louis. I went to Belleville Township High School. The proximity of a large Air Force base exposed me to the Air Force way of life.

Q: What professions have you worked in? What professional accomplishments are you most proud of?
A: I spent 27 years flying a variety of high performance fighters including the F-100, F-102, F-105, F-4 and A-7. After I retired, I was a marketing director for Falcon Jet Corp., a subsidiary of the French aerospace manufacturer Dassault Aviation. Later, I was an owner of an aircraft charter and management company in Elmira, New York.
The most significant period of my professional life was my combat record during the Vietnam War. I flew 237 combat missions and was awarded two Silver Stars, 13 Air Medals and the Purple Heart.
Based on my experiences, I wrote a book, The Eagle’s Last Flight, a fictional novel.

Q: What advice do you have for a young person seeking a career today?
A: Be realistic about your professional goals.

Q: How did you choose to make your home in Gulf Stream?
A: We chose Gulf Stream as our permanent residence seeking a different, more quiet lifestyle than living in New York City. The Atlantic Ocean is roughly 20 yards from our balcony. But another part of the equation was there was a large VA hospital in West Palm Beach and I wanted to be close to that. So, we bought a condo here about 15 years ago.

Q: What is your favorite part about living in Gulf Stream?
A: Having ocean in front of my windows and beautiful nature. A small-town environment suits me perfectly.

Q: What book are you reading now?
A: The Lincoln Highway, by Amor Towles. I like that writer very much because of another book he wrote called A Gentleman in Moscow. Excellent writer.

Q: What music do you listen to when you want to relax? When you want to be inspired?
A: Classical music, especially Chopin and Beethoven. I was a music major when I went to college and that’s where the classical came in.

Q: Have you had mentors in your life? Individuals who have inspired your life decisions?
A: Maj. Gen. Evan Rosencrans was my mentor and source of advice until he died. He was the operations officer in the first squadron to which I was assigned. He was a real gentleman and ultimately was promoted to two-star general. He followed my career very closely and gave me a lot of good advice.

Q: If your life story were to be made into a movie, who would play you?
A: Tom Cruise because he is a natural-born leader, a typical fighter pilot who takes risky chances. The boys out there in Top Gun School and all that stuff, they have done a very fair presentation of what Navy pilots like that were like, and Air Force too. We broke rules, we chased girls, we drank a lot, it goes on and on. The second movie was better than the one before, at least I thought so.

Q: Who/what makes you laugh?
A: A good joke when I hear one.

By Jane Smith

The son of a well-known Long Island car dealer was not allowed to rezone parcels in the north end of Delray Beach after nearby Gulf Stream homeowners complained about the adverse effects the proposed car dealership would have on their lives.
The Aug. 16 denial was a split vote. Mayor Shelly Petrolia, Deputy Vice Mayor Juli Casale and Commissioner Ryan Boylston voted to deny the rezoning, while Vice Mayor Adam Frankel and Commissioner Shirley Johnson voted in favor of it.
“I support the change,” Johnson said. Residents bought their homes “knowing they would be next to a commercial district.”
John Staluppi Jr.’s ABC JS Auto Imports II LLC paid $10 million for the seven parcels on the east side of North Federal Highway south of Gulfstream Boulevard. He is also CEO of SuperStore Auto Group, which acquired Delray Hyundai, Delray Genesis and Delray Acura in January.
Staluppi’s dad, John Staluppi Sr., started out as a mechanic and built a billion-dollar business of new car dealerships.
Land use attorney Bonnie Miskel represented Staluppi Jr. before the commission for the rezoning request for the combined 4.4 acres.
Miskel said the rezoning to automotive commercial was allowed in the Delray Beach comprehensive plan.
Trey Nazzaro, Gulf Stream’s assistant town attorney, attended the meeting with its mayor and town manager and argued against the request.
Nazzaro said the rezoning was not appropriate because the potential car dealership backed up to single-family homes in the Place Au Soleil community. The proposed dealership would have only a 10-foot buffer, when the Gunther car dealership to the south has a 35-foot buffer from the community.
Malcolm Murphy, who lives in the community and chairs the town’s Architectural Review and Planning Board, said, “The bigger picture is diminished quality of life from the endless noise and endless light” from the proposed car dealership.
Sam Pearlman, whose backyard abuts the land, said the noise from the key fobs, car alarms and horns honking would be disruptive.
“The bright lights would spill into our neighborhood, making it feel like daytime all of the time,” said Pearlman’s wife, Shana Ostrovitz.
“While car dealerships are a legacy industry in Delray Beach, I have not seen any plans that say they should be expanded,” Boylston said. “I am not in favor of this rezoning.”
Petrolia said the auto dealerships should be on the west side of Federal where they will not abut residences. “The property on the east is too small to accommodate a dealership,” she said.

By Jane Smith

Delray Beach leaders were able to trim about $5.6 million from next year’s proposed city budget, mostly because the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency agreed to pay $4.5 million more toward improvements at Pompey Park.
That reduction is offset by the addition of an estimated $1.35 million to finish the renovation of the Crest Theatre building on the Old School Square campus.
The city, which owns the building, stopped the renovation in July 2021 in a dispute with the former Old School Square operators over the construction contract.
Delray Beach decided to end the lease with the former operators, who then sued the city in November for breach of lease. The city recently asked the judge in the case to allow it to file a counterclaim, seeking reimbursement of its expenses to finish the Crest renovation.
To find other budget savings, the city staff proposed pushing back the purchase of a mobile performance stage for two years, retaining $250,000, Public Works Director Missie Barletto said at the Aug. 22 City Commission workshop. She also said the city has $374,693 more in its penny surtax fund than previously anticipated, which will be saved until its proper use is determined.
In addition, Barletto said the purchases of two police cruisers and several stand-up electric patrol units were removed, saving another $101,730. “That captures the comments that you had made at the last (budget) meeting,” she said. “We are listening and paying attention.”
At the end of the workshop, Commissioner Ryan Boylston reminded his colleagues that $3.7 million more than the goal of 25% of the city’s operating budget sits in the reserve fund.
“That’s $3.7 million of taxpayers’ money that is sitting in reserves and not being used for their benefit,” he said.
The first and second public hearings on the proposed tax rate and budget will be held during regular commission meetings that start at 4 p.m. Sept. 6 and 19. The public hearings on the tax rate and budget cannot begin before 5:01 p.m. at those meetings.
The city set the proposed tax rate at $6.67 per $1,000 of assessed property value, down slightly, 2.54%, from the current tax rate of $6.84 per $1,000. Both figures include the city’s debt service.
The city’s proposed operating budget is $166.4 million, a 9% increase.

By Jane Smith

Delray Beach City Commissioners evaluating City Manager Terrence Moore gave him mixed reviews Aug. 9, then postponed any raise for six months to give Moore the opportunity to improve.
Moore received high marks all around from Vice Mayor Adam Frankel, while Commissioner Shirley Johnson’s review was very critical. The commission did not discuss what they would do if three of them do not see improvement.
The commission’s cumulative score for Moore was 2.94, on a scale from 1 to 5, which put it just under the “meets expectations” rating of 3. The score would have translated to a 2.94% raise had the commission approved it.
Instead, despite a proposal by Deputy Vice Mayor Juli Casale to round up the raise to 3% retroactive to Aug. 9, commissioners decided to put any raise on hold.
“I strongly take the constructive feedback and … support moving forward accordingly,” Moore said.
In her evaluation that gave Moore a 3 rating, Casale said the city manager should prioritize his tasks, instead of just checking items off a list. “He tries to do too many things for too many people,” she said.
Commissioners’ evaluations were not included in the commission’s agenda materials, but had to be requested separately from the city’s Human Resources Department.
Casale said she wanted to bring up Moore’s performance during the city goal-setting session on May 13, but that session was shortened from two days to one day and the topic did not come up.
Mayor Shelly Petrolia was more pointed in her review. She rated Moore’s performance 2.75. When the city’s internal auditor found that there were problems with the paper payroll system, Moore did not move quickly enough to fix the payroll system, her review said.
Petrolia also faulted him for not consulting with the city attorney when Waste Management asked for an increase in its monthly rates.
“Had that taken place, the city attorney could have immediately advised that the renewal letter was not properly served and saved the ratepayers potentially millions of dollars from a premature rate increase,” Petrolia’s review said.
(At their second budget workshop on Aug. 22, commissioners discussed using money from the Sanitation Fund to offset the increases for residential and commercial trash customers. Staff will return on Sept. 6 with options for the commission to consider.)
“It’s been a tough year with lots of issues,” said Frankel, who gave Moore’s performance a 4.3 rating, one that means Moore “exceeds expectations.” That was the highest overall rating given by a commissioner. He pointed out the selection of a new police chief. “Moore acts in good faith,” Frankel said.
Even so, Frankel faulted Moore for making decisions after talking to only one or two of the commissioners, when the city charter says he should be seeking consensus.
Johnson rated Moore’s performance slightly above 1, a rating of “unsatisfactory.” When asked on the evaluation form what two things Moore should continue to do, she wrote, “I can’t think of any except that the residents really love him.”
She found fault with him for trying to direct the Community Redevelopment Agency and the city attorney, who do not report to the city manager.
She directed him to pay attention to the city charter for his job responsibilities.
Commissioner Ryan Boylston rated Moore’s performance as 3.44. He liked Moore’s responsiveness to his questions via text, phone or email. Boylston also appreciated Moore’s calm demeanor during tense situations.
Areas for improvement include Moore’s being more assertive in his decisions and rising above the politics of an issue, Boylston said.

By Joe Capozzi

As town officials embark on ambitious plans to protect Briny Breezes from sea level rise, they’re looking for creative ways to help pay for the expensive ongoing project. 
Town Council members took one such step Aug. 25 when they voted to use money from Briny Breezes’ federal American Rescue Plan Act allocation to meet the matching requirements of a $330,000 state resiliency grant.
Briny Breezes received the Resilient Florida Program grant in June. It requires the town and corporation to pay $145,000 in matching money, making $475,000 available to Briny Breezes for a sustainability study and a stormwater master plan. 
The town also received a $289,000 ARPA allocation this year as part of the government’s pandemic relief efforts, sent in two payments. The first payment, $144,747, went toward the installation of a water main in District 4 of Briny Breezes.
Town officials weren’t sure whether they’d receive the second payment this year. But when it arrived in late July, Town Manager William Thrasher recommended its use as matching money for the state grant.
“We can’t use other state money for the cost share, but we can use federal money for the cost share,’’ he said in an interview. “I’ve reported to the federal government how we used that fund and as far as I know there’s been no problem with that. I thought it would be wise to take this opportunity to use the federal money to do this.’’
According to a resolution approved by the council, ARPA money may be used for the Briny government’s water and sewer improvements and stormwater management, “including being applied as nonfederal grant matching funds for nonfederal grants used for such infrastructure purposes.’’ 
For Briny Breezes, where the property tax rate is already at the maximum allowed under state law, the grant will help pay for plans and studies needed to prepare construction-ready documents for enhanced sea walls, an improved stormwater drainage system and other 50-year adaptation measures. 
Though construction costs will be in the millions, Thrasher said he’s optimistic the town will receive assistance from federal and state grants. 
In other business, the council endorsed a plan to eliminate a requirement to hold special elections to fill Town Council vacancies. If the measure is approved on second reading, the council would appoint a qualified elector to fill vacancies due to an incumbent’s death, resignation or removal from office.
The current ordinance requires a special election if the council fails to fill a vacancy at or before the council’s second regular meeting after the vacancy occurs. The proposed changes would remove both the deadline for appointing vacancies and a special election, which can be expensive.
The council will meet at 5 p.m. on Sept. 8 to set a tentative tax rate, which continues to be at the maximum allowed under state law, of $10 for every $1,000 of taxable value. That amounts to a 13.3% tax increase due to rising property values in town. A final rate and budget will be voted on at 5 p.m. Sept. 22.

By Joe Capozzi

A record rise in taxable values across South Palm Beach would allow the town to lower the tax rate next year to $3.45 per $1,000 of assessed value and still pay for a proposed budget, town accountant Beatrice Good said at a budget workshop Aug. 9. 
In July, the council set a tentative tax rate of $3.50 per $1,000 of assessed value, the same as the current rate. Although that tentative rate cannot be increased, the council is allowed under state law to lower it when the final budget is adopted in September. 
Public hearings on the town’s proposed $2.4 million budget are scheduled for 5 p.m. on Sept. 12 and Sept. 19 at Town Hall. 
The biggest chunk of the spending plan is a $1.081 million payment to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office. That’s a 3% increase over the current fee and the first increase since PBSO took over law enforcement services in the town four years ago. 
The budget also includes $60,000 to pay raises approved last year for newly elected council members, $50,000 to pay a firm to update the town’s comprehensive plan, and $15,000 to cover 5% cost-of-living raises for town employees.
Taxable values in town went up nearly 13% to $516,863,500. 
In other business:
• Lake Worth Beach will raise its fee for providing town sewage services next year by $60,000. To cover the increase, the town is proposing to raise the biannual per-fixture rate by 32 cents, from the current $2.52 to $2.84. The council will vote on the increase in September.
• The council voted 4-1 to apply for a state grant to pay for assessing South Palm Beach’s vulnerabilities to flooding and sea level rise. Council member Ray McMillan voted no.

John ‘J.T.’ Swiderski was honored with a town STAR award for rescuing a swimmer in distress on July 15 in South Palm Beach. A 59-year-old man was visiting a town resident when a rip current pulled him out to sea. J.T. was on the beach with some of his Wellington High football teammates when he heard the man yelling for help. He ran into the ocean and helped the man back to the beach. ‘That kid saved my life!’ the man told Palm Beach County Sheriff’s deputies. ABOVE: J.T. holds his award certificate at a ceremony with (l-r) PBSO Maj. Chris Keane, Sgt. Mark Garrison, his mother, Angela Swiderski, his dad, Ted, his girlfriend, Alexa Orocofsky, and Lt. Nichole Addazio. Photo provided by PBSO

South Palm Beach Mayor Bonnie Fischer looks at a sample of a structural insulated panel, which she introduced as an option as the town researches plans for constructing a new Town Hall. Joe Capozzi/The Coastal Star

By Joe Capozzi

Plans for a new Town Hall, debated off and on for the past six years, took another twist late last month when Mayor Bonnie Fischer suggested using a cost-efficient construction system called SIPs. 
That’s the acronym for structural insulated panels, billed as a high-performance building system for residential and light commercial construction. 
The panels — made of an insulating foam core sandwiched between two structural facings of wood, typically oriented strand board — would replace traditional stick-frame construction. They meet Miami-Dade hurricane requirements, are energy efficient and reduce the time it typically takes to construct a building, she said. 
Fischer said that based on her preliminary research, a new Town Hall built with SIPs could cost about $2 million. In May, architects hired by the town to design a new building put the cost at nearly $6 million.
“I would like to see something like this done by our town to put us on the map. ‘Wow, we’re the town that has done this and look what we have,’’’ she said Aug. 25 at a Town Council workshop, where she showed off a panel sample at the dais. 
Council members voiced support for seeking requests for proposals from SIPs contractors at a future meeting. 
“I am 100% behind this,’’ said council member Ray McMillan.
Fischer said she started researching the alternative construction method a few months ago, when she remembered having seen a factory that makes SIPs on a visit to Georgia a few years ago.
“I’m just trying to get this idea out as an alternative to the regular building style,’’ she said. “Maybe this is the way to go.’’ 
She said she had not discussed the idea with the architectural firm Synalovski Romanik Saye, which has a $63,000 contract with South Palm Beach to design a new Town Hall. 
“If we decide to go with this system, there may be a disconnect without architects,’’ she told the council.

By Mary Thurwachter

Vocal residents crowded the council chambers for the Aug. 8 Lantana town meeting and got what they asked for — a unanimous vote to deny a proposal to build 231 apartments on the former Kmart property.
The project, called Lantana Village, seemed doomed a month earlier when it came before the council for the first time, even though many who attended a community meeting previously were enthusiastic. Town staff, however, strongly recommended denial at that July 11 meeting, but council members wanted a little more time to mull it over and postponed the vote until Aug. 8.
The development plan presented by the Morgan Group called for the old Kmart building to be razed to make way for five, four-story buildings and entry from Greynolds Circle. Amenities included a dog park, gym, pool, upgraded parking lot and a pocket park on the north end of the site at the northwest corner of Dixie Highway and Hypoluxo Road. The apartments would be fenced in for security reasons.
The proposal included cosmetic improvements for retail portions of the property, including Winn-Dixie and West Marine. Four out-parcels — Bank of America, Dunkin’ Donuts, Burger King and a vacant building last occupied by IHOP — were not part of the application.
When Kmart shuttered its store in the 18.6-acre shopping center owned by the Saglo Development Corp. of Miami about two years ago, Saglo tried to find another tenant but came up empty-handed. That’s when the Morgan Group stepped in and proposed transforming about 8 acres of the property into an apartment complex.
Cushla Talbut, an attorney with Greenberg Traurig who was processing the application, said the Morgan Group’s $65 million investment “would provide significant tax revenue increases for the town and revitalize a site that is definitely in need of some love.”
But the town staff — and residents who turned out in force at the August meeting — weren’t feeling the love.
Nicole Dritz, director of development, said the project was not in line with “the spirit or intent of town codes.”
The plan “almost draws an imaginary line around three entirely separate parcels that are otherwise unrelated,” she said, referring to the Winn-Dixie area, the apartments and the Lantana Pizza building. “In fact, it feels this is an attempt to garner those 231 units on a site that only approximately 133 units would be allowed otherwise.” 
Residents said the apartment complex would bring more crime and traffic and would benefit developers — not people who live in Lantana. Some vowed to vote council members out of office if they failed to turn down the proposal.
One resident, Stephanie Forman, submitted a petition against the development, collected on change.org and signed by 850 residents.
“Our cozy town does not need to be overrun by overdevelopment of apartments and condos,” Forman said. “We need another business or two, or even revitalization of the shopping center as a whole to help boost our local economy.”
Catherine Skervin, a longtime council watcher, said “a mini-mall would be nice.”
But Chamber of Commerce President Dave Arm, the only resident who spoke in favor of the apartment complex, said Lantana doesn’t need more retail, it needs more housing.
“We paid about $170,000 to the Treasure Coast Planning Council to do a master plan and their economists have told us we need hundreds more housing units,” he said. “Where are we going to put them if we don’t put them on this site? There is no other location. If we don’t do this, if we don’t add any (housing), don’t complain if your rent goes up, because that is the nature of supply and demand.”
The study done through the Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council also concluded that the town has too many retail properties, and Arm, who recently sold his gym on Lantana Road after it had been on the market for four years, agreed.
“We didn’t get one single retail tenant to come up and make us a proposal” to buy the gym, Arm said.
“So, when our building was bought by a developer, he realized there is no retail and we convinced him to take a below market rent to keep the place a gym. It does prove there is no retail. Be careful what you wish for, because if this doesn’t go through, you know you’re going to end up with a giant thrift store, or a big box of nothing there, because there is no demand.”
Vice Mayor Pro Tem Lynn “Doc” Moorhouse, who made the motion to deny, said “the biggest thing is this is not a single, cohesive developmental planned project. I don’t care how you trim it or turn it, it’s not. They took the whole 18.6 acres to stuff that development on 8.84 acres fenced in, not walled in — it looks like a little prison to me.”
Talbut said she recognized the interest residents expressed to have more stores in the shopping center, but said “if the demand were there, if there was somebody else who wanted to go there to elevate the tenants as you all want, that would have been one thing. But that’s just not going to happen. What you have there currently is not going to elevate the town and what we’re proposing will.”
If the apartment proposal dies, she said, property owners would seek to fill the old Kmart building with whatever tenant they could find, and past attempts haven’t been fruitful.
But there may be another option. Only days after the Aug. 8 meeting, Dritz met with another developer, one whose portfolio “is impressive in terms of projects I think we’d hope to see there,” she said in an email.
The discussion went well, she said. “We spent time discussing what the property is zoned for, allowable uses, special exception uses, the site plan submittal process, providing a lot of resident feedback that we heard from the previous developer’s submittal, and providing staff’s strong desire for a true redevelopment effort for the entire site.”
She “encouraged the developer to gather the public feedback/input on any future proposals through a public meeting or workshop.”
Dritz said she had not seen a rendering or sketch because this was “a very preliminary conversation,” one reason she did not name the developer.
And she’s waiting to hear from council members regarding their preferences.

By Mary Hladky

BOCA RATON — Susan Whelchel, a force in city politics for nearly 20 years whose vision was to transform Boca Raton into a world-class city, died at age 77 on Aug. 5 surrounded by her family after battling Alzheimer’s disease.
“Former Mayor Susan Whelchel will be remembered as a dedicated public servant and advocate for her community and the residents of Boca Raton,” Gov. Ron DeSantis said in a memorandum directing flags to be flown at half-staff at the State Capitol, Palm Beach County Courthouse and Boca Raton City Hall on Aug. 11, the day of her funeral at Grace Community Church.
After moving to Boca with her husband, John, in 1978, Mrs. Whelchel devoted herself to her teaching career, volunteer work with nonprofits, including the Junior League of Boca Raton, and raising the couple’s four children.
When she turned her attention to politics, it was her experience with the Junior League that helped prepare her for her new role, said her son Jay Whelchel, founder of Whelchel Partners Real Estate Services in Boca Raton.
While some see the organization as encouraging volunteers to help out with good causes, it actually has a more important role, he said. “Their real goal is to give women leadership tools and skills to become leaders,” he said.
Mrs. Whelchel was elected to the City Council in 1995 and re-elected twice before she was term-limited from another run. She next served on the Palm Beach County School Board after then-Gov. Jeb Bush appointed her to a two-year term.
She returned to the City Council, serving two more terms before her election as mayor in 2008, a position she held until 2014.
She entered the political realm with the intent to elevate Boca from its reputation as a sleepy town with not much to recommend it to young people and corporations, Jay Whelchel said.
At a time when some major employers were leaving the city or downsizing, “she made it her mission to create a world-class city that young adults would want to come back to because jobs were here,” he said.
She was spurred toward that mission after asking high school graduates if they would return to Boca after graduating college. She was told “no,” he said, because “Boca is boring. There is nothing in Boca for us.”
Mrs. Whelchel’s longtime friend, former Boca Raton Mayor and County Commissioner Steve Abrams, echoed that assessment.
“That was her driving vision,” he said. “If you keep that next generation here, you have a real exciting, cohesive dynamic in your community, and she realized that.
“That resulted in a lot of specific things she would work on in terms of bringing jobs into the city,” said Abrams, who is leaving his position as executive director of the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority, which runs Tri-Rail, on Sept. 15.
“We brought thousands of jobs to Boca Raton,” he said. “We did a lot of ribbon-cuttings together.”
For the city to rise, Mrs. Whelchel recognized it needed not only good jobs but also good schools, health care, cultural offerings and strong nonprofit organizations, Jay Whelchel said.
To that end, she served on committees for Florida Atlantic University and Boca Raton Regional Hospital and volunteered at many nonprofits.
Among the things that she was most proud of, he said, was her effort to get Boca schools their fair share of funding and helping establish Don Estridge High Tech Middle School.
Her vision for the city has been validated by her own children, he said. He and two of his siblings moved back to Boca to pursue their careers.
“Lots and lots of our friends all moved back because of all the … vibrancy they are seeing,” he said.
Susan Slade Whelchel was born on Aug. 13, 1944, as the youngest daughter of Flora and Tom Slade in Baxley, Georgia. The family moved to Starke and she graduated from Jacksonville University with a degree in political science. While in Jacksonville, she met her husband of 52 years.
In addition to her husband, she is survived by her daughter Joanne Jackson and her husband, Tracey; daughter Kristy Hartofilis and her husband, Nick; sons Matthew and his wife, Kimmie, and Jay and his wife, Melissa; and 10 grandchildren.
The family asked that donations be made in her memory to Grace Community Church, Alzheimer’s Community Care or Louis and Anne Green Memory and Wellness Center.

BOCA RATON — Patricia “Patti” Payne Carpenter, an ever-present pillar of the Boca Raton community, died Aug. 8, surrounded by her family and friends. She was 74.
Mrs. Carpenter will be missed by those who worked alongside her on a variety of charitable missions, recalling her passionate drive, leadership, genuineness, compassion, kindness, generosity of self, signature style, hospitality and keen sense of humor.
Born in New York City on Nov. 1, 1947, and raised in the Riverdale neighborhood, Patricia attended Marymount Schools, The Gerard School for Girls and The Sacred Heart of Mary Academy.
She relocated to Boca Raton in 1970 and became a devout supporter of many community charitable organizations for five decades, early on serving on the board of Boca Helping Hands and hosting the first major fundraiser for Kids in New Directions.
Mrs. Carpenter served on the regional advisory board for Deliver the Dream, a respite and retreat program serving families facing serious illness or crisis. She also served as chair for the Chris Evert Pro-Celebrity Tennis Tournament and twice as chair of the Lynn University Ball. She supported the Junior League of Boca Raton, which recognized her as Woman Volunteer of the Year in 2001.
Mrs. Carpenter served as president of the board of the Center for Family Services, South County, was chair of the 2005 Boca Raton Regional Hospital Ball, and was involved in many events hosted by the Boca Raton Historical Society.
Mrs. Carpenter graciously opened her home to host countless events for charities, including The Boca Raton Symphonia, The American Cancer Society, The Migrant Association of South Florida, Boca Helping Hands and the hospice building fund.
She took the floor as a dancer for Boca’s Ballroom Battle supporting the George Snow Scholarship Fund and stepped up as a Habitat for Humanity “Woman Builder.”
Most notable, Mrs. Carpenter was a long and trusted supporter of Boca Raton Regional Hospital, serving as chair for its annual GO Pink Luncheon for 19 consecutive years. Her voice and well-recognized face helped to grow the community’s signature event into one of the most highly anticipated and well-attended women’s health and breast cancer awareness gatherings in South Florida.
Mrs. Carpenter’s tireless efforts helped Boca Raton Regional Hospital Foundation raise over $13 million.
Throughout the years, Mrs. Carpenter’s commitment and dedication to raising the public’s awareness of breast cancer prevention enabled The Schmidt Family Center for Breast Care and the Eugene M. & Christine E. Lynn Cancer Institute to reach tens of thousands of women annually, saving countless lives.
Mrs. Carpenter also established the William K. Carpenter Nursing Education Fund at Boca Raton Regional Hospital. It supports continuing education, funding for nursing certifications and tuition reimbursements.
A loving daughter, mother and grandmother, Mrs. Carpenter is survived by her son, Todd Payne, daughter-in-law, Allison Payne, and granddaughter, Devyn Payne. She is predeceased by her beloved husband, William K. Carpenter, and mother, Eleanor C. Payne.
A funeral Mass was held at St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church in Boca Raton on Aug. 20.
Contributions in Mrs. Carpenter’s honor may be made to GO PINK, Boca Raton Regional Hospital Foundation, 800 Meadows Road, Boca Raton, FL 33486; http://donate.brrh.com/Patti-Carpenter.

— Obituary submitted by the family

By Mary Thurwachter

HYPOLUXO ISLAND — Narine Ebersold, a good, kind and friendly woman cherished by her children and admired by neighbors and friends, died on Aug. 26 at Palm Garden of West Palm Beach. She was 95.
Mrs. Ebersold and her late husband, David Ebersold, raised their family on Hypoluxo Island, where they’d moved in 1946 from Jacksonville.
The island was a jungle back then with only a handful of homes and a few human settlers, she told The Coastal Star in 2014. They didn’t have a car and they rode bicycles everywhere, including to West Palm Beach where she worked for the phone company.
“My dad would ride with her to work and then go to meet her on her way home,” said their daughter Sandy Ebersold. “Mom and Dad had a longtime romance. He’d always draw a heart with their names in it. He’d take a picture of them and put his initials and hers on the back inside a heart. She was a beauty and she loved Dad.”
Mrs. Ebersold was born on Oct. 26, 1926, in Arkansas — the daughter of James Myers and Daisy Henderson — but moved to Florida when she was 6 months old, first to Haines City, then to Jacksonville. As a teenager, she worked at a Jacksonville drive-in. That’s where she met her future husband.
“He was a lifeguard at the beach,” she told The Coastal Star in the 2014 story. “In those days, people were kind of bashful and I didn’t even know he liked me, but he went home and told his brother he met this good-looking girl.”  
The couple began dating and married a few years later. Mr. Ebersold was a prominent builder who constructed many of the homes on the island. When he died in 2006, they had been married for 61 years. 
“She was very sweet, a good mother and she was kind,” said Sandy Ebersold, the oldest of the couple’s four children. “She loved to bake chocolate cake and always had ice cream in the freezer. Everybody loved her.
“She was very social and always had lots of visitors at the nursing home. She loved people and she was extraordinarily beautiful.”
Mrs. Ebersold was “no helicopter mom,” her daughter said. “We kind of did our own thing. We’d be on our bicycles all day long and take off. We went in the woods and climbed up those trees. We fished and camped and lived for a few years on a sailboat my dad bought.”
Mrs. Ebersold loved to sing, especially music from the 1940s. She even won a talent contest at Palm Garden for her singing. Her favorite song was I’ll Be Loving You Always.
Her neighbors enjoyed spending time with her.
“My friendship with Narine Ebersold began over 23 years ago when she welcomed my family to Hypoluxo Island,” said Michelle Donahue, president of the Hypoluxo Island Property Owners Association. “She was such a sweet lady, never complained and always made people feel warm and welcomed. I’ll forever cherish our evening visits on her front porch sharing the history of her time on the island and the stories of her life and family legacy.”
Mrs. Ebersold was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, her sister Armastine Culpepper and sister-in-law Barbara Ebersold.
She is survived by her children — Sandy, Davie (Lynne), Terri and Don; her sister, Coy Johnson; six grandchildren; and many friends.
Arrangements are pending and are being handled by Dorsey-E. Earl Smith Memory Gardens Funeral Home. If people wish to make a donation in her memory, her children suggest the Humane Society of ASPCA. “Mom loved her kitties, and they loved her,” Sandy Ebersold said.

By Brian Biggane

BOYNTON BEACH — Near the end of a lengthy interview with Ken and Cat Hilgendorf concerning the recent death of their daughter Capri Grotowski, Ken summed up all the two had said previously: “She was our hero.”
They are not alone. Mrs. Grotowski, who spent her formative years on Hypoluxo Island in Lantana before becoming a star beach volleyball player and spent the last eight years coaching the sport at Florida Atlantic University, died June 25 at age 38 after being treated for breast cancer for almost a decade.
“It never slowed her down,” said FAU volleyball coach and best friend Fernanda Nelson. “She made us better every day. It didn’t matter if she was going through chemo or in a bad depression, she came in with a smile every day ready to work.
“It was pretty impressive. She was a very special person,” Nelson said.
“Our student-athletes loved playing for her,” FAU Athletic Director Brian White said. “She was all about all the right things, and as a result they were all about all the right things. They had as strong a culture as any program I’ve ever been around.”
Ken Hilgendorf described his daughter as “kind of a tomboy” growing up who decided at one point that “grape soda wasn’t healthy, so she stopped drinking it.” She excelled in sports at Lake Worth High School, playing volleyball, softball and soccer — and didn’t allow anyone to push her around.
“She had a soccer game at Palm Beach Lakes and an opponent came up from behind and knocked her down,” he remembered. “Capri got herself up and near the end of the game she got her back.”
Named to the elite Super Six in volleyball, she earned a scholarship to Northwood University (now Keiser University) in West Palm Beach, earning MVP honors all four years. She then played the pro circuit before turning to coaching at FAU, taking over a beach volleyball program in 2014 that Nelson had begun only a year before.
It was during orientation that first year that the cancer was diagnosed.
“She had gone to her doctor nine months prior and told him she had a lump in her breast and he told her there was nothing to worry about,” Ken Hilgendorf said. “She trusted this doctor, and he basically took my daughter from me.”
Asked how she handled that news, he said, “Her oncologist said it perfectly. The reason why she loved coaching so much is she never identified herself as a patient or a victim. She just fought the fight.”
“Capri was one of those special people,” said Dave Stewart, next-door neighbor to her family on Hypoluxo Island and former Lantana mayor. “Very considerate, very caring, very ambitious.”
In a short time she built the FAU program into a powerhouse. The Lady Owls boasted four All-Americans during her tenure — including two last season, when they reached the 16-team NCAA Tournament and beat powerhouse Stanford before losing to eventual champion Southern Cal.
Her eight-year record was 128-86.
“The success they’ve had is unprecedented for any program here athletically,” White said, “and they also led the athletic department in team GPA. Just a very impressive group to be around.”
As the years passed and the hoped-for remedies failed to materialize, Mrs. Grotowski looked into dendritic cell treatment as a possible cure. Told her cancer was too far advanced for her to undergo the treatment in the U.S., she and her mom traveled to Cologne, Germany, for five weeks and had it done by the doctor who created it.
Mrs. Grotowski, who resided in Boynton Beach, leaves behind her husband, Steve, a former England Olympic volleyball player who was her assistant coach and is now head coach at FAU; along with son Cayd, 11, and daughter Kyah, 8, as well as her parents and older brother, Ken Jr.
FAU will hold a celebration of life to honor her from 1-3 p.m. on Sept. 11.
“She was an inspiration to all of us,” Fernanda Nelson said. “The way she handled the cancer, sometimes you wouldn’t remember she had it. She was just incredible.”

By Ron Hayes

HYPOLUXO ISLAND — Don and Alice Edge moved into their Hypoluxo Island home on April 9, 1959.
Two years earlier, the young architect had bought the 6,000-square-foot lot on Southeast Atlantic Drive for $6,000. He designed the house, paid a local contractor to put up the walls and supports, and then built the rest himself.
In the early hours of Aug. 24, Mr. Edge died in his sleep in that home. He was 95, and during 63 years on the island, he devoted himself to the area’s past and future with a spirit that made his time there local history, too.
“Don Edge and I became good friends over a shared passion for history,” said Michelle Donahue, publisher of the Brown Wrapper, the island’s history newsletter. “His first-person account of many Palm Beach County and Hypoluxo Island historical events brought stories to life in ways you just can’t get from a book.”
Donald Richard Edge was born in Detroit on Jan. 25, 1927. He joined the U.S. Navy at 18 and then attended the University of Michigan on the G.I. Bill, graduating with a degree in architecture.
Mr. Edge delighted in telling friends he decided to move to Florida after stepping off a Detroit sidewalk into a pile of cold winter slush.
Arriving in 1952, he found work with architect Byron Simonson in a one-room Palm Beach office. When the firm won a contract to build La Coquille, a small resort hotel in the Manalapan dunes (where the Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa now stands), Simonson created a rendering and Mr. Edge drafted the detailed drawings from which the contractor worked.
Until its demise in 1986, La Coquille was a fashionable gathering spot for the Vanderbilts, Fords and Whitneys.
“I didn’t associate with the classy members,” Mr. Edge recalled for The Coastal Star in 2019. “They knew I was a flunky. But I did get the first drink from the bar. The bartender was setting up for the opening night gala, and he asked me if I wanted a drink.
“A Manhattan, I think.”
In the late 1950s, when William Benjamin was developing Point Manalapan and had applied for a permit with the Army Corps of Engineers to construct a small bridge connecting the island from Audubon Causeway to A1A, Mr. Edge joined his neighbors in opposing the proposal.
“Together with a group of Manalapan residents, Don took Benjamin to court to stop construction of the bridge and won,” Donahue said. “Today, Hypoluxo Islanders truly enjoy and are grateful for the open waters of the lagoon due to Don’s efforts and perseverance.”
In 1956, he married Alice Nan Divine, and four years later he opened his own office in the same Palm Beach building where he’d first found work eight years before.
As an architect, Mr. Edge designed the Lantana Town Hall, Recreation Center and Beach Pavilion. He built Seventh-day Adventist hospitals in several states, and drafted plans for the 1972 wraparound of the county’s 1916 courthouse, his firm’s most controversial project.
When the wraparound was removed in 2004 to reveal the original courthouse, now the Historical Society of Palm Beach County, Mr. Edge was not pleased.
“I still don’t think that old courthouse is a gem,” he would say. “I guess I’d consider myself a modernist.”
But he didn’t hold a grudge. In 2007, he donated 270 historic architectural drawings to the historical society, some from architects Addison Mizner and Marion Sims Wyeth.
Alice Edge died in 2009 after 53 years of marriage.
“She was fantastically good for me,” Mr. Edge said. “She was outgoing while I was kind of inward bound.”
The couple had three children, including Nancy Davis of Seattle.
“He was very gentle and kind,” Davis said. “He was a true inspiration to me. He made every day worth living. There was no sadness in his world. He was, ‘I’m just going to get up and go as long as I can.’ He was out in the workshop making things until the day before he died.”
The secret of a good life, Mr. Edge believed, was a good wife and a lack of stress — and a lack of stress came from having a good wife.
In his home, he kept a photograph of Alice as a teenager on a table in the living room, where each evening he enjoyed a glass of wine, as they had shared one together for so many years.
In his final years, after his doctor forbade alcohol, Mr. Edge switched to nonalcoholic wine, but kept the evening tradition.
When his caretaker arrived on Aug. 24 to find him dead, he was still wearing his wedding ring.
In addition to Nancy Davis, he is survived by another daughter, Carol Edge of Fernandina Beach, and a son, Karl Edge of Tallahassee.
A celebration of Mr. Edge’s life will be held later.

By Larry Barszewski

The Coastal Star received five first-place awards and 14 overall in the Florida Press Association 2022 Weekly Newspaper Contest for non-daily newspapers.
The articles receiving first-place recognition covered a variety of topics, from inspections of aging condos, to newly found photos of a ship that wrecked off Manalapan’s coast more than a century ago, to a Valentine’s look at the love letters and the enduring affection between former Florida Atlantic University head football coach Howard Schnellenberger and his wife, Beverlee.
“These awards recognize the excellence our experienced reporters and editors bring to the local community,” said Executive Editor Mary Kate Leming. “Their contributions shine a light on the people, places, governments and activities in our coastal cities and towns, giving readers a sense of place and inclusion in our unique coastal area.”
The association presented the awards at a ceremony Aug. 5 in Ponte Vedra Beach near Jacksonville.
Though it comes out monthly, The Coastal Star competed against weekly newspapers in a division for papers with circulations over 15,000.
The paper’s top awards went to:
• The staff, led by reporter Joel Engelhardt, for in-depth reporting, non-investigative, with its look — following the Surfside condo collapse — at the number of aging condos in coastal South Palm Beach County.
• Ron Hayes, with two first-place awards. The first, in the feature story, non-profile category, was for his story about the Delray Beach Public Library providing free laundromat services to homeless people. His second came in the community history category, for a story about one historian’s efforts that uncovered photos of the Lofthus, which ran aground off Manalapan in 1898.
• Brian Biggane, in the sports feature story category, for his poignant telling of the Schnellenbergers’ decades-long love story.
• Janis Fontaine, in faith and family reporting, for a pair of pandemic-related stories: one on how the musical director at St. Joseph’s Episcopal Church in Boynton Beach was able to rediscover his creative passion during the pandemic lockdown; the other on how Jehovah’s Witnesses responded after they had to put their communal gatherings and door-to-door visits on hold because of COVID.
Second-place awards went to:
• Rich Pollack for general news story;
• Larry Keller for education feature story;
• Gretel Sarmiento for arts, entertainment and review reporting;
• The Coastal Star staff, for general excellence.
Third-place awards went to:
• Keller for faith and family reporting;
• Tara Mitton Catao for arts, entertainment and review reporting;
• Pollack and Jane Smith for local government reporting;

• The Coastal Star staff for overall graphic design and for website excellence.

Related stories: Boynton Beach: City, PBSO end talks on merger|Commission selects police captain to be city manager

By Tao Woolfe

Boynton Beach’s two top public safety officers — the police and fire chiefs — have been elevated from interim to permanent status.
Interim City Manager Jim Stables, in announcing the appointments last month, said he hoped the promotions would bring stability to the city’s leadership team, which has been in flux since early spring.
Police Chief Joseph DeGiulio had served as interim chief of the Boynton Beach Police Department since May, when acting chief Vanessa Snow left the force.
Fire Chief Hugh Bruder stepped up to serve as interim chief in April when Stables, the former fire chief, left his post to serve as interim city manager.
Both DeGiulio and Bruder have extensive leadership experience.
DeGiulio has been with the Boynton department for more than 20 years. Before becoming interim chief, he served as assistant police chief for the uniform services division.
DeGiulio brought advanced training programs to the department, including tactical first aid, fair and impartial policing and de-escalation.
He was also responsible for implementing the body camera program, the Narcan/naloxone program and tactical fitness and wellness programs.
The police chief earned a master’s degree in leadership from Palm Beach Atlantic University, and a bachelor’s degree in police studies from John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City.
Bruder has had more than 42 years of fire service experience. He joined the Boynton Beach Fire Rescue Department in 2020 as deputy fire chief. Since then he has reorganized the department’s administration so that more firefighters could be deployed in the field.
His other priorities have been fostering labor/management relations; improving staff morale; and helping secure grants for a new fire boat, EMS equipment and infrastructure for emergency communications.
Bruder also revamped critical incident management and peer support programs for the police and fire departments, and helped create a new community outreach program.
Bruder, an Air Force veteran, holds an associate’s degree in emergency medical services, and a bachelor of science degree in public administration/fire service management — both from American Medical Academy in Miami.
“Both of these public safety leaders have spent a lifetime nobly serving others, while qualifying and climbing the promotional ladders in their respective areas and collaborating to enhance the mental wellness of their employees,” Stables said in a prepared statement.
“These well-deserved promotions will bring further stability to our leadership team and to the overall public safety of the community.”

Harvey E. Oyer Park, on North Federal Highway, will be closed for renovations from Sept. 12 through mid-November.
During those months the Boynton Beach park’s three boat ramps will undergo a $1.25 million face-lift and are scheduled to reopen just in time for the winter season.
The work will be paid for by Palm Beach County’s 1-cent sales surtax and the Florida Inland Navigation District.  
For more information call 561-742-6239.

Pioneer Canal Park seeks your votes for prize money
In other boat ramp news, the city is competing for $75,000 in prize money to add a boat ramp and observation deck at Pioneer Canal Park at 848 NW 13th Ave.
The city is asking residents to visit niagaraperkyourpark.com/parks/pioneer-canal-park and vote for the Pioneer Canal Park project.
The “Perk Your Park” contest is offered by the National Recreation and Park Association. Pioneer Canal Park is one of five South Florida parks in the competition.
If the city wins one of the top three spots — and the $75,000 in prize money — the improvements would allow access to waterway activities that include kayaking, boating, fishing and observing wildlife.
Voting runs through Sept. 12, and each individual may cast a vote daily. Winners will be announced on Oct. 12.
For more information call 561-742-6220.

Related stories: Boynton Beach: City, PBSO end talks on merger|Interim public safety chiefs win permanent status

By Tao Woolfe

Daniel Dugger, a captain in the Boynton Beach Police Department, was chosen as the new city manager after a lengthy and contentious special City Commission meeting on Aug. 30.
The field of three candidates was unexpectedly winnowed to two early in the evening when interim City Manager Jim Stables announced he was dropping out of the running.
Stables said he would resign from his post as of Sept. 30 to return to Tennessee and his family.
“I have been honored to serve with such a great team,” Stables said, referring to the city staff.
Stables had been a top-choice candidate of all five city commissioners. Besides Dugger, the other top candidate was Robert Curnow, a deputy city manager in Coral Springs.
At a City Commission meeting on Aug. 16, Mayor Ty Penserga had asked his colleagues to choose three to five favorite candidates from a pool of about 40. The special meeting on Aug. 30 was to determine what steps to take next.
Penserga said the commissioners had three options — continue to choose among the existing candidates, hire an outside headhunting firm to broaden the search, or have the Boynton Beach Human Resources Department re-advertise the job.
Then he opened the discussion up to the public.
The rest of the evening was a kind of verbal free-for-all, with many residents and non-residents speaking for and against Dugger and airing other grievances about the city and the commission.
Those who praised Dugger — and there were many — said he was invested in the city and its people, he is well liked, and brings 18 years of experience with the city to the job.
“We need somebody who is passionately invested, someone who has the whole city in mind — Dan Dugger,” said resident Jim Sussic, summing up the prevailing sentiment.
Those who spoke against Dugger knocked him for not having the minimal qualifications for the job.
Even before the special meeting, residents familiar with the candidates were urging commissioners to hire a headhunter to conduct a nationwide search for more qualified candidates.
That advice was repeated throughout both meetings, but the commission chose to ignore it.
“We are not Greenacres. Hire a headhunter to bring in executive level professionals,” resident Barbara Ready said at the Aug. 16 meeting.
Ready said she had looked at the entire pool of candidates and found most of them lacking in city manager-level experience.
At the Aug. 30 meeting, Ready again urged the commissioners to hire professionals to help find a city manager who would understand the complex workings of government and truly be a leader.
Commissioner Woodrow Hay, the only commissioner to vote against Dugger, was also in favor of hiring a headhunter.
Vice Mayor Angela Cruz said she had interviewed Curnow for two hours and found him qualified, but that once she had determined he was unwilling to move to Boynton Beach, she decided against him.
Commissioner Aimee Kelley agreed.
She added that Dugger’s experience with the city police force more than made up for his lack of credentials.
Penserga did not really discuss his rationale, but voted with the majority.
The city attorney and human resources staff will draft an agreement and contract with Dugger and bring it back to the commission at a future meeting.
Dugger holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Phoenix. He has risen through the city police ranks from patrol officer to detective first-grade. He became a sergeant in 2016 and last year was promoted to captain, according to his application.
Curnow holds a master’s degree in public administration from Barry University.
Curnow has worked for the city of Coral Springs for the last 10 years. He joined as an infrastructure manager, made his way up to assistant city manager and was named deputy city manager in 2019.
Stables was tapped for the interim city manager position at an April 25 special City Commission meeting. He had been the city’s fire chief for a little more than a year at the time.
The unanimous vote for Stables as interim city manager came days after the commission fired City Manager Lori LaVerriere after 10 years on the job.
It remains unclear exactly why LaVerriere was fired.

The Ocean City Lumber Co. property in Delray Beach, with its distinctive water tower and historical train depot, owed much of its preservation to Janet and Tim Onnen, who sold it in August. The original lumber company’s history dates to 1920. Photo provided

By Christine Davis

The distinctive water tower in downtown Delray Beach marks the charming Ocean City Lumber Co. property, which sold for $30 million in a deal recorded on Aug. 8.
Owned and developed by Janet and Tim Onnen, the 48,474-square-foot mixed-use complex was sold to Delray Trio LLC and is managed by Nader Ohebshalom, Babak Ebrahmizadeh and a trust in the name of Isaac S. Ohebshalom, all executives at Gatsby FL.
Representing both sides were Laura Allen and Cecelia Boone, of Southdale Properties Inc.’s commercial division, who brokered the off-market property on behalf of the Onnens. The 2.5-acre site is on the south side of Northeast First Street, from Railroad Avenue to Northeast Second Avenue.
For the Onnens, Ocean City Lumber Co. has been part of their lives since the 1980s. For Delray Beach, it has a history that spans from 1920.
Janet and Tim moved to Florida from Iowa to operate her father’s business, Meisner Electric, in 1983. Soon after, the Onnens decided to move the Meisner offices closer to the center of town.
They started by buying two properties — one where the old Sundy Feed Store used to be, and a window and screen repair shop, which was once part of the Ocean City Lumber Co.’s operation. Then the couple added the lumberyard to their portfolio when the owner defaulted and it went to auction in 1992.
A history buff who was involved with the Delray Beach Historical Society, Janet Onnen became intrigued with the stories of Ocean City Lumber Co.
“I kept its name, because it had historical significance to me,” she said. One bit of folklore that she had heard about: “It was considered a decent place for a husband to hang out, rather than the brothels and bars Delray had at the time,” she said.
Another tidbit she shared: “I found in the old records that the lumberyard was essentially a bank in the early days. When people wanted to build their home or business, the lumber company would lend them the money. The lumberyard was where they could go to make their American dream happen. It financed Delray in the early days for regular people.”
And that makes sense, in a way. In 1920, the lumberyard was started by three partners, Fred Benson, a local bank chairman, J.C. Keen, who ran the company, and attorney C.Y. Byrd.
In 1993, the Onnens added the final parcel of land, an FPL property, and then they replatted their properties.
“We redeveloped it using the same building footprint mostly, with architect George Brewer, between 1993 and 1996,” Janet Onnen said. “With Tim and I in construction, George being a young fun-loving architect, and our great construction team, it was a great project, and by 1996, we started leasing out space. At one time, a water tower was on the lumberyard property, and that’s how we came to build the water tower.”
They added a dilapidated 1896-era Florida East Coast railway station that had been moved west to Sims Road but was originally located across the FEC tracks diagonally from its current location. The railway station is owned by the Delray Beach Historical Society.
After years of involvement with the property and many memories — including sheltering friends and employees at their site during hurricanes — the Onnens are moving on to the next phase of their lives.
“I’m divesting of my responsibilities. I want to do some traveling and sit back and watch the world go by,” she said, adding that her husband is looking forward to that plan, too. “It’s a great location with great tenants and I hope that everything works out for both the tenants and the new buyers.”
Current tenants include the Bru’s Room, PurLife Fitness Center, Ramen Lab, Bond Street Salon, and Coco Sushi Lounge and Bar.

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Related Group, a Coconut Grove real estate company headed by Jorge Pérez and Jon Paul Pérez, paid $48 million for an apartment complex that is restricted to low-income senior residents, according to public records dated July 22.
The Boynton Bay community, on the southwest corner of Northeast Fourth Street and Northeast 20th Avenue in Boynton Beach, was bought from Boynton Bay Ltd., an affiliate of Delray Beach-based affordable senior housing developer Auburn Communities, managed by Brian Hinners.
KeyBank provided a mortgage in the same amount as the purchase price.
Related Group also signed an agreement with the Florida Housing Finance Corp., a state Legislature-created authority that in part oversees various financing options for affordable housing. The 240-unit Boynton Bay complex was constructed in 1991 on 21.4 acres. It last traded in 2009 for $21.1 million. Related Group’s Related Urban Development Group focuses on building affordable housing.

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The Delray Beach Housing Authority and AffordableHousing.com conducted their annual children’s backpack giveaway on Aug. 4, inside the Delray Beach Housing Authority. Six hundred backpacks with school supplies were given away.
“We are so glad to have the support of AffordableHousing.com every year. And this year certainly is going to be one of the most important years for kids of all ages to get back to school and back into a routine,” said Charmaine Jackson, executive assistant at the Delray Beach Housing Authority.

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Airbnb shared findings from the North American Digital Nomad Index that Delray Beach has been named a top-earning destination for hosts with long-term stays. Demonstrating a pandemic-era trend, the report also found that 1 in 5 guests used Airbnb to work remotely while traveling in 2021, and that hosts in the U.S. earned a combined total of $2 billion from long-term stays alone. The report comes just months after Airbnb co-founder and CEO Brian Chesky told the company’s employees that they could work from anywhere.

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The Arthur and Emalie Gutterman Family Center for Holocaust and Human Rights Education at Florida Atlantic University recently announced the Gutterman Family Outstanding Holocaust Educator Awards for 2022.
The awards recognize educators who have exemplified through their teaching a positive impact on their schools and the wider community in the field of Holocaust, genocide and human rights education.
Among those recipients was Boca Raton High School teacher Maureen Carter, a resident of Boynton Beach, who has been involved in Holocaust education for more than 25 years. The Gutterman Center will recognize her and two other educators on Nov. 7 at the annual awards dinner honoring outstanding Holocaust educators. The awards enable recipients to participate in an educator field study at Holocaust sites in Poland and Israel. The field study trip should occur in early summer 2023.

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Todd Jackson, president of Fox Public Insurance Adjusters Inc., received the Recognition Award from the Boynton Beach Professionals. The award is the result of a review process and is voted on by the management team of the Boynton Beach Professionals leads group. Awards are presented on an every-other-month basis. 
John Campanola, chairman of the group, said: “This award was created to honor the member who has done the most for the group and the Boynton Beach community. Todd has been tirelessly working to promote the group and all of its members. He is an ardent networker throughout Palm Beach County and especially Boynton Beach.” 
For information on the Boynton Beach Professionals leads group, contact  boyntonbeachprofessionals@gmail.com.

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Flavor Palm Beach is back throughout September, with more than 60 of Palm Beach County’s bistros, diners and restaurants added to its list. It also has a new CEO, Kerri Paizzi, a 20-year restaurant and marketing professional who has helped launch a new mobile app for Flavor. 
At select eateries from Tequesta to Boca Raton, customers can enjoy prix fixe menus for three-course meals for lunch and dinner, with prices ranging from $35 to $65. This year’s most renowned celebrity chef is Michelin Star and James Beard Foundation Award winner Daniel Boulud, who owns Café Boulud in Palm Beach.
To participate in Flavor Palm Beach, simply make a reservation, visit the restaurant and enjoy the menu. For more information, visit flavorpb.com. 

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Boca magazine was named the Magazine of the Year and Best Overall Magazine at the 2022 Florida Magazine Association’s Charlie awards on Aug. 5, in Ponte Vedra Beach.
Boca magazine, produced by JES Media since 1981, also won top awards in several categories, including Best Overall Writing; First Place, In-Depth Reporting; Best Custom Publication, and Best Advertising for a Client.
Boca magazine received silver awards for Best Feature and the “Women in Business” advertising section. Finally, it received a bronze award for Worth Avenue in Best Custom Publication. 

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The Boca Raton Historical Society and the Schmidt Boca Raton History Museum are seeking nominations for this year’s Walk of Recognition. The honor serves as a permanent memorial to individuals and local institutions whose public service has helped build the city and enriched the lives of residents.
The Walk of Recognition is located in Mizner Plaza at Royal Palm Place. A ceremony and reception for honorees will begin at 6 p.m. Nov. 29 at the Addison, 2 E. Camino Real in Boca Raton. Tickets are $85 per person.
For tickets or more details, call 561-395-6766, ext. 106 or see www.bocahistory.org.

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On Sept. 24, the Boynton Beach-based nonprofit Feeding South Florida, a hunger-relief organization, will host its annual Outrun Hunger 5K in celebration of Hunger Action Month. It will take place at Okeeheelee Park, 7715 Forest Hill Blvd., West Palm Beach. Cost to participate starts at $20. To register visit www.feedingsouthflorida.org/outrunhungerpbc.

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