Code enforcement issues at center of controversy

By John Pacenti

The Delray Beach City Commission is reeling as a leaked document, social media outrage, and defiant statements followed the revelation that a whistleblower complaint had been filed over the potential strong-arming of a new city director over a code violation at a popular restaurant.

The whistleblower complaint remains sealed while an independent investigation is conducted, but a redacted page from it, under the subject “Code Enforcement Concerns,” has leaked to The Coastal Star and some residents.

Trouble in the Code Enforcement Division first surfaced in October when an officer was arrested and charged with shaking down a resident selling ribs out of his home — the case remains open, though state prosecutors so far have declined to file charges.

Then it came to light that a supervisor had liens removed from a home she owned after resolving longstanding code violations—without alerting city officials that it was her property. The supervisor resigned in February.

An investigation by the city’s Human Resources Department didn’t look at the arrest of the officer or the allegations of conflict of interest by the supervisor until City Commissioner Juli Casale insisted.

Whatever problems were lurking in Code Enforcement were supposed to be excised by the hiring of Jeri Pryor as the director of Neighborhood and Community Services who oversees the division.

Leaked Document

But now it is Pryor who has filed the whistleblower complaint in the form of an email to City Attorney Lynn Gelin, sources say. 

The City Commission at a special meeting on April 29 instructed Gelin to retain a private firm to investigate the whistleblower allegations. Gelin told commissioners the allegations are exempt from public disclosure and that no one should be talking about the matter while it is under investigation.

City Commissioner Rob Long recused himself from the discussion and vote on hiring an outside firm to avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest, but he did not elaborate at that time on the reason for his decision.

The redacted email that was leaked does not show Pryor’s name but is from a city director — overseeing code issues — who started Jan. 21. That’s the same date that Pryor was to begin her new position, according to City Manager Terrence Moore’s Jan. 10 Commission Information Letter about her hiring. 

“I regret to inform you that I am sending this email to address conflicting directions I have received,” the whistleblower writes in the email to Gelin dated April 29. When contacted for comment by The Coastal Star, Pryor deferred any questions to a city spokeswoman. 

 In the email, Pryor said she took the job that oversees the Code Enforcement Division “despite the division’s unfavorable public history.” 

Moore, according to the email, called her on Feb. 20 to talk about a local restaurant, Dada, which had been issued a violation for using an A-frame sign for their valet services. Pryor said she told Moore that code enforcement officers were cracking down on all businesses that were using the A-frame signs, which are not allowed.

Dada is a restaurant owned by Rodney Mayo and has been a mainstay of downtown for nearly a quarter century. His Subculture coffee shop on Federal Highway has also been the subject of much discussion by commissioners regarding alleged code violations. It was a topic in a heated commission workshop, also held on April 29.

Though Long’s name does not appear in the unredacted portion of the email that was leaked, he has issued a statement — in response to Coastal Star questions — that he was on the Feb. 20 phone call with the city manager and the employee.

After a five-line redaction in the leaked email that comes as the phone call is being mentioned, the whistleblower wrote to Gelin: “I am only doing what I was told to do and it sounded like selective enforcement and I won’t do that.”

Moore then told her to “be more educational and not automatically issue notice of violations. Do more public outreach and only focus on the big code violations, allowing long-term business owners to use A-frame signs,” according to the email.

Long’s statement

Long’s statement to The Coastal Star said an accusation contained in the whistleblower complaint — one that is not visible on the redacted page — that he threatened the job of the employee with the phrase “if you want to stay here” is false. 

“To be clear: I have never — and would never — threaten a city employee or direct staff outside of the City Manager or City Attorney, and only then as part of commission consensus,” he wrote. “I remain committed to integrity, transparency, and serving the people of Delray Beach.”

Long said the call in question was initiated by Moore while he was meeting with the city manager in person. “I was completely caught off guard by the accusation, which was made over two months after the referenced conversation,” he said.

Long said the complaint has been “weaponized” with details — exempt from public disclosure — made available to the media.

“The whistleblower process exists to protect people from retaliation when serious wrongdoing occurs — not to be used as a vehicle for malicious attacks cloaked in confidentiality,” Long said. “Undermining that process threatens its credibility when it truly matters.”

Mayo, in an interview with The Coastal Star, said that his businesses are caught in the political crossfire. “This whole thing has absolutely nothing to do with Subculture, right? We are caught in the middle,” he said.

The perception, Mayo said, that he and Long are best friends and “doing all this bad stuff” is false. He said Long and Commissioner Angela Burns responded to his efforts to reach out to the city to solve any code issues with the coffee shop. “Obviously, I met with Rob. I met with Angela right away,” Mayo said. 

Mayor Tom Carney, at the April 29 workshop, accused the staff of “subverting the will” of the consensus of the commission when it came to Subculture. The mayor said staff was directed in January to come back to the commission, but instead instituted a new occupational use for the establishment.

Previous complaint

Though never officially named by the city as the whistleblower, Pryor has already been the subject of social media posts after the announcement by Carney that the complaint had been filed.

A 2024 newspaper article surfaced about Pryor when she was working as chief of staff for Fort Lauderdale Commissioner Warren Sturman. She filed a complaint against Commissioner Steve Glassman there for using an expletive in her presence on Jan. 9, 2024, according to the South Florida Sun Sentinel.

Sturman told the outside investigator that Pryor used stationery with his letterhead — on which she wrote her complaint — without his permission. Pryor accused Glassman of “violent, hostile and aggressive behavior.”

The investigator ended up recommending that the Fort Lauderdale City Commission adopt a code of conduct, concluding that Glassman’s comments did not constitute harassment or bullying.

Delray Beach social media erupted over the posting of that story. 

“I’m deeply concerned that someone is trying to expose and discredit the whistleblower in the matter involving a Delray Beach City Commissioner — before any investigation has even started,” Ingrid Lee, administrator of the Facebook group Delray Matters, posted.

“It suggests someone in power is trying to shut this down before the truth comes out.”

In addition to a flag on the beach celebrating Delray Beach’s blue flag status, numerous banners adorn the light poles on both sides of Atlantic Avenue between A1A and the Intracoastal Waterway. Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

Related story: Along the Coast: O Canada, will you still come and visit?

By Mary Hladky

Boca Raton’s Spanish River Park beach has been awarded the much-coveted Blue Flag Beach Award that signifies it meets stringent environmental and safety standards.

With the award, announced on April 22, the Boca Raton beach becomes only the third in the continental U.S. to be so honored. The others are Delray Beach’s municipal beach and Westward Beach in Malibu, California, which both first received the award in 2023.

Delray Beach also has received good news. On the same day Boca Raton was notified, Delray Beach learned it once again had received the annual award.

Boca Raton planned to hold a flag-raising ceremony at 9 a.m. May 2 at the Spanish River Park beach. Delray Beach was to hold its ceremony at 10 a.m. May 1 at Atlantic Avenue and State Road A1A.

The award recognizes beaches that meet more than 30 environmental, education, water quality, environmental management and safety criteria.

Boca Raton sought the award for the Spanish River Park beach because it is the city’s flagship beach.

The Blue Flag award is administered internationally by the Foundation for Environmental Education, headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark. Blue Flag USA, operated by the American Shore and Beach Preservation Association, administers the award in the continental United States, Alaska and Hawaii.

Boca Raton now will install new information boards at the park’s central pavilion with details about local conservation efforts, water quality, water safety and eco-friendly practices, the city said. The city’s free educational programs offered through Gumbo Limbo Nature Center helped the city win the award.

“Our residents and visitors can take pride in knowing that Spanish River Park beach meets some of the highest standards in the world,” Mayor Scott Singer said in a statement.

Delray Beach was honored with the award for the third straight year.

“We at the City of Delray Beach are incredibly proud to receive this prestigious international award again,” Delray Beach Public Works Assistant Director Cynthia Buisson said in a statement. 

How to navigate A1A chaos? Police explain law, give tips for walkers, drivers

A couple crosses A1A without using a crosswalk to get to Atlantic Dunes Park in Delray Beach. Photos by Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Rich Pollack

The close call came as Rafael Pineiro was crossing State Road A1A in the town of South Palm Beach. 

He and a friend had just started walking from the beach park near the south end of town when a car slowed to let them cross. 

At the same time, the driver of a second northbound car decided to go around the slower first car and came perilously close to hitting his friend and Pineiro, who is advocating for crosswalks in town — which has none — following a collision that killed a pedestrian in 2023.

“I remember saying ‘this is a bad situation’” just prior to the near miss, Pineiro said. Fortunately, he was paying close attention to the roadway and he and his friend stopped walking in time.

Crossing a highway should be simple: Look both ways and wait until the coast is clear before you cross. However, when it comes to A1A, with its abundance of crosswalks in some areas — and lack of them in others — and with many bicyclists also using the road, the guidelines for when a walker should go and when a driver should stop can be complicated. 

Confusion can contribute to tragedy and may have been a factor in February when 71-year-old Roz Lowney was killed while crossing A1A in a Delray Beach crosswalk.

For drivers and pedestrians, knowing the best way to be safe can be challenging. 

Should a driver stop and let someone waiting to cross the road go if that person is not at a crosswalk? Is it OK to cross outside of a crosswalk? Should pedestrians step into the crosswalk when a car is still going, but is far enough away that the pedestrian believes the car has time to stop? 

Do drivers have to stop if they see a walker entering a crosswalk in the opposite lane? Do bicycles have to stop when a pedestrian is in a crosswalk? 

Top tip: Assume nothing

While the answers differ based on specific circumstances, law enforcement professionals who have decades of experience and hundreds of hours of training advocate being cautious and offer some tips that can enhance safety for everyone using A1A.

One of the most basic of the recommendations that apply to both drivers and those crossing A1A is to avoid assumptions. 

People entering a crosswalk should never assume that a vehicle is going to stop, even though that is the law, law enforcement and safety advocates say.

“The crosswalk isn’t your savior,” says Manalapan Police Chief Jeff Rasor, who spent several years leading Delray Beach’s traffic division before arriving in Manalapan this year, and who has undergone several hundred hours of traffic safety training. “The crosswalk is not a physical barrier.” 

Rasor said some who cross the road just assume a car is going to stop and step into the crosswalk without waiting for the car to slow or without making eye contact with the driver to get an idea of whether he or she will slow down.

On A1A where there are pedestrian-activated flashing yellow lights, some pedestrians enter the crosswalk as soon as they push the button, believing all drivers will hit the brakes. 

But some drivers don’t. “Don’t have a false sense of security,” Rasor says. 

Do drivers know the law?

Florida law is clear about cars stopping when there is a pedestrian in a crosswalk — crosswalk signs say it, too. Motorists must stop even when the pedestrian is in the opposite lane of traffic and must stop once the pedestrian steps foot into the crosswalk.  

Still, Highland Beach Police Chief Craig Hartmann points out that a beach road like A1A draws a lot of tourists from out of state and even out of the country who may not know the law. As a result, pedestrians need to be extra sure the vehicle will stop, which isn’t always the case. 

Drivers on A1A should also be alert and defensive and not assume they will be able to stop in time when a pedestrian is in the crosswalk. Rasor recommends keeping an eye on your speed and driving within the speed limit. 

He said drivers should reduce their speeds when they see a pedestrian entering the crosswalk. By slowing down gradually before coming to a halt, instead of coming to a sudden stop, motorists can avoid rear-end collisions. 

Drivers should also be extra cautious if they see someone not at a crosswalk, on either side of the road, waiting to cross. Both Rasor and Hartmann, however, recommend not stopping because the driver behind you could try to go around you and end up hitting the pedestrian. 

Don’t be distracted

The message from both Rasor and Hartmann for pedestrians waiting to cross is to go back to what you learned as a kid — look both ways first. Both recommend looking to your left, then to your right and then to your left again. 

Crossing in a place without  a crosswalk is OK if there’s not a crosswalk nearby, Rasor said, but it should always be done with extra caution. 

Another piece of advice to both pedestrians and motorists is to stay off your cellphone both when crossing the road and when driving along a road with lots of pedestrians and bicyclists, especially if you’re holding the phone. 

Distracted pedestrians and distracted motorists account for a fair number of the crashes involving both vehicles and pedestrians, Rasor said.

Even motorists speaking on a phone hands free should be extra vigilant when driving on a heavily traveled road like A1A because of the distraction the phone causes.

Distractions also account for crashes involving bicyclists. In a recent survey done by Boca First, bicyclists listed distracted, impaired and careless drivers as one of the top dangers in riding on A1A. 

Like vehicles, bicyclists are required to stop if a pedestrian is in a crosswalk. 

Rasor says that it’s important for pedestrians to make sure they’re aware of their surroundings so they’ll have a better idea of when vehicles might be coming their way. If you’re about to cross the road after a curve, for example, recognize that you might not see a car coming right away, so be extra cautious. 

Trent Schambach and his son, Sutton, wait with Shelby Stenger, Sutton’s grandma, to cross A1A to their car from Atlantic Dunes Park in Delray Beach.

Night crossings

Hartmann recommends taking extra safety steps when crossing after dark.

“Crossing at night, you’re not as visible as you are in the daylight,” he said. “It’s more important that your caution and awareness are greater at night.”

In Highland Beach, which has been a leader in taking measures to ensure pedestrian safety, lights have been installed to illuminate all the town’s seven crosswalks and they are on all night. Those crosswalks all have pedestrian-activated flashing yellow lights and orange flags that pedestrians can carry across the road. 

Other communities also have pedestrian-activated yellow lights at crosswalks. 

Highland Beach is planning to embed lights in the crosswalks once road construction is completed. 

Educating both motorists and pedestrians on how to cross A1A safely is a priority for local law enforcement agencies. In Highland Beach, police often go to condo meetings and other gatherings to share safety tips. 

Highland Beach has also conducted crosswalk safety operations in which a police officer in civilian clothes attempts to use a crosswalk. Motorists who don’t stop can receive a citation. 

“Our residents’ safety is our No. 1 priority, so we’re willing to deploy the latest safety measures,” Town Manager Marshall Labadie said. 

Patrick and Maeve Murphy, visiting from Boston, use the crosswalk and crosswalk flag to properly cross A1A just north of the Coronado at Highland Beach. They were headed to the beach.

Tips for navigating A1A

For pedestrians 

• Look both ways (left-right-left) before crossing — even if you’re at a crosswalk. 

• Stay off your cell phone while crossing to avoid distractions.

• Push the button (before crossing) to activate warning lights at crosswalks that have them. Using orange flags where available also will increase your visibility to drivers.

• Don’t assume a car is going to stop, even if you’re in a crosswalk and it’s the law.

For motorists 

• Don’t use a handheld cell phone while driving — and be extra vigilant watching for pedestrians and bicyclists while using a hands-free cell phone, which also is distracting.

• Stop for pedestrians once they are in a crosswalk, whether they’re in your lane or the opposite lane. (It’s the law.)

• Drive within the speed limit, making it easier to gradually stop for pedestrians without having to slam on the brakes, which could cause a rear-end collision.

• Be cautious about pedestrians attempting to cross outside of crosswalks. Don’t stop if they are waiting for traffic to pass before crossing, as drivers behind you might not know what you are doing and may either rear-end you or seek to go around you, endangering the pedestrians.

Source: Local law enforcement agencies

Unwelcome vessel anchors at condo for lengthy stay, angering residents

The barge and its floating water jets were stored across the Intracoastal Waterway from The Boca Raton and out of the channel, beside the Boca Inlet condo. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star.

By Rich Pollack

They came to Florida for the Easter or Passover holiday and were looking forward to sitting around the pool outside their Lake Boca Raton condo.

Then came the large barge, planted just a few feet off the condo’s sea wall, an unwelcome guest that stayed for close to two weeks — with little the condo could do about it.

Diesel fumes spewed from a generator on the barge, filling the air and seeping into the 98-unit condo’s fresh air system, later choking at least five residents who had to seek medical attention.

“People came down for the holidays and they couldn’t sit outside,” said Madeline Stern, a board member at the Boca Inlet condominium.

As condo managers began efforts to move the barge — which was there to put on three light and water shows for conference guests at The Boca Raton resort across the way — they discovered the barge was in a part of the Intracoastal Waterway that no government agency wants to accept as its responsibility in this situation.

The shows, arranged by a nationwide financial institution, were April 23 and 26, with a third set for April 29.

Some Boca Inlet condo residents enjoyed an April 26 show meant for The Boca Raton across the Intracoastal, but many were upset that the display’s barge sat along their sea wall for almost two weeks. Larry Barszewski/The Coastal Star

“We started calling every agency we could think of and spoke to everyone except the Army and the Navy,” said Joe Lari, the condo manager whose company, J & J Management, has been working for the Boca Inlet condo for three years. “It seems like it should be in almost everyone’s jurisdiction but no one wants to claim it.”

Lari said the barge also blocked several boat slips at the condo’s dock and he had hoped that it could be moved, perhaps closer to The Boca Raton, without blocking the channel.

Fumes bother residents
Lari said plenty of the fumes from the barge got into the building. “This was dangerous. It’s insane,” he said.

Despite the condo’s efforts — including calls to local, state and federal agencies — the barge which arrived on April 18, Good Friday, was still there a dozen days later, although the noise and fumes from the generator — still annoying to residents — were no longer constant after the first five days.

For one resident, the diesel exhaust fumes were enough to make her so worried about the impact on her health that she called a family physician and went to get checked out.

“I felt like someone was sitting on my chest,” said the resident, who hadn’t been able to go out on her apartment’s balcony or sit by the pool.

Who you gonna call?
While government agencies, including the Boca Raton Police Department and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, have the power to enforce laws on the Intracoastal, there is apparently little those agencies could do as long as the barge wasn’t interfering with navigation or breaking the law.

The FWC says permits aren’t necessary to travel the Intracoastal, nor does it issue permits to anchor there.

A representative from the city of Boca Raton said that because the barge was outside the city’s jurisdiction it did not require a special events permit. She added that staff from the city’s Code Enforcement Division had visited with residents at Boca Inlet and later reached out to the contractors who were putting on the water and light show.

After code enforcement contacted those operating the barge, some improvements were made. The generator wasn’t running as often and the barge was moved about 20 feet to the north, farther away from the pool. Even so, it still remained just a few feet off the condo’s sea wall, blocking would-be visitors from docking, Lari said.

One of the main members of the team contracted to produce the water and light show said the crew had made adjustments to minimize the disruption to condo residents, including cleaning the filters and cutting back on the time the generators were operating. Technicians were brought in to make sure everything was operating efficiently.

“When we were working at first, we didn’t see it as a problem,” he said. “When we were made aware that there were community concerns, we made every effort to go above and beyond standards.”

A noise inspection by the city found no issues, according to the city spokesperson.

Information hard to get
Although it was a challenge to get any confirmation about what the barge was doing in Lake Boca up against the condominium’s property, Lari said he was told it was there to put on three separate water and light shows set to music — think the Bellagio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas — on three different nights as part of a conference at The Boca Raton rewarding outstanding employees of Minneapolis-based US Bank.

In an email to The Coastal Star, the resort’s executive director of marketing, Sara Geen Hill, said the hotel was not responsible for the barge or the water and light show and would not comment on who was putting on the show.

“We are not involved in activations taking place on the adjacent waterway,” she said. “In keeping with our commitment to guest privacy, we do not disclose information about resort guests or the organizations who visit our property.”

While an email to the communications department of US Bank requesting information about the event — Legends of Possible — was not answered, some of those who were being honored for being outstanding employees did post about coming to Boca Raton.

Boca Inlet residents (l-r) Evguenia Kostina and Tatyana and Michael Lukas toast with champagne while awaiting the start of the April 26 light and water show. Larry Barszewski/The Coastal Star

Watching the show
Stern, from the Boca Inlet condo board, said she and several others tried to watch the display from the pool deck on the first night, April 23, but said the wind pushed the water from the display onto the pool deck, forcing her and others to go inside.

Residents who were outside on April 26 for the second display had a different experience, since the wind was blowing away from the condominium.

“I never saw something like that,” resident Evguenia Kostina said of the water and light show. “I love it. It’s not bothering me. It’s beautiful.”

Some condo residents brought champagne poolside, and some boaters on Lake Boca stopped to see the display.

Also present were members from Boca Raton’s code enforcement, who were testing for noise and fumes. With the wind blowing away, however, any fumes weren’t bothering the poolside audience that night.

While there were some residents of the condo who weren’t too upset about the barge being there for almost two weeks, Stern said it was disappointing that residents couldn’t sit outside when the fumes were blown their way.

“The whole situation was quite unpleasant and shouldn’t have happened,” she said.

Mary Hladky and Larry Barszewski contributed to this story.

Related story: Along the Coast: Boca Raton joins Delray Beach as recipients of Blue Flag Beach Award

By Mary Hladky

If it were up to Canadian Dory Kilburn, she would sell her home in Briny Breezes and never return to the U.S.

“I really love Briny,” she said. But President Donald Trump’s threat to annex Canada as the 51st state, his demeaning rhetoric about the country’s leaders and the imposition of tariffs have horrified her.

She’s equally concerned about how he is running his own country. 

“Democracy is slipping away in the United States,” she said. “The United States was always our guiding light. Now it is not. It is really scary.”

Yet she’s not going anywhere for now. Her husband, Jack Marcuccio, wants to “wait and see what happens” before making a decision to sell.

Kilburn is not the only Canadian who would like to pull out of Florida. She and her husband know 10 couples who attend a three-month golf holiday in Naples each year. They are not booking for next year. Two couples they know in Cocoa Beach have sold their homes.

Other Canadians who own homes in Briny Breezes and spoke with The Coastal Star don’t want to pull up stakes.

Joan Nicholls spent only eight days in her Briny Breezes home this year because medical problems pushed her back to Ontario for treatment.

“I am looking forward to going back down there again,” she said. “I had a wonderful time. I hated to leave.”

And there’s no doubt she will return. She has bought a golf cart. “I have all intention of going back.”

Larry Sudds rooted for Trump to be elected president even though he knew Trump might hurt Canada financially. So he is fine with Trump’s actions. 

“I have no problem getting back to Palm Beach County no matter what happens,” said his wife, Linda. “I am not opinionated on anything. It is what it is. Hopefully it will turn out to be the best on both sides.”

The fact that these annual visitors love where they live part-time and have long-standing ties to Palm Beach County sheds some light on whether or how much the county’s Canadian tourism will be hurt by U.S. politics.

No clear trend yet

As of late April, the county’s tourism marketing organization, Discover the Palm Beaches, had no current data that would show if the county is taking a hit. President and CEO Milton Segarra expects to get that as soon as this month.

But Segarra is hopeful.

While he is expecting some decline, “so far, the numbers we have are extremely positive,” he said. 

Hotel bookings as of February surpassed all his goals. “The Palm Beaches are registering one of the best high seasons ever,” he said.

Peter Ricci, director of Florida Atlantic University’s Hospitality and Tourism Management Program, agrees that there’s not yet cause for alarm.

“While there is economic and political uncertainty globally, The Palm Beaches seems to have thus far bucked any type of negative trend,” he said in a late March email. “As a local tourism professional, I remain optimistic for the 2025 calendar year thus far.”

As of late April, he had not changed his assessment. He attributes the county’s positive showing so far at least in part to Trump’s frequent trips to Mar-a-Lago and the politicians, other visitors and media who come in his wake.

Canada’s crucial tourism role 

The stakes are high. Canada is Palm Beach County’s most important international market, accounting for 39% of the county’s total international visitation.

Last year, nearly 370,000 Canadians visited the county, contributing $500 million to the economy.

Canada is vitally important to the state as well. It is the state’s top international market, with 3.3 million Canadians visiting in 2024.

If Palm Beach County avoids a sharp downturn by the end of the winter tourist season, Segarra said that might be due to the fact that most Canadians arrive in the fall. So they were already here when Trump launched his tirade and tariffs against their country.

But Segarra is getting feedback that shows Canadians are concerned about the potential impact on their economy and they are “emotionally charged about the narrative about the sovereignty of their nation.” 

So he took a different approach when members of his organization traveled to Toronto in March. 

Rather that creating a new business strategy to attract visitors, he thanked his Canadian partners for their support.

If the situation improves and Canadians are ready and willing to travel to Palm Beach County, Discover the Palm Beaches will launch tailored marketing that Segarra hopes will retain Canada as a top market.

The Trump effect

But much remains well outside Segarra’s control. If Trump backs off his crusade to take over Canada and punish it with tariffs, relations between the countries might stabilize and Canadian animus toward the U.S. could fade.

If not, Canadians would have even more reason to shun the U.S.

While Palm Beach County may have escaped the worst for now, there are plenty of indicators already that things have gotten ugly.

Canadians are boycotting U.S. goods. Two-thirds of Canadians said they have reduced their purchases of American products in stores and online by more than 60%, according to a March survey by the Canadian market researcher Leger.

Advance bookings for Canada-U.S. flights in April-September are down over 70% compared to last year, according to the aviation data firm OAG. Airlines, however, have disputed that number.

Nonetheless, airlines are reducing the number of flights from Canada to the U.S. The greatest impact has been felt in Florida, with Miami International Airport seeing 23% fewer seats and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport with 20% fewer, according to OAG.

But Canadian travel to Palm Beach International Airport increased in February, according to the airport’s most recent report. Air Canada brought in 5,747 passengers, compared to 4,814 in February 2024. But that number was down from January, when 7,098 passengers arrived.

The Canadian airline Porter, which first flew into Palm Beach International in November, brought in 2,081 passengers in February. 

Canadian tour companies have reported a sharp drop-off of people booking tours to the U.S.

A weaker Canadian dollar also is having an impact, since it makes the U.S. more expensive. Canadian money stretches further in places like Mexico and Costa Rica.

The fall will tell

Sophie Lalonde, chair of the Canada-Florida Business Council, agrees with Segarra that the impact of Trump’s words and actions were muted because Canadians were already in Florida when tensions flared.

“You will have a better feel, a more realistic picture in the fall” when it is known how many Canadians are returning, she said.

But she sees a worrying sign.

Many Canadians, she said, come to Florida for spring break. Yet that didn’t happen this year. 

“This year people canceled their trips, even trips that were pre-booked…,” she said. “A lot of Canadians are revolting and saying, I am not going.”

Trump may not be the sole reason, she said. The weak Canadian dollar likely played a role.

But feelings in Canada are running strong. “Canadians are upset. They are upset because it is a fight that shouldn’t have started. We have always been good friends. We have done business together for forever,” Lalonde said.

She highlighted Canada’s value to Florida. Six hundred Canadian companies operate in the state while Canadians contributed $4.6 billion to Florida’s economy in 2022.

“We are very important to you guys,” she said, “just like you are very important to us.”

Officer praised for saving man, curious pooch from Intracoastal Waterway

Gail and Steve McMillan sit with dog Molly and Officer Daniel Turnof near where Steve almost drowned. Molly broke her leg a few months earlier. Photos by Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By John Pacenti

Let’s just say Molly, a 16-year-old goldendoodle, is one very lucky — and very loved — canine.

When Molly and her owner, Steve McMillan, fell off a dock into the Intracoastal Waterway at night on March 11, a quick-responding Manalapan police officer helped save them both. Officer Daniel Turnof lay on his belly on the dock and reached one arm toward the water, securing McMillan, who in turn held on to the pooch until Palm Beach County Fire Rescue could arrive.

When Turnof got there, McMillan, 79, was in the water holding onto a crossbeam of the dock at their Manalapan residence on Lands End Road.

“Whoever the guy was that was lying on the dock, his hand down, holding my hand, may have made all the difference in the world, because I don’t know whether I could have held on to that crossbeam anymore,” McMillan said.

Turnof — who will be honored with the life-saving award at the next Town Commission meeting for his work — said when he got there, the first thing McMillan said was, “Help my dog first.”

This is where we need to rewind. About six months ago, around Halloween, Molly broke one of her right legs at the McMillans’ home in California.

The veterinarians all suspected cancer, which is often the cause of broken legs in older dogs. One wanted to amputate, but McMillan’s spouse, Gail, kept getting second opinions. It turned out Molly didn’t have cancer, and the bone was set.

“She’s still happy and trotting along and eats and drinks and, you know, loves her treats,” Gail McMillan said in a telephone call from the vet’s office on April 17. “She’s still going.”

Officer Daniel Turnof will be honored with a life-saving award at a Town Commission meeting for rescuing Steve McMillan and his dog, Molly. 

So is her husband, despite battling Parkinson’s disease, which makes his balance a bit iffy. Around 10 p.m., both her dog and her spouse decided to go for a little walk to the end of their dock, with Molly on a leash. Molly likes to put her snout over the edge and look at the water — and that’s when it happened.

“Next thing I know, I’m in the water, and I went under and struggled back up,” Steve McMillan said. “My view was, hell, this is it for me. I am really not a swimmer of any sort.”

But McMillan then saw Molly, still with her leash on, dog-paddling in the Intracoastal.

“She’s just been through three months of therapy, from surgery, from having her leg broken, and it’s like if I drown, my dog is going to drown, too, and my wife will kill us both,” he said.

By happenstance, Gail McMillan had turned off the TV to make a phone call when she heard her husband yelling for help. She called 911 at 10:07 p.m.

The situation was no joking matter. Her husband could feel the steady current of the Intracoastal. 

“It was quite stressful,” she said. “I was so panicked and screaming for my neighbors to come because I didn’t know whether he had a heart attack or a stroke or what. How did he get in the water?”

That is when Officer Turnof arrived and located McMillan and Molly with the help of a neighbor. He noticed that the situation was dire as McMillan had his leg around the piling, which had barnacles on it. 

“So, he was getting cut up pretty bad,” Turnof said. “Obviously, he’s concerned about the dog. I wasn’t going to argue it. So he had the dog around, I believe, his left arm.”

Turnof got on his stomach. “I reached down, and I slowly pulled him towards me, and then I grabbed a nice, good grip on his arm with both hands.”

Fire Rescue then arrived and used a surfboard and a ladder to rescue both McMillan and Molly. McMillan estimated he had been in the cold Intracoastal waters for about 40 minutes.

Police Chief Jeff Rasor praised Turnof, who has been on the Manalapan force for two years. “This is the expectation. Obviously, he did an outstanding job,” Rasor said. “Certainly his response time was incredible.”

Gail McMillan said that the incident took a toll on the couple and their pooch for a few weeks.  

“We both couldn’t even leave the house. It was rough. It was scary,” she said. “But now I just have to laugh about it. Now we just laugh.” 

The cover of the Gulf Stream centennial book. Photos provided

To celebrate the town’s first 100 years, Mayor Scott Morgan collected historical photographs and wrote ‘The Town of Gulf Stream: A Place to Cherish.‘ The 104-page coffee table book chronicles the town’s century-long quest to preserve an ‘understated but elegant’ charm. The hardcover book was given to each of Gulf Stream’s roughly 685 households. They were invited to pick up their copies at Town Hall. The town paid $21,000 to publish it. ‘Every household will get one,’ Morgan said. ‘It’s not for sale. It’s just for us.’  

Polo came to town in 1927. Gulf Stream became known as the Winter Polo Capital of the World.

Controlling traffic is a high priority as construction trucks and workers have to share the road with parents lined up to gather their students at the end of a day of classes at Gulf Stream School. Gulf Stream Police Officer Todd Stanton and Michael Alford of Roadway Construction manage traffic while another worker crosses a metal plate in the road in front of the school on April 25. Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

By Steve Plunkett

Polo Drive has become the new route for the morning rush to drop off kids at the Gulf Stream School.

Phase 2 of Gulf Stream’s comprehensive makeover of the Core District’s roads officially began April 21, the day after Easter, with construction crews moving to the streets east of almost-complete Polo and with new traffic instructions for parents of students.

While student pickup is the same as before, parents dropping off children have been asked to enter the Core District via Golfview Drive, then travel Polo north to Old School Road and the school’s entrance. A police officer is stationed at the intersection of Old School and Gulfstream Road to direct cars into the school’s usual south driveway.

The revised traffic pattern, which diverts vehicles from Gulfstream Road where most of the Phase 2 construction will take place, “is working very well,” Assistant Town Attorney Trey Nazzaro said.

“We are happy to report that the contractor is making progress and we anticipate fewer difficulties for Phase 2 as we get underway at the end of the season into the summer,” he said.

Barring bad weather and other unforeseen problems, this stage of construction is expected to last 10 months, or until late February 2026. Town officials originally hoped to wrap up the whole project in December. Phase 1 began in April 2024 but quickly stalled while contractor Roadway Associates LLC waited for a permit from the South Florida Water Management District.

Baxter and Woodman Consulting Engineers, which is managing the project, issued the contractor a Certificate of Substantial Completion on April 22 along with a punch list of 60 items such as repairing sprinkler lines and leveling mailboxes.

For the week ending May 2, Roadway planned to install new water and drainage utilities on Gulfstream Road between Golfview Drive and Lakeview Drive and on Lakeview between Polo Drive and Gulfstream.

Phase 2 is expected to proceed more quickly because most of the piping will be in the right of way next to the asphalt instead of under it.

Phase 1 consisted of Polo Drive and the finger roads to its west. Besides the punch list items, it will get a final lift of asphalt once Phase 2 is finished.

The entire water main, drainage and road project in the Core District is budgeted at $13 million. 

By Steve Plunkett

The Briny Breezes Town Council was still trying to figure out dates, but it decided at its April 24 meeting to hold a budget workshop in May as well as the one it customarily has in the summer.

The driving reason: Town Manager Bill Thrasher’s proposal to raise the town’s property tax rate by 80%, from $3.75 per $1,000 of taxable value to $6.75.

Thrasher, who earlier in the day was interviewed about the proposal on Alderman Bill Birch’s BBC8 television show, offered the second workshop session as a way for council members to know better the math behind his plan.

He would raise property taxes to obtain a $2.5 million loan to match the grants the town currently has.

“That funding source, what it looks like and where it comes from, is still being worked on, it has not been determined. We have plenty of time because we have enough reserves to get us started,” Thrasher said in the interview, which can be seen at bbc8.tv. BBC8 is a closed-circuit news outlet for Briny residents.

Using Birch’s 2024 tax bill for an example, Thrasher noted that the alderman paid $167 in town taxes and $1,081 overall to the 13 taxing entities. 

At the $6.75 rate and if the taxable value of Birch’s home did not change, he would pay $301 in town taxes, or 80% more, and $1,215 overall, or only 18% more, if all the other tax rates stayed the same, Thrasher said. Birch translated that into a monthly increase of $11.15. “It is nothing major at all,” he said.

Thrasher pointed out that somebody else may have a taxable value that’s larger than Birch’s, adding that “the numbers will change but the percentages primarily will not.”

He called the proposed increase “really not something that as a manager I can say is something I’m proud of, but what I do have to tell you is that it’s absolutely necessary to advance our projects.”

The increase would raise about $300,000 more in property taxes.

Briny Breezes wants to enhance its sea walls and update and modernize its drainage system. The total project cost is $14.4 million. The town has qualified for a $1.4 million grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which is in the midst of a 90-day pause, and a $7.2 million grant from the Resilient Florida program. 

“Whether you believe it or not, the town and the corporation have to develop a project for sustainability to protect from seawater intrusion. As tides come in and out, in and out, it’s very destructive. It wears on your sea walls, it wears on your piers, it wears on every part of your protection basin,” Thrasher said.

Along with seeking other grants, “I will be looking to try to obtain donations. … I’ll be begging for money,” Thrasher said. “I’ll try everywhere I can to get money.”

Birch, for one, is on board with Thrasher’s proposal.

“Briny has given generations after generations of families nothing but wonderful memories,” Birch said. “And, let’s just call her a woman — she needs our help, and I think we need to help her.” 

With the completion of the Bonefish Cove Restoration project only months away, we look forward to visiting the mangrove islands and oyster reefs in the central Lake Worth Lagoon north of Hypoluxo Island. American avocets, black skimmers and royal terns, among other of our fine-feathered friends, have already begun feeding in the sand there.

But the $15 million project, originally planned for at least five years, almost came to a roaring stop before it even began early last year.

In late February 2024, Hypoluxo Island residents, particularly boaters who live on the east side of the northern end of the island, got wind of the project via a flyer sent to their homes. While they supported the environmental benefits of the project, what they couldn’t stomach was losing boating access to the Intracoastal Waterway — and having their property values plummet as a result.

The blueprint originally called for three islands, but the middle one was directly above La Renaissance channel, the passageway boaters traditionally used to reach the deeper Intracoastal waters.

The project is a partnership between Palm Beach County and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The goal is to create treasured habitat for flora and fauna that had otherwise been lost or degraded because of past dredge and fill activities, stormwater discharges and shoreline hardening.

Named Bonefish Cove after a popular fish that recently returned to the area due to previous county restoration projects, the islands have been formed with 320,000 cubic yards of sand from Peanut Island.

Construction was set to begin weeks from the day residents got those flyers, leaving little time to change course. Bill Simons, a boater who had been using the channel since 1996, and his neighbor Jordan Nichols, a retired civil engineer who once worked for the South Florida Water Management District, went door to door to blast the alarm.

They enlisted another neighbor, former Lantana Mayor Dave Stewart, who connected with Town Manager Brian Raducci to set up a meeting where residents were able to air their concerns and hear from county and Army Corps officials.

What followed was a flurry of letters and phone calls and petitions from residents for hearings. Neighbors reached out to state and federal senators and representatives for help.

Islander Stuart Fain met with residents who talked about hiring a lawyer but held off and were “politely working” with the county. Turns out, politeness and persistence were effective.

In response to complaints, Deb Drum, director of the county’s Department of Environmental Resources Management, sent a letter to the Army Corps requesting that it sequence the project to not put any fill in the area identified by the neighbors as their navigation pathway until there was a redesign of the project to avoid that area. And, eventually, a redesign was done and the project was changed from three islands to two, leaving the channel in place.

Incredibly, the issue was resolved within a month, a remarkable feat and testimony to the diligence and fortitude of the men and women of Hypoluxo Island who fought so doggedly.

It wasn’t smooth sailing. But when their navigation rights were threatened, leaders emerged to take the helm, and they came with admirable navigational skills. They knew what to do and they didn’t give up.

They set a good example for all of us.

— Mary Thurwachter, Managing Editor

By Brian Biggane

South Palm Beach Vice Mayor Monte Berendes is the kind of legislator who typically sticks to his convictions: Once he takes a stance, he holds onto it. So, the fact Berendes has flip-flopped on a key issue regarding the new Town Hall in recent weeks is indicative of the uncertainty running through the Town Council as it attempts to finalize plans going forward.

When council members and town staff conducted meetings with CPZ Architects in late 2024 and early this year, Berendes initially came out in favor of a two-story building. Further along, as the plans started coming together, he switched to the three-story option.

“When I looked at the designs there was no question in my mind,” Berendes said after an April 4 workshop with architect Joe Barry. “I looked at (the three-story concept) and said, ‘Now that’s a nice building.’”

At the regular council meeting five days later that featured another discussion on the pros and cons of the two options, Berendes had changed his mind again.

“Listening to us here, we’re all leaning toward the two-story concept,” Berendes said near the end of the 35-minute back-and-forth. “And residents are telling me they all kind of want that.”

While fewer than 20 residents turned out April 4 for the one opportunity the public was given to meet with Barry and get a detailed look at the CPZ proposals, a majority took the microphone and voiced disapproval.

Their concerns ranged from potential flooding around the proposed 37 parking spaces, to the idea that a three-story structure would impinge on the privacy of neighboring condos, to questioning the need for common spaces to stage events like yoga classes, to whether the proposed space for the building’s first-floor PBSO office suited Sgt. Mark Garrison and his staff. (It does.)

When the council met five days later, it was Berendes who suggested a shower would be a good idea in case of an emergency such as a hurricane, and Town Manager Jamie Titcomb moved that the Building Department office be moved from the second to the first floor, where it is housed in the current building.

Some residents even questioned whether there really is a need for a new building, or whether the current structure could be updated for less money. That prompted longtime Mayor Bonnie Fischer to explain engineers have deemed a retrofit would cost more than the $6 million to $7 million the new building will cost, and the decision to replace the existing structure goes back many years and through many town councils.

A breakdown of the three-story building proposed by CPZ:

First floor: 37 parking spaces, PBSO office, lobby, patio;

Second floor: Town staff offices, a storage room, council office, conference rooms;

Third floor: Multipurpose rooms for community classes and events, council chambers, a 1,500-square-foot room, kitchen, balcony.

The two-story structure would have a smaller footprint but elongated levels, meaning the two structures would have almost the same square footage. The advantage of putting the public activities on the third floor is giving better views and vistas for those activities.

Though it would be a narrow view, residents would be high enough to see the ocean from the top story of the three-story building.

There were conflicting opinions regarding the idea of having a coffee shop. Council member Ray McMillan saw it as a gathering spot for residents and pushed it as “a good idea,” while Berendes expressed concern its popularity might quickly disappear and cost the town money in the long run.

Fischer, who has been a proponent of the three-story building all along, said the idea of a thriving community center has the potential to bring residents together much more than is currently the case.

“One thing I’ve noticed since I’ve been mayor is how rewarding it is to have the residents involved in activities, and the feedback is always great,” she said. “We get to know people in the community instead of sticking with our own buildings. I really feel the third floor is very important to us.”

Barry and CPZ will return for another go-round at the regular council meeting on May 13, when a vote on the proposals is possible, though not likely.

Berendes said what the council needs to remember is what the scope of the project has been since the start.

“You don’t build a building for today,” he said. “This is a building that will hopefully be around for a long time: 50 years, 30 years. So, we’re building for the future. Please keep that in mind when you say, ‘Oh, we don’t need this, we don’t need that.’ Maybe in 10 or 15 years you will wish you had it.” 

Greg Schiller, the new CEO of the Child Rescue Coalition, keeps reminders of children in his office in Boca Raton alongside screens showing data and the organization’s home page. Schiller is a former prosecutor of internet crimes against children. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Hannah Spence

In 2009, while serving as the lead prosecutor for the Internet Crimes Against Children unit at the Palm Beach County State Attorney’s Office, Greg Schiller began collaborating with the Child Rescue Coalition, which was operating out of the same building.

That proximity introduced him to the organization’s groundbreaking technology — an experience that would ultimately lead to his future role as CEO of the nonprofit dedicated to helping law enforcement track and apprehend online child predators.

“I get to come home to that same building where it all really started,” says Schiller, 47, who became CEO on March 3. In his new role, Schiller will be doing more of what his predecessor, Carly Yoost, did. “So, this is the greatest opportunity I could ever have to globally help children, parents, and the community learn how to fight back against offenders online. And I can do it all through this incredible organization here in Palm Beach County.”

The coalition uses a proprietary software tool, which helps law enforcement agencies around the world identify individuals who are sharing and downloading known child sexual abuse material.

The technology monitors peer-to-peer networks in real time for users who are actively trading illicit content. This allows investigators to build cases proactively and has led to the arrests of tens of thousands of predators globally. CRC’s technology is free for law enforcement all throughout the world, but is used heavily in Palm Beach County by federal agents, the sheriff’s office, and police departments in Boca Raton, Delray Beach and Boynton Beach.

Schiller, who lives in Boca Raton, graduated from New England Law in Boston in 2003 and has been in Palm Beach County his entire career.

“I’m originally from New York and my first job offer, after I applied to be a prosecutor in many offices up and down the East Coast, was at the West Palm Beach State Attorney’s Office,” he said.

He spent 121/2 years working as a state prosecutor in West Palm Beach, where the majority of the time, he said, he was the lead prosecutor in handling internet crimes against children and cases of human trafficking.

Then in 2016, Schiller became an assistant United States attorney where he was still a prosecutor but at the federal level in the Southern District of Florida — still specializing in the same crimes.

He held that position until a couple of months ago when he left to become the leader of the CRC, whose software he had already been utilizing for 15 years at his other jobs.

“I think as CEO, I come with a very unique perspective of having been in the trenches as a prosecutor and having seen and dealt with the worst offenders, violence and online exploitation,” said Schiller, whose lengthy workdays leave little time for much else. But when he has time, he enjoys reading, baseball, music and spending a lot of time with his family. “Working on this side really helps me grow and be the best that we can be trying to protect children.”

Schiller lamented the biggest struggle he and CRC have: making sure that they have the funding to do the job that they want to do.

“Somebody asked me the other day: ‘If you had a billion dollars, what would you do?’” said Schiller. “The ideas and the goal are endless because the goal is to end child exploitation across the internet so that we can protect our kids. There is no amount of money that would generate availability to ever do that globally in absolutely every home across the world.”

In addition to accepting donations, CRC hosts various fundraisers throughout the year. Upcoming charitable occasions include the annual CRC Poker Tournament in September — a friendly competition for card players of any level. The Coalition Cup will celebrate its eighth year in October; the day will have sports, an open bar, awards ceremony and more.

Both events are in Delray Beach, but Schiller said he is looking to expand such events in other cities and countries around the world.

CRC’s technology is used in 106 countries, and the organization is open to working with more, “whoever calls upon us and wants us to bring our technology there,” said Schiller.

He said he has seen cases of children exploited by their relatives or guardians in other parts of the world, but hopes his company can shrink those numbers.

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Lift station approved — At a special meeting on April 16, the South Palm Beach Town Council adopted an agreement to have Mock Roos & Associates design and oversee construction of a new lift station, to be built on the site of the existing one-story lift station between the Brittany and Concordia West condos just north of Town Hall.

Mock Roos, which also has been contracted to build and service lift stations nearby in Palm Beach and Manalapan, was selected over Holtz Consulting Engineers at the March council meeting.

The cost has been estimated at between $500,000 and $1 million; Town Manager Jamie Titcomb said the main variable will be the costs of the various subcontractors Mock Roos will bring into the project. 

John Cairnes, who has been with the firm for 17 years and told the council in March that he has become “one of the most experienced, top-notch lift stations engineers in Palm Beach County,” will serve as project manager.

Ethics presentation — Lizabeth Martin, the communications manager for the Palm Beach County Commission on Ethics, made a 10-minute presentation to the council regarding ethics at its regular April meeting.

Comprehensive plan approved — Walter Keller, with decades of municipal comprehensive plan experience, made a second presentation in April of his comprehensive plan to be sent to the state. Manager Jamie Titcomb said the town was already overdue on submitting the plan, and the council adopted it.

Dog debate suggestion — The ongoing debate regarding whether dog owners should be allowed to bring their pets onto Town Hall property came up again, with Council member Elvadianne Culbertson offering a suggestion to resolve the issue. Noting that about 100 dog owners have requested more lenience from the council, which currently forbids dogs on the property, Culbertson said the group should assign one owner each week to be responsible for picking up dog waste, meaning each would only have to serve one week every two years. No action was taken.

— Brian Biggane

Michele Mahon at home in Ocean Ridge with her book, published this year by Austin Macauley and available in paperback for $9.95 on Amazon. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

Michele Mahon of Ocean Ridge didn’t set out to write a children’s book. It kind of just happened during a time when she was doing substitute teaching. 

“There would be breaks and I would just start working on stories,” said Mahon. “The kids always loved me and they wanted to help me write.

“So, I started writing and asking the kids what ingredients they wanted to put in, and they would say, ‘Put some cherries in there,’ or ‘Put some chocolate.’ And I would write their input.”

What came out of it was Unimaginable Ingredients for Shmoogily, a compilation of eight stories, all but one of which are based on true experiences.

“The first one was about how our dog escaped in the woods and we had to go find him. So that became Lost in the Woods,” Mahon said. “But the one I made up was the one they liked best.” That one was about a kid who was afraid to speak in class so he drinks a potion that cures the problem.

A dancer since she first started taking ballet lessons as a young girl, Mahon has put together a presentation for children that involves both reading and dancing. But she has encountered resistance when she has pitched her services to local outlets such as schools and libraries.

“The Delray Beach library told me, ‘No, we have our librarians read stories to the kids.’ But this is different.”

Mahon’s big adventure involving dance came when she spent six months training in Atlantic City for a show in the Bahamas, traveling between Nassau and Freeport to work with Bahamian dancers.

“After two years I had to come home because I had a husband,” she said. “I quit the show in May and was pregnant in July. Then it was ‘OK, what do I do with this kid?’ Then I became a mother.”

Mahon spends her summers in Boston. She and her husband, Paul, who is retired, have three children: daughter Raisha, who teaches families and the nursing staff how to use respiratory equipment at three hospitals in Boston; daughter Sachian, a public school teacher in Boston; and son Brienne, who lives in Manhattan and is vice president of instruction for Five Iron Golf.

— Brian Biggane

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

A: Dorchester, Massachusetts. I went to the Sarah Greenwood School. I had the same teacher as my father, but this time we watched and waited as her teeth were about to fall out as she spoke.

I grew up in a three-family house while my dad was making his first venture into real estate. I played double-dutch jump rope and Red Rover and would hear my mother scream “Michele, where are you? Get in this house,” every night. Transistor radios were blasting, kids were hopscotching, I was enthralled by the neighborhood music and cultures. How could I not be influenced? I was young and watched and listened and danced. I continued my education and graduated from Brookline High School, where I am so fortunate to keep in touch with a lot of old friends.

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

A: It seems everything I did came late, but I did it. I first recall training to work in reservations and the information desk in Dallas with American Airlines, and due to layoffs, I wound up with Delta. Then I got my real estate license for Massachusetts. I did this while substitute teaching in Milton, Massachusetts, where my three kids went to school. 

My dance career began in Boston with a show named Pouff, then came a solo spot in Remember Old Scollay Square in a dinner theater, the Chateau de Ville. Finally, I worked for the Resorts International hotel chain doing The Crazy Gang show with the wonderful Bahamian dancers.

What I am most proud of is I went to UMass-Boston and earned a degree in humanities and elementary education, making me the first in my family to graduate college. A few years later I received my master’s degree in moderate disabilities from Eastern Nazarene College in Quincy, Massachusetts, while teaching in Boston public schools. This led me to dance programs and choreography. I still do substitute teaching and writing.

Q: What advice do you have for a young person seeking a career today?

A: Life is a stage which is OK to fall off of. That is how we learn. We try to do what we think we like, and the opportunities seem to arrive unexpectedly. The next thing you know you may love what comes. Change makes life interesting and in the process comes versatility.

Q: How did you choose to live in Ocean Ridge?

A: Originally my separated parents lived with their interesting others in Kings Point in west Delray Beach. While visiting those fabulous facilities I bought a condo that was for sale across the street from my mom and stayed there until they passed.

Soon after that I was with my brother driving up and down A1A looking for a place to park to go to the beach. We finally found one and were walking around and I spotted a gazebo, then looked and saw some condos. I checked with a Realtor and a couple were for sale. I also looked on the Intracoastal but sent pictures to my kids and they said, “Mom, you can’t swim in the Intracoastal. Go for the beach!” So I did.

Q: What is your favorite part about living in Ocean Ridge?

A: What a beach! What a location! It makes me smile as I walk and see the palm trees and feel the ocean breezes (some days not so much). But I love all the little creatures I say hi to on my walks. I have met many wonderful people. Every day is a happy hour!

Q: What book are you reading now?

A: Honestly, I don’t read books. I love the Smithsonian articles on travel, current issues and its firsthand reporting. I love the National Geographic; it has a kids’ magazine that helps them learn about the environment. The fabulous photographs capture your imagination and draw you into the articles.

Q: What music do you listen to when you want to relax? When you want to be inspired?

A: It’s really funny because as I get older and remember lyrics to songs that I liked and danced to, I realize I never listen to the words. For relaxing, Luther Vandross, the Beatles, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, and the Isley Brothers all told beautiful stories. When I dance it’s to rhythm and blues, Motown, funk and soul. I like “get down on it,” “can you boogie?” and “I bow wow wow yippee yo yippee yeah.” Also “I love music, any kind of music.”

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

A: My mom was an artist; she did oil paintings, charcoals and embroidery. Her art is on my walls. She was beautiful and reminded me not to go out without lipstick.

My dad could turn anything into funny. He told jokes and he sang and entertained. My legs would be killing me from eight-hour rehearsals, and he would say, “You did it, you made it, so be proud and dance.”

Toward the end he had nuclear palsy, which caused him to drop without warning. One day while he was in the shower, we heard a loud noise as he grabbed the tub enclosure. We went to help and he said, “It looks like curtains for me.”

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

A: I can’t think of anyone more fitting than the Looney Tunes character the Road Runner (people have said that shows how theatrical I am). He’s mischievous, with a silly sense of humor and a cheerful personality. He’s known for his incredible speed, leaving a trail of flame as he runs, and he enjoys surprising, which is good since my whole life has been a surprise.

Q: Who/what makes you laugh?

A: I find humor in all the people I am around and all aspects of life. My dad would do plays on words and talk backwards. I like to go to comedy shows, especially when I’m being picked on. I also get a big kick out of text messages among our family. We used to have a chain under “Old Family” and Brienne didn’t like it so he changed it to “New Family.” We have a lot of fun with them.

By Rich Pollack

It has been a year since Highland Beach split from Delray Beach and started its own fire department, but a fight over who still owes the other money — and how much — is heating up again.

In late March, attorneys for Delray Beach sent a letter to Highland Beach Town Manager Marshall Labadie requesting the two municipalities attend nonbinding mediation to determine how much the town owes the city.

In response, Highland Beach sent a letter to the attorneys for Delray Beach saying the town sees the advantage of settling the dispute without going to court, but it won’t do that until it receives detailed records it has been seeking for several years.

Delray Beach, according to its letter, believes the town owes it more than $540,000 that was identified during an audit by the Florida Auditor General’s Office.

In his letter back to the city, Highland Beach Town Attorney Len Rubin wrote that the town believes the city actually owes it money because it overcharged the town almost $238,000 for fiscal 2021 and 2022.

The letter also contends that Highland Beach requested the same information on which it based that finding for four prior years back in 2023 and has yet to receive that information or other records, including those to support Delray Beach’s contentions that it owes the city money.

“We’ve been asking for those records for years and we’ve never received any records that support their claim,” Labadie said. “Before we talk mediation, show us the records.”

Delray Beach City Manager Terrence Moore said his city is continuing to work on determining how much Highland Beach actually owes for services provided.

“We remain in the process of determining what that looks like,” Moore said.

One possible scenario is that Delray Beach could ask Highland Beach for a portion or all of $2.2 million — mostly in pension costs — that the state’s audit showed should have been billed to the town but never was.

In his letter to the attorney representing Delray Beach, Rubin said the town wants to see the long-sought records before it will agree to mediation.

“To fully evaluate the city’s latest claim and to allow the town to fully review and comprehend the city’s position prior to mediation, the town is requesting copies of all records relied upon by the city to arrive at whatever figure the city believes the town owes,” he wrote.

Rubin outlined four specific sets of records the town wants, including daily rosters of employees who worked in the Highland Beach station under a long-standing agreement.

Moore said Delray Beach is in the process of compiling those records.

“The city of Delray Beach looks forward to a productive path forward,” Moore said. “We’ll provide the relevant information so they can prepare accordingly.”

For more than 30 years, Delray Beach provided fire service to Highland Beach by staffing a town-owned fire station. In April 2021, Highland Beach leaders voted to end the relationship in part because they felt the city was overcharging them. The town’s new fire department took over in May 2024.

During the final years of the partnership, Highland Beach disputed the way Delray Beach calculated how much it was owed.

In recent years prior to the split, Delray Beach began using the actual costs of the 211/2 firefighter paramedics assigned to the station in Highland Beach to determine the town’s cost for service, about $5 million per year.

Highland Beach has argued, however, that the agreement between the two municipalities clearly states that such cost should be calculated based on the average “in-rank” cost of fire rescue personnel throughout the city.

The different interpretations of the agreement could be one of the focal points of any mediation. When that will happen is up in the air.

In what logical way does it make any sense to allow one person to inconvenience thousands?

Why would a [Manalapan] homeowner be allowed to tunnel under a public road [State Road A1A] for personal use? Why should thousands of people be inconvenienced because a homeowner who probably is in Florida for two weeks a year can’t cross the street? 

Crossing a street really is not that difficult, as my mother taught me: “Look both ways and when there are no cars coming, you can cross.”

— Ira Oaklander
Highland Beach

I really enjoyed reading John Pacenti’s article “Reef Madness: City diving deep to restore struggling coral” [April 2025 edition]. I am heartened by the fantastic work of the scientists at the Reef Institute and all the volunteers and supporters in Delray Beach who are working hard to restore our precious coral reefs. 

As a Floridian, I see the need to educate new Florida residents on issues affecting our natural environment.

Please keep up the great work in bringing us articles on our reefs, water quality, canopy, beach erosion, marine life and the need for biodiversity. 

— Maria Freed
Boynton Beach

Beginning with its May 2025 edition, The Coastal Star is converting all of its delivery to single-family homes, from newspapers in plastic bags thrown in driveways to U.S. Postal Service delivery to mailboxes.

If you live in one of these homes, please send an email to admin@thecoastalstar.com that simply states the date you received this edition.

We made this change to improve service to our readers and advertisers. Between sprinkler systems and summer rains, we know we have delivered a few wet papers over the years; we hope this will bring that to an end.

— Jerry Lower, Publisher

A Palm Beach woman is dead after being struck by a truck on April 1 in the parking lot of Plaza del Mar in Manalapan, according to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office.

Janice Stein, 74, was walking across from Publix just before 8 a.m. when she “inadvertently entered the path” of a 2020 Isuzu NRR truck, according to the sheriff’s report.

The truck’s front right side hit Stein, knocking her to the ground, and then the vehicle ran over her before coming to a stop a short distance away.

Stein had “improperly” traveled into the path of the truck, according to the report.

— John Pacenti

By Ron Hayes

GULF STREAM — On Easter Sunday 1969, Robert Ganger and his father explored a Gulf Stream mansion they found to be dilapidated, covered with mold, and empty.

Miradero, the former home of Lila Vanderbilt Webb, granddaughter of railroad magnate Cornelius “Commodore” Vanderbilt, had been willed to Good Samaritan Hospital, which had a developer with an option to buy.

Where the developer saw a future investment, the Gangers saw a past worth preserving, and in January 1970, Miradero — Spanish for a “vantage point” or “lookout”— became their new home.

Robert Ward Ganger died in Miradero on April 25 — 33 years to the day after the death of his own father, Robert Mondell Ganger, in the same house. He was 89.

When Mr. Ganger retired to Gulf Stream in 1991, he brought with him the same reverence for preserving the past that had saved that moldy old mansion, and for the next 34 years that devotion blessed both Gulf Stream and all of Palm Beach County.

In 2007, when developers hungered to buy Briny Breezes and replace the mobile home community with towering condos, Mr. Ganger and Kristine de Haseth formed The Florida Coalition for Preservation to fight the sale.

Briny Breezes is still here, and so is the coalition.

“Bob was involved in many worthwhile nonprofit organizations, but his pride and joy was The Florida Coalition for Preservation,” de Haseth said. “We have dedicated 18 years to preserving the small-town quality of life we all enjoy on the barrier island, which includes supporting Briny Breezes in their efforts to remain a unique, independent community.”

Robert Ward Ganger was born in Bronxville, New York, on Jan. 5, 1936.

After graduating from Bronxville High School, he earned a bachelor’s in American studies from Yale in 1957 and an MBA from the Harvard Business School in 1959.

From 1959 to 1964, he served in the U.S. Air Force Reserves.

Mr. Ganger spent his career in marketing and strategic planning at General Foods Corp., from which he retired after 32 years.

“He never retired,” said his son, Rob Ganger, “and of all my father’s contributions, I think his greatest were in Gulf Stream.”

A year after leaving General Foods, he founded the Gulf Stream Consulting Group, a business development and financial strategies company, which he ran for 20 years while also pursuing his volunteer work.

On an Alaskan cruise in 1993, he struck up a friendship with a gentleman from Broward County, who suggested introducing him to a Finnish woman living in Boca Raton, a friend he thought Mr. Ganger might like.

Mr. Ganger liked her very much, and in 1995, he and Anneli Perlow were married in Gulf Stream, with his adult children Amy and Robert attending. 

The newlyweds set about restoring Miradero, but carefully.

“To assure that the restoration was legitimate, we researched the plans of Lila Vanderbilt Webb,” he recalled. “Her story compelled me to write a book on who Lila was, and why she decided to build a house in Gulf Stream.”

The Historical Society of Palm Beach County published Lila Vanderbilt Webb’s Miradero, Window on an Era in 2005, and the book went on to win a best nonfiction award from the Independent Publisher Book Awards.

From 2004 to 2007, Mr. Ganger served as president of the Gulf Stream Civic Association, and from 2006 to 2012 as a member of the town’s Architectural Review and Planning Board.

Not long after joining the board of the Delray Beach Historical Society in 2005, Mr. Ganger found a new challenge. The society’s historical archives were about to be expelled from the 1913 schoolhouse at Old School Square to make way for an expansion of the Cornell Art Museum.

He went in search of a new home for the records and found the offices of architect Digby Bridges at 124 NE Fifth Ave. The 1906 house, former home of the Harold Hunt family, had been bought by developers planning to tear it down and build a condominium complex.

With Ken Blair, a friend and local contractor, Mr. Ganger crawled under the hundred-year-old home to inspect the Dade County pine flooring.

The house was in good shape, and Ganger, named the board’s new president, helped raise the estimated $750,000 needed to move the building to the society’s property on Swinton Avenue — on the north side of Cason Cottage — and attach it to a windowless, prefabricated bunker that would hold the archives.

On Nov. 11, 2007, the Hunt house was moved from Federal Highway to Swinton Avenue and became the Ethel Sterling Williams Learning Center, named for the society’s first president—and the Hunt family’s babysitter when they first arrived in Delray Beach.As a board member of the Historical Society of Palm Beach County, Ganger worked with Harvey Oyer III to save and restore the 1916 Palm Beach County Courthouse in West Palm Beach, now the Johnson History Museum.

“Bob was a true leader on our board, and the project would probably not have happened without Bob’s leadership,” Oyer said. “He was levelheaded, pragmatic, optimistic, persistent, and an idea-generating machine. He was almost always the smartest person in the room, but deflected the credit to others.”

In August 2012, Mr. Ganger was appointed to an interim seat on the Gulf Stream Town Commission after the death of Mayor Bill Koch, and in 2014, he was elected to a full term.

Scott Morgan was named mayor and Mr. Ganger vice mayor.

“No one cared more about the town, or knew more about its origins, than he did,” Morgan said. “His spearheading of the town’s electrical undergrounding, his leadership role in annexing the adjoining county pocket, and his published books and articles on local history are all testaments to his dedication to our community.

“I will treasure his memory — as a mentor, a colleague, and a friend — not just to me, but to so many people along the barrier island and elsewhere whose lives he touched.”

On April 17, 2016, Mr. Ganger suffered a stroke, a “brain drain” as he called it. The man who had worked so diligently to preserve the past, woke to find he had lost his own.

“I literally could not remember where or who I was,” he would say.

As part of his recovery, he took the suggestion ofa neurologist towrite an autobiography and recapture his past.

He published The First 84 Years in 2020.

“A critical part of my brain had blown its cover,” he wrote of the stroke, “spilling its contents hither and yon.”

He could remember, and he could write.

In a 2018 interview with The Coastal Star, Mr. Ganger was asked his favorite part about living in Gulf Stream.

“Besides living in a lovely home,” he replied, “Gulf Stream provides an environment allowing me to engage in small-town public service.”

Bob Ganger certainly did engage in small-town public service —but he did it in a very big way.

In addition to Anneli Ganger, his wife of 30 years, he is survived by his son and daughter-in-law, Rob Ganger and Jodi Wille of Tallahassee; a daughter and son-in-law, Amy and Mike Diethelm of Atlanta, Georgia; stepsons Ossian and Patrick Ramsay; and six grandchildren. 

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The Florida Coalition for Preservation, 4600 N. Ocean Blvd., Suite 102, Boynton Beach, FL 33435, or at www.preservationfla.org.