‘Major’ sargassum buildup could also put crimp in turtle season‘s fast start

Beachgoers in Lantana struggle to find seaweed-free spots to set up chairs or put down blankets in late May. Piles of sargassum washed ashore in South County, with a record amount forecast by summer. Photos by Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Jane Musgrave

Mother Nature isn’t kind to baby sea turtles.

In a year that is poised to produce a record number of the tiny marine creatures, nature has also sent a bumper crop of seaweed that threatens their survival.

“If the seaweed is piled up a foot or two above the nest, it could make it hard for them to get out,” said Kaleigh Gucker, outreach coordinator for Sea Turtle Adventures, which monitors turtle nests along a three-mile stretch of beach in Gulf Stream, Briny Breezes and southern Ocean Ridge.

The seaweed — technically called sargassum — has confounded beach-lovers for weeks. And it’s going to get worse, according to marine scientists at the University of South Florida, who are monitoring the ever-moving mass that in late May stretched some 4,000 miles, from the Gulf coast of Louisiana to the northern coast of Brazil in the Atlantic Ocean.

“The year of 2026 is set to be another major sargassum year and likely to be a record year by summer 2026,” they wrote in a bulletin on April 30.

Turtle-watchers, who are celebrating what may be a record number of turtle nests along most beaches in southern Palm Beach County and beyond, say they are hoping the predictions are wrong.

“It comes and goes,” said David Anderson, who, as sea turtle conservation coordinator at the Gumbo Limbo Nature Center in Boca Raton, knows such dire forecasts can fizzle. “We may see some relief in a few weeks when the winds change direction and keep it offshore.”

But, like Gucker, he acknowledged that if sargassum keeps washing ashore, it will do more than simply ruin a day at the beach for people trying to beat the heat.

“Little baby hatchlings struggle to get through it,” he said. “The longer they are out there the greater chance they will get exhausted or get picked off by predators.”

Even without having to navigate through deep, tight-knit mounds of sargassum, the odds are against the hatchlings. Only about 1 in 1,000 make it to adulthood, according to the World Wildlife Federation.

Oddly, sargassum is both their curse and their salvation. A clump of sargassum provides them shelter and food as it carries them on their treacherous journey to the open ocean. Recent research spearheaded by scientists at the University of Central Florida suggest the hatchlings are headed to the Sargasso Sea.

The only sea in the world not bordered by land, the 2 million-square-mile area east of Bermuda is a haven for many sea animals, including turtles, who feed off its sargassum until they are old enough to return to land to lay eggs. It is considered a sea because it is ecologically unique from the rest of the Atlantic Ocean and is contained by four massive ocean currents — the Gulf Stream and the North Atlantic, Canary, and North Equatorial currents. 

A sea turtle nest is marked off at South Inlet Park in Boca. If the sargassum gets too deep, hatchlings will find it difficult to reach the ocean.

Turtle nesting up

With more nests along Boca Raton’s five-mile stretch of beach than in 2012, when the city’s existing records were set, Anderson said he is hoping the inundation of sargassum abates soon. The peak hatching season typically runs from late July to September.

While crews in Delray Beach, Boca Raton and other municipalities, or private landowners along the coast, rake the seaweed daily, it still piles up, he said.

As of May 21, Anderson’s crews had logged 239 nests, mostly loggerheads. That is up substantially from last year when numbers were down statewide.

Most telling, Anderson said, is that crews had found 41 leatherback nests. In 2012, when records were set, only 33 were found in the entire season which runs from March 1 to Oct. 31.

Gucker said the counts are similar in Sea Turtle Adventures’ stretch of beach. As of May 21, a whopping 213 nests had been located, she said. As in Boca, the majority are loggerheads. 

But, the number of leatherback nests — 43 — has already shattered records, she said. The previous record was set when 19 were found during an entire season, she said.

Highland Beach is also on pace to have a record-breaking year at least for loggerhead and leatherback turtles, said Joanne Ryan, manager of the all-volunteer Highland Beach Sea Turtle Team. 

By May 26, the team had logged 232 loggerhead and 18 leatherback nests. At the same time last year, the volunteers had recorded 148 loggerhead and just seven leatherback nests. 

Still, she said, the number of green turtle nests is far off the record of 22 that were discovered in 2023. By May 27, only one had been recorded compared to two found last year by the same time.

But, Ryan said, green turtles typically nest later and often skip a year, which makes predictions difficult.

“This year should be interesting to see what we get,” she said.

A lone beachgoer is dwarfed by the piles of sargassum in late May as he walks along the south jetty wall at the Boca Raton Inlet.

Delray’s numbers down

The exception to the big-year scenario for loggerheads and leatherbacks is Delray Beach. As of the last week in May, city turtle watchers had logged 54 loggerhead and 10 leatherback nests. That is down slightly from the 60 loggerheads and 16 leatherback nests that were recorded last year by the same time.

While the deluge of sargassum is a factor, a bigger reason for the reduced numbers is Delray Beach’s recently completed $19.2 million beach renourishment project, said Cynthia Buisson, the city’s assistant public works director.

Crews have documented an abnormally high 149 “false crawls,” which means sea turtles approached the beach to nest but turned away. That isn’t unusual after a renourishment project, Buisson said. “Nesting success tends to drop the first year following construction,” she said.

In addition to encountering heavy mats of sargassum, would-be nesting turtles were also faced with a wall of sand that had formed as the new sand settled along the shore. The wall, known as an escarpment, was leveled off in mid-May.

Buisson said she is hopeful that nesting will pick up. “It is still early and things can change,” she said.

But statewide, Delray Beach is an anomaly, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

“The 2026 sea turtle nesting season is officially off and with a strong start!” it wrote in a May 13 Facebook post. “Loggerheads and leatherbacks are both currently outpacing their recent record-breaking years.” 

Both Anderson and Gucker said they can only hope that the abundance of nests produces an abundance of hatchlings that make it to the water.

“Obviously, I’m hoping a busy turtle season isn’t paired with a heavy seaweed season,” Gucker said. 

Coral Springs residents Sonia Pekrol and her four-year-old daughter, Claire, look for a seaweed-free spot to set up their chairs at South Inlet Park in Boca Raton. The sargassum seaweed has invaded local beaches, leaving sparse open areas for visitors to relax.

The statue of two pelicans (far right) has gone missing from the George Bush Boulevard bridge. It had been visible to westbound travelers approaching the bridge since 1989. Google Map photo

Related: Bridge closure planned to last until July 20

By Larry Barszewski

A pair of pelicans that perched for decades atop two concrete pilings next to the George Bush Boulevard bridge — going back to the days when the road was called Northeast Eighth Street — are gone.

The pelicans, a bronze sculpture placed alongside the road and dedicated to Delray Beach in 1989, have been visible to westbound travelers approaching the boulevard’s bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway ever since — well, that is, at least until they disappeared.

While there are no plans to place a picture of the 37-year-old sculpture on the side of milk cartons under a “Have you seen me” label, some city residents would like to know what happened to the pelicans.

“Perhaps the birds were in need of a cleaning. Perhaps they were stolen in the largest public art heist in Delray Beach history,” Steve Leveen wrote to The Coastal Star, telling the newspaper that the pelicans “have apparently flown the coop” from their pilings near the bridge.

“Whatever the story, we would deeply appreciate some answers from your investigative news team,” Leveen wrote. 

Bronze pelicans on the west side of the George Bush Boulevard bridge have greeted travelers for decades. They‘re gone. Photo provided

The paper picked up the gauntlet but, sad to say, couldn’t find anyone who would even acknowledge the missing pelicans belonged to them.

Police have not put out an APB — an All-Pelicans Bulletin in this case — and say they can find no record of anyone filing a complaint reporting the statue as missing.

The city, for its part, suggested contacting the Florida Department of Transportation.

“I checked with our staff. This is a county owned and maintained bridge,” responded Guillermo Canedo, FDOT’s District 4 communications manager. He directed inquiries to Palm Beach County’s bridge superintendent.

Success! Sort of. …

“The missing statue was noticed in early March. The statue belongs to city of Delray,” came the county reply from Superintendent Thomas Coppini Jr. “I believe my secretary reported it to the city in March. However, I cannot confirm as she has since retired.”

There’s a plaque on the pilings, supporting the city’s ownership. It says: “Presented to the Town of Delray Beach in memory of William L. and Beth Newcome Christenson, who made these roads possible.” The plaque mentions the bronze statue was donated by the couple’s son and daughter-in-law, Dr. and Mrs. William Newcome Christenson, and sculpted by Edward R. Grove.

The written tribute notwithstanding, Delray Beach officials say the bridge “and presumably the pelicans” belong to the county.

“The city has no permits for or records of installation for the statue, and we also do not maintain or repair the work,” city spokeswoman Gina Carter said in an email. “I’m sorry this isn’t more helpful, but I’m afraid your hunt may have to continue.”

Enter Kayleigh Howald, archivist for the Delray Beach Historical Society, who scoured her files and came up with a short 1989 Palm Beach Post story about the statue’s unveiling, along with William L. Christenson’s 1961 obituary in the Delray Beach News Journal.

The senior Christenson, it turns out, “owned considerable property” along the east side of the Intracoastal in the area and earlier was a key player in putting together the land that would become the town of Gulf Stream. The obituary said his “long-time hope” was the bridge's construction, “and towards that end he donated to the county approximately 970 feet of road right-of-way east of the Waterway.”

In the 1989 story, his son told the paper that his parents once had a dock within a few hundred yards of where the statue was placed. The son said his parents were fond of the ever-present pelicans, regularly feeding them stale bread. They even named their street a block north of the bridge Pelican Lane — the street’s homes split between Delray Beach and Gulf Stream — to honor the waterbirds (the name stuck).

Former City Commissioner Mary McCarty, who was in office at the time, remembers attending the pelican statue’s unveiling, “but I don’t remember anything other than it was unveiled as a gift to the city.”

Her take: “If the city doesn’t know anything about it, then it must have been stolen and it is probably anybody’s guess as to when that even happened.”

The pelicans weren’t known to be snowbirds, so it is unlikely that the statue is just gone for the summer.

The Christensons lived at the home on the Intracoastal where Pelican Lane dead-ends, said Tom Murphy, who lives in the neighborhood and dabbles in the history of the area. He said the Christensons could see the bridge — which was built in 1949 — from their dock.

“They could look right at the bridge,” Murphy said. “There used to be an Australian pine near there where the pelicans would roost at night.”

Grove, the artist whose résumé included being a sculptor engraver for the U.S. Mint, had previously sculpted the golden Bicentennial Eagle on Royal Poinciana Way at the entrance to the town of Palm Beach. Unlike the pelicans, the eagle has not disappeared (The Coastal Star checked).

Anyone with information about the whereabouts of the pelicans is not being asked to contact anyone (at least not yet) — and there is no reward being offered — but please do leave a message with larry@thecoastalstar.com. 

A view of the proposed two-story clubhouse from State Road A1A. Rendering provided

By Jane Musgrave

For the first time in its 64-year history, the Ocean Club of Florida is getting a new clubhouse.

In a unanimous decision on June 1, Ocean Ridge town commissioners gave the club the go-ahead to tear down its existing clubhouse and build another one in its place.

The estimated $35 million clubhouse will be slightly larger than the one that was built in 1962 when town pioneers decided residents needed a private club for dining, swimming and other activities. But it will seat fewer people.

To comply with parking requirements, the new two-story, 22,500-square-foot clubhouse will seat 180 people, 12 fewer than it does today. The existing clubhouse, which was renovated in 2006 at a cost of $4 million, is 17,240 square feet, according to the Palm Beach County Property Appraiser.

Town commissioners lauded the club for designing a building, described by its architect as a mix of “island classical and Bermuda colonial,” that captures the town’s character.

“It doesn’t look futuristic. It fits in with the town’s image and fits in with the image of the Ocean Club,” Vice Mayor Steve Coz said.

Commissioner Carolyn Cassidy agreed. “I think it’s clearly going to be an enhancement to the community and to the club itself,” she said.

Resident Terry Brown wasn’t so certain. Born and raised in Florida, he graduated from high school the year the original Ocean Cub was built. “I take a neutral position because I have nostalgia for the old Florida; this is the new Florida,” he said.

The project has been in the works for about three years, said Bryan Donahue, a principal with Insite, a Palm Beach Gardens firm that handled the site and landscaping plans. In 2023, a team was hired to look into the feasibility of a new clubhouse, he said.

Earlier this year, the recommendation to replace the aging clubhouse was put to a vote of club members. With the vast majority of members casting ballots, 88% backed the plan.

Some of those voting are on the planning and zoning and town commissions. Four of the five planning board members who approved the plans for the new clubhouse said they were members of the club.

One was Ken Kaleel, vice chair of the planning board. He said the town attorney advised him that club members could vote as long as they weren’t on the governing body of the club.

At the Town Commission meeting, Commissioner Ainar Aijala Jr. abstained from voting because he’s on the club’s governing board. 

The commission’s decision is just the latest step in what is expected to be a months-long process. The club next must get its building plans approved. Construction isn’t expected to begin until next spring, with completion anticipated in October 2028.

There are no plans to close the club while the new clubhouse is built, Donahue said. The oceanfront kiddie and adult pools, deckside bar and cabanas will remain open and a tent will be erected temporarily for dining.

While the Ocean Club is a storied club in Ocean Ridge, it is far from the oldest along the county’s southern coast. That distinction belongs to the Gulf Stream Golf Club. It officially opened for play in 1924, featuring a course designed by legendary designer Donald Ross and a clubhouse by the famed architect Addison Mizner. 

 — Sephora Charles contributed to this story.

It has been 50 years this month since I began my newspaper career here in Palm Beach County, a wet-behind-the-ears Jimmy Olsen hired as a reporter for the weekly Delray Beach and Boynton Beach News Journal. 

Back then, Delray Beach was known among us locals as Dullray. Downtown Atlantic Avenue thrived during the day, but was empty at night — with dark stores and sidewalks you could roll a bowling ball down.  

It wasn’t that long ago that you could walk downtown and almost inevitably run into someone you knew for decades. Over the years that’s changed, and one element of that was the demise of the News Journal. 

Let me explain: 

Community newspapers help build communities, and when we lose those newspapers our sense of community gradually erodes. 

For years before it ceased publication in 1986, the News Journal was the definition of a community newspaper. You could thumb through the pages and find out who the new Eagle Scout from Troop 301 was. You could find out who won the weekly ladies golf tournament at the city golf course.

Reporters went to Kiwanis meetings and reluctantly sang old-timey songs with Delray Beach business leaders. We sat through chamber breakfasts and even an occasional Rotary or Lions Club meeting.  

I covered Atlantic High School sports and the Delray Rocks like a blanket and penned pieces about Little League, too. 

The News Journal was a great place to work. We made lifelong friends while doing everything from covering commission meetings to delivering papers before daylight on Thursday mornings.

The News Journal was a conduit connecting us all — and in doing so, strengthening our sense of community. 

It wasn’t the only community newspaper in those days. Boca Raton had the Boca News, a daily that focused on very local news, and there was also the Monday-Thursday Papers, a weekly serving mostly Boca Raton. Farther north, there was the Lake Worth Herald.

Sadly, most newspapers today no longer build communities. More and more people get their news from their phone or computer, reading only what an algorithm sends them. 

Daily newspapers are so thinly staffed that there’s no one left to do the type of local news that we used to call “refrigerator journalism” — a reference to a story that you would cut out and tape to your refrigerator. 

Yes, you can still get some of that news, but you won’t stumble upon it just thumbing through pages. You have to go searching online. 

The result, in many instances, is that our sense of community is like a shadow that fades in the sunset. We are no longer as tight and, too often, no longer caring about each other like we used to. 

There is, however, reason to be hopeful. 

A new generation of community newspapers like The Coastal Star is surviving and even thriving, in some areas, in large part because they are helping to create communities. They are “our little newspaper” that we look to when we want to know what’s happening in our corner of the world. 

Rebuilding that sense of community here on the barrier islands could start simply by reading the “Meet Your Neighbor” and “Coastal Star” features that highlight people living along the coast. 

Also, sending in story ideas would help The Coastal Star better tap into the communities it serves. And the paper always welcomes local events to feature on its “Celebrations” pages. 

You might even consider supporting its advertisers, who are part of that larger fabric, too.When you support The Coastal Star and others with a similar mission, you do more than just read a newspaper. You help strengthen our communities. 

— Rich Pollack, 

reporter

Thoghi Louis (in polo shirt) had surgery on each eye thanks to Aker Kasten Eye Center in Boca Raton. From left are Ann Kasten, Alan Aker and their son Jonathan Aker. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Rich Pollack

Born legally blind some 40 years ago and forced to see only close images through Coke-bottle thick glasses, Thoghi Louis always hoped that a God-inspired miracle would help him see an all-but-hidden world.

He likely never thought that the genesis of that miracle would come during a chance meeting with a shopper at the Boynton Beach Publix where he worked. 

It wasn’t just any shopper, however. The customer who stopped Louis and quickly examined his glasses was Ann Kasten, an eye surgeon and co-founder — along with her husband, Alan Aker — of the Aker Kasten Eye Center in Boca Raton. 

“It was clear that he was very impaired with his vision,” said Kasten. “I asked do you have an eye problem and he said, ‘Oh yes, I’ve been praying for years but no one could help me.’”

Before the surgeries, Louis wore thick glasses because his vision was so impaired. Photo provided

Now, a year after that first meeting among shopping carts, Louis’ life has dramatically changed for the better.

His vision, he said, was like looking through the wrong end of a telescope. But because of surgery, Lewis now has near normal eyesight — to the point where he no longer needs glasses at all. 

That wouldn’t have happened without the generosity, kindness and compassion of Kasten and her husband and their son Jonathan Aker — as well as Dr. Anup Kubal and the team at their eye center. 

“To me, they are the best doctors because they allowed God to work through them to make something impossible, possible,” said Louis, who didn’t have to pay for the life-altering surgery. “It was a miracle.”

For the three doctors in the Aker Kasten family — all residents of either Gulf Stream or Ocean Ridge — helping others is a big part of why they do what they do. Over the years, the Aker Kasten Eye Center, and the doctors individually, have helped thousands of financially struggling patients receive eye care at no cost. 

That includes frequent mission trips outside the United States and even a program where they provide free cataract surgery to members of Amish communities in Florida and elsewhere. 

Among all those surgeries, however, the two done for Louis stand out. 

“You’re taking someone who is legally blind and the next day they’re almost legal to drive,” says Jonathan Aker, who performed the surgery on Louis’ left eye, while Kubal operated on the right eye. 

There was yet another element that separated Louis’ treatment from others — uncertainty. 

“It was even more special because we didn’t know what to expect,” Kasten said. 

That uncertainty was one reason why Louis’ vision hadn’t been corrected earlier, he said, and why it almost didn’t happen this time.  

Several doctors whom he had visited before, Louis said, had told him that surgery to remove the very old cataracts — and to repair retina damage — could end up with his losing what little vision he had. 

With that in mind, Louis was initially reluctant to follow up after the chance meeting with Kasten in Publix.

“When they first called to schedule an appointment, I didn’t go,” Louis said. 

It was a second interaction at Publix — this time with Alan Aker — and a prayer for guidance that changed his mind. 

“Saying yes meant taking a chance to see if a miracle could happen,” he said. “It happened.” 

The results were clear soon after the first surgery, which included special-order replacement lenses.

“He could see immediately,” said Kubal, who met with Louis a short time later and heard the patient tell him that the results were far beyond what he had expected. 

The success of the surgery was greeted with tears of joy from some members of the Aker Kasten Eye Center team. 

Louis says that with improved eyesight he can now do more at his job, including going outside to help customers bring groceries to their cars and to help stock shelves. 

“When we see someone like this that we know we can help, we get excited,” Alan Aker said. “That’s what drives us.” 

For Kasten, who could have easily walked past Louis in the Publix lobby just feet from the front door, helping someone close to home takes on a bit more meaning. 

“To be able to help someone locally in your community is really special,” she said. 

Service providers see change afoot in reaction to complaints about increasingly visible situation

A man sleeps in Sanborn Square on a recent Saturday afternoon; some say this keeps other park visitors away. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Rich Pollack

It’s 8 a.m. on a Saturday and homeless people are gathering outside the First United Methodist Church of Boca Raton.

Soon those who came by bicycle and those who came after a long walk will filter inside to a room where hot food is in abundance, where clean clothes are available for the asking and where people can wash up in a shower if they want one.

There is a quiet camaraderie in the room, where if you listen carefully, you can hear one person offering advice on how to fix a broken bicycle derailleur or others talking about how they helped get a homeless troublemaker out of the area.

There is no one yelling, no one harassing anyone else and no one judging anyone, at least not openly.

It is a far cry from what Glenn Gromann sees when he looks at a collection of people without homes in Sanborn Square, Wildflower Park or Silver Palm Park — oftentimes including individuals with mental health or substance abuse issues.

“People are afraid to go to the parks because they’re constantly being accosted by the homeless,” he says. “There’s a huge fear factor and people don’t want to be near them because they don’t know what to expect.”

Homeless people like 42-year-old Billy, who has been unhoused in Boca Raton for 20 years, are essentially flying under the radar. But now, Gromann says, something needs to be done.

“The homeless issue is out of control,” he says. “Part of the problem is because the city hasn’t previously implemented a plan to address it.”

That appears to be changing as the new city manager, Mark Sohaney, has stepped in to take on an issue that some advocates for those without real homes say has been essentially swept under the rug for years.

“We haven’t been all in, even saying we have a homeless issue in Boca,” says Gena Vallee, the director of outreach at St. Gregory’s Episcopal Church who runs the church’s Meals with Meaning Program. “Now the mayor and the city manager are identifying that we have a real concern that needs to be addressed.”

Recognizing that there is a problem is one thing. Finding solutions, as Sohaney is realizing, is quite another.

“The goal is to protect the citizens from being harassed, accosted and threatened in public spaces,” says Gromann, a former chair of the city’s Downtown Boca Raton Advisory Committee and a former Planning and Zoning Board member who has lived in the city for 35 years.

Those familiar with the homeless issues say city-driven solutions could involve creating a task force of members with diverse interests, increasing contact with the homeless through designated civilian advocates, and identifying those who might have ties to other areas they’d like to get back to. The city could also enforce rules designed to keep city parks and streets a pleasant experience for all, while determining if additional financial resources are needed.

As the primary venue for the weekly Changing Lives initiative, First United Methodist Church in Boca Raton provides essential resources such as hot showers, clean clothing, toiletries, meals and haircuts, mostly to the homeless. Here, people browse the selection of clothes.

Homeless in Boca Raton
Boca Raton’s core homeless population is estimated by those who provide services to be fewer than 100 people. Among them are tight-knit groups with members who look after one another, who communicate with one another, frequently letting each other know what park they might be in at a certain time.

Although there are some who will come to Boca Raton for a short while, the population appears to remain steady.

Andrew Hagen, the CEO of Boca Helping Hands, which provides hot meals to homeless and others six days a week, says that the organization serves between 85 and 120 meals a day to a constant group of people, some of whom have been coming for years.

“The concern in the community is not in numbers but in perception,” he says. “It’s not that there are more people, it’s that we’re seeing them in public parks.”

During a recent City Council meeting, one resident expressed concerns about the number of homeless people she sees near downtown.

“There are homeless people everywhere, everywhere,” Paige Hunter said. “It’s completely unacceptable.”

Those who are homeless understand the perception but don’t agree with it.

“People think that the homeless are going to hurt them, but they’re not,” says Billy, who has been here so long he even had “BOCA” tattooed on his arm. He says he likes being on the streets, though he also says he’s hoping to get into a shelter.

Another common misperception is that those without a home in the city are penniless. That may be the case for quite a few, but others receive veterans benefits or Social Security benefits or even a pension, thanks in part to efforts of nonprofit organizations that help them access those benefits.

While mental health and substance abuse issues do exist among some who live without four walls, others say they fell on hard times after the death of a parent or loved one and have no family left to help them.

Members of the homeless community will also tell you that they don’t want homeless bad actors in Boca Raton any more than other residents do and will call the police on them or find other ways to drive them out.

When homeless folks from Broward or Miami-Dade counties or even West Palm Beach make their way to Boca Raton, those who provide services will help connect them back to agencies in the areas where they’ve been living.

“When someone is in need, how can you turn them away,” says Jerry Pagan, the executive director of Changing Lives, a nonprofit founded by local real estate leader and the largest commercial property owner downtown, James Batmasian. Changing Lives provides a wide range of services and runs the Saturday program at the First United Methodist Church.

Pagan says he will find out who has been serving the person and will make sure they are in contact, so the service can be provided in the person’s own community. “We try to be a bridge,” he says.

Policing alone won’t work
In the short term, the city has taken steps to limit adverse activity in Boca Raton parks, including adopting a trespassing ordinance and bringing the park rangers under the Police Department.

Some who are homeless say they are rousted out of the parks by police after 11 p.m. and forced to find other places to sleep — places generally where they won’t be easily seen.

The city will implement a process to enforce the trespassing ordinance, which is now proclaimed on signs at six parks, within a few weeks, according to Sohaney.

For his part, Gromann thinks putting fences around some parks would also help.

During brief comments at the May 26 City Council meeting, Sohaney acknowledged that an enforcement effort alone is not the solution.

“This is a very complex problem,” he said. “We can’t police our way out of it; we can’t arrest our way out of this. This is going to take an entire community effort and a community initiative to understand how to manage the homeless population in Boca Raton. ...

“It’s a lot more than the city can do,” he said. “It requires everybody in the city to come together.”

Delray Beach model
In his quest for a long-term solution, Sohaney has visited Delray Beach, which has been somewhat successful in managing homeless-related issues. Its Police Department program, which includes a community outreach team, is seen as a model for others, while a coordinated community effort — the Delray Beach Initiative to End Homelessness — has led to increased services.

Police Chief Darrell Hunter says the key to Delray Beach’s success has been a strong buy-in throughout the community and the coordinated effort that comes as a result.

“While there is no single ‘secret sauce,’ I do believe our success comes from strong collaboration between the Police Department, city leadership, social service providers and community partners,” he says. “Equally important is having intentional buy-in and support from the police chief and city leadership to ensure these efforts remain a priority and are approached with both accountability and compassion.”

The Police Department’s community outreach team, which includes Service Population Advocate Manager Ariana Ciancio, reaches out to members of the homeless community on a daily basis to help provide services if needed.

“They know there are people in the department who care about them,” Hunter says.

Ciancio, a civilian, manages a team that includes another population advocate and a paid intern. Also part of the outreach team are three police officers who report to a sergeant assigned to the team.

While working with homeless people is a large part of the team’s responsibility, it also focuses on mental health issues, substance abuse issues and homelessness prevention.

Hunter says that his goal is to continue to grow the unit to address increasing needs.

“This city has made a commitment,” he says. “It takes money, it takes time and it takes resources.”

Changing Lives volunteer ‘Coach Nile’ gives a haircut to Dee Wills.

Boca model emerging
The Boca Raton Police Department, like Delray Beach’s, has officers assigned to work with homeless — two officers currently — and members of the homeless community know they can reach those officers to help connect them to services.

The department does not yet have a civilian assigned to help the homeless but that may be something Sohaney will address.

Recently, Hagen from Boca Helping Hands, Pagan from Changing Lives and Vallee from Meals with Meaning have been getting together with members of the Police Department in what may be the genesis of a larger coordinated effort similar to the Delray Beach task force’s structure.

“We’re looking at a low-key approach with a cooperative spirit,” Hagen says. “Each of us knows what we can offer.”

Pagan sees the effort moving in the right direction.

“We’re coming together to be better equipped to help these individuals and be on the same page,” he says.

Vallee, who is hoping a task force will be formed, believes a focus on three areas — housing, financial education and long-term mental health care — will go a long way in helping those in the homeless community.

“If the city can pull us together, then I think the solution to less homelessness in Boca Raton is near,” she says.

Mayor Andy Thomson also provides some hope to those who are optimistic that Boca Raton’s issues with homelessness are coming out of the shadows.

“The situation as it addresses homelessness is a tricky one,” he says. “But we’re working with our nearby partners and regional partners to make sure we address it.”

Related: Pelican puzzler: Even the owner of missing bridge statue is not clear-cut

By Larry Barszewski

The George Bush Boulevard bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway is closed to vehicle and pedestrian traffic until July 20 so that essential deck repairs can be made.

The closure, which started June 1, is not expected to affect maritime traffic on the Intracoastal.

The recommended detour for travelers seeking to cross the Intracoastal in the area is to use the nearest bridge, on Atlantic Avenue in Delray Beach to the south, either via Federal Highway or State Road A1A. The next bridge to the north is on Woolbright Road in Boynton Beach.

Officials said the needed work had been anticipated on the bridge, which was built in 1949. Temporary measures were implemented to keep the bridge operating safely until the current work started and the bridge was closed to traffic.

Palm Beach County Engineering and Public Works, which is overseeing the maintenance work, considered alternatives to the complete shutdown, but officials said they found no ability to safely reopen the bridge at any time while the work is being done.

The closure may provide a taste of things to come. The county is currently studying what to do with the 77-year-old bascule bridge, which “has surpassed its useful life and is considered functionally obsolete due to the substandard roadway width,” according to the county’s description of the study.

Public hearings on the study are anticipated in 2028, with the study’s expected completion targeted for 2029. A wider or taller bridge could impact access to nearby streets and properties. 

“Palm Beach County is considering repair, rehabilitation, and replacement alternatives to improve the bridge’s capacity, reliability, and overall safety while maintaining its critical role as a designated hurricane evacuation route,” according to the project’s online site. “Alternatives include a new bascule bridge with enhanced facilities for vehicles, pedestrians, cyclists, and transit users, designed in accordance with Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) requirements. Wider shoulders, sidewalks separated by raised barriers, and traffic operation enhancements along the corridor will also be evaluated as part of the study.”

The bridge closed for a week in 2025 for an earlier round of essential repairs, and the aging structure was shut down for repairs for almost two months in 2022 after it stopped working because of damage to a main shaft and gear system.

Bridge replacement costs have likely risen since a 2024 county study put a $75 million estimate on the design and construction of a new bridge — which itself was up from a $45 million estimate in 2022.

Information about the current study is available at georgebushblvdbridge.com.

Anyone with questions about the study, or wanting to be added to the project mailing list, can contact Michael Sileno, the consultant project manager, at 954-495-0566, or by email at msileno@hardestyhanover.com. 

By Steve Plunkett

What Police Officer Todd Sutton expected to be “a very uneventful” shift turned into a dramatic early-morning rescue at the Gulf Stream School.

Assigned to school detail on April 16 and working the front-gate area, Sutton “heard some commotion in the vehicle line, and he thought maybe two kids were just arguing, but it was holding up the line,” Chief Richard Jones recounted for Gulf Stream town commissioners at their May 8 meeting.

“So he started in that direction, and as he reached the vehicle, he realized that a child was choking inside the car,” Jones continued. “And without hesitation he performed the Heimlich maneuver several times until he was able to dislodge that object from that 11-year-old’s throat.

“Ended up being some string cheese.”

Sutton’s actions impressed his boss and his colleagues, who sat in on the commission meeting to watch him receive the department’s Lifesaving Award.

“We don’t know what the outcome would have been if the officer wasn’t present,” Jones said. “Obviously in a situation like that, even as parents we sometimes freeze up when it’s our own children, but it was, in my opinion, a heroic action, even though he doesn’t see it that way.

“You know, he didn’t want recognition because that’s the kind of man he is, but he deserves it and he’s going to be honored today,” the chief said.

After receiving the crystal award, Sutton was also a man of few words about the school detail he has done “countless times over the years.”

“It’s usually a very uneventful thing to do. This day was a little different,” Sutton said of the 8:10 a.m. encounter. “But I’m just happy that the child is OK and I was in the right place at the right time. That’s all I can say.”

Mayor Scott Morgan took a moment to praise Sutton’s heroism.

“On behalf of the town, we want to congratulate you for your courage, your sense of duty and for the honor that you bring not only to the Police Department of Gulf Stream but to our town,” the mayor said. “Congratulations and thank you very much.”

A veteran officer, Sutton joined the Gulf Stream Police Department in May 2013. He first became an officer in October 2005 and spent time on the police forces in South Palm Beach and Boynton Beach. 

Longtime Ocean Ridge resident and former town Commissioner Betty Bingham was honored for her consistent efforts to improve the community. Mayor Geoff Pugh (left) recounted, during the dedication of the already existing park, of how Bingham’s efforts were instrumental in the creation of the park that gives all residents canoe and kayak access to the Intracoastal Waterway. Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star 

Related: Obituary: David Allen Hutchins

Filling commission vacancy — Ocean Ridge town commissioners plan to discuss in July the filling of a vacancy on the commission created by the death of Commissioner David Hutchins on May 18. 

Commissioner Hutchins was appointed to the board in 2024, won election to a two-year unexpired term that same year and was elected without opposition this year to a full three-year term that runs until March 2029. 

During the commission’s June 1 meeting, Mayor Geoff Pugh said commissioners will begin identifying potential candidates and discuss them at the board’s next meeting, scheduled for July 8. 

The commission can appoint someone to fill the position — or it can remain vacant — until the March 2027 municipal election. 

The March 2027 election will be for a two-year unexpired term. Anyone appointed to the seat — or anyone else — wanting to run for the unexpired term would have to file for the seat during the November qualifying period. 

Keeping the community beautiful — The Ocean Ridge Garden Club is marking 60 years of beautifying and preserving the coastal town.

Founded in 1966, the club allows residents to share a love of nature while supporting conservation initiatives in the community. The group hosts monthly meetings and educational events for residents. 

“We really appreciate everything the garden club does, not just the beauty that they bring to the town, but also the community you create inside your organization,” Mayor Geoff Pugh said at the Town Commission’s May 4 meeting.

Traffic safety review — Speeding in Ocean Ridge is raising safety concerns among residents, and Police Chief Scott McClure agreed to study an area of concern.

Matt Fronzaglia, who lives on Oceanview Drive, made a public comment during the May 4 Town Commission meeting about speeding issues on Oceanview and Douglas Drive, which are connected one-way roads between State Road A1A and Old Ocean Boulevard. 

The resident said delivery drivers and ride-sharing workers who may be unfamiliar with the area either miss the 10-mph speed limit sign off of A1A or ignore it. Because the streets don’t have sidewalks, pedestrians are forced to share the space with vehicles. 

“It’s a matter of time before something happens there,” Fronzaglia said.

He sent letters to other homeowners, with 15 responses in favor of requesting a traffic safety review to which McClure agreed. 

— Sephora Charles

By Sephora Charles

State lawmakers recently passed legislation that will affect how even the smallest of towns, including Ocean Ridge, put together their annual budgets. 

Among the new laws is House Bill 1329, which requires local governments to perform a budget reduction exercise to see what would have to be cut to lower the cost facing municipal taxpayers, said Bonnie Landry, president of Bonnie Landry and Associates Professional Planning Services, during an Ocean Ridge Town Commission workshop meeting on May 4. 

Once the commission prepares a tentative budget for the coming fiscal year, this new law requires officials to meet at least 14 days before the final budget is adopted to consider a reduced plan. During that meeting, commissioners will create an alternate option that would make the upcoming budget 10% smaller than the current budget — without compromising essential services, such as police and fire departments.

From there, officials must decide whether “it’s worth it,” Landry said. Municipalities are not required to adopt the reduced budget, but they must publish it and the town’s proposed budget for residents to see and compare before the town adopts a final budget. 

While the new requirements do not take effect until 2027, Town Manager Michelle Heiser plans to give them a trial run this year before a final budget is adopted in September.

The purpose of HB 1329 is to get officials to evaluate spending efficiencies and alternatives. 

The bill also mandates that officials be more transparent about their finances online. 

The last six years of budget records must be displayed online, making local budgets easier for residents to access and understand. HB 1329’s requirements also force local governments to justify their spending. 

“Normally, the stuff you see in private will have to be up there for public consumption in the future and available on the website as well,” Heiser said during the meeting. 

At the June 1 meeting, she proposed a five-year capital improvement plan. The total for 2027 was $6 million, but the commission discussed changes to reduce it to $4 million. 

Pearlman accused of inflaming public with false messages

Related: On a day for remembrance, city sets the record straight  | New ordinance gives residents their say over public lands

By Mary Hladky

Less than three months since Save Boca founder Jon Pearlman won election, fellow Boca Raton City Council members’ frustration with what they call misinformation from him but that he insists is fact has spilled into the open.

The council, now also including two other Save Boca members, pushed back against his statements that they say are inaccurate at a May 26 workshop meeting.

The council was to give city staff direction on building and financing a new police headquarters after voters on March 10 voted against financing the construction of a $190 million headquarters complex.

Reasoning that voters would be more likely to approve the project if it cost less and was more modest, staff has reduced the headquarters size to 94,000 square feet, or about one-third larger than the current outdated and undersized headquarters, and pared the price tag to $120 million.

But Pearlman was adamant that the final turnkey cost will remain at $190 million. Save Boca said the same on its Facebook page and in emails.

“Despite voters turning down the police station bond on March 10th, city staff indicated last week their intention to proceed with the $190 million Taj Mahal police station and without any RFP (request for proposals),” it said.

Mayor Andy Thomson and Council member Yvette Drucker, as well as Save Boca members Deputy Mayor Michelle Grau and Council member Stacy Sipple, disputed that and agreed the revised cost is $120 million.

After the Save Boca communications, council members said they were flooded with emails from angry constituents.

“We don’t need to be firing up members of the public with information that is not true,” Thomson said.

Grau, a certified public accountant, said the Save Boca information was very misleading.

“I am very concerned,” she said. “I am very frustrated.”

Council members, she said, are not blindly following city staff recommendations. They are re-evaluating the size and cost of the headquarters and “trying to determine what residents are willing to support.”

Drucker was even more pointed. “Basically, one of our council members is calling us liars,” she said. “I find that very troubling.”

“It is unacceptable,” Sipple said. “I responded on Save Boca that the information is not accurate.”

Pearlman did not back down, asserting that even if the cost is temporarily reduced, it will return to $190 million once construction begins.

What followed was a digression into who posted the information.

Pearlman did not directly answer a question from Thomson on whether he wrote or approved the Save Boca post and emails, saying the Save Boca political committee is responsible.

But when Thomson stated that Pearlman is chairman of Save Boca Inc., Pearlman confirmed that.

Beyond the matter of cost, Pearlman said the city need not finance the building with a bond issue because the city has up to $200 million available to pay for it.

Hearing that, Drucker said, “We have gone completely off the rails.”

City officials previously have said that they have nowhere near that amount readily available to spend and that most city accounts have strict spending restrictions.

The council voted 4-1 in favor of holding a vote on bond issue financing, with Pearlman dissenting.

But they delayed a recommendation on where the building should be located, saying residents should be allowed to weigh in.

Pearlman, however, has clearly signaled that he is not backing away from his efforts to convince residents that the new police headquarters is a boondoggle.

More emailed criticism
A Save Boca email sent out two days after the council meeting again criticized the purported $190 million cost and credited Pearlman for being the only council member to oppose the project and the bond issue.

The email featured a rendering of the other council members on a Monopoly board, with Thomson throwing Monopoly money into the air.

“The city continues to treat your hard-earned taxpayer dollars like monopoly money” to build the police headquarters, the email states.

“You can’t put $190 million on the table and then cut it down to $120 million and then say this is reasonable,” it said. “You’re still gouging the tax payers for something they didn’t ask for.”

The email also criticized Grau and Sipple for their statements during the May 26 meeting.

Police chief’s report
The possible locations for the police headquarters include the downtown campus, where the current headquarters sits, and city-owned land adjacent to the Spanish River Library at the intersection of Spanish River and Broken Sound boulevards.

City officials have long said that a new police headquarters is badly needed to replace the 45-year-old building that is in poor condition and way too small to meet present needs.

Acting Police Chief Seth Dubinsky told the council that briefings must be held outside because there is not enough space inside. One-time closets have been repurposed to house two or three employees. The department no longer has enough room to house all its property and evidence.

Police officials previously have said that various functions now are located in seven buildings, creating inefficiency and coordination problems.

Residents’ second chance to vote on whether to approve a bond issue most likely will take place at the March 9, 2027, city election.

Residents would pay for it with a property tax increase. Officials have not yet said how much it will cost them. But the ballot measure that residents voted down on March 10 would have increased the tax rate by 0.26 mills, or $123.74 a year on a property with an assessed value of $475,000.

Residents will have a chance to voice opinions later this summer and fall. The Community Advisory Council will advise the City Council on what residents want and their reaction to funding the building. If the bond issue goes forward and is approved, construction would be completed in 2031.

Meanwhile, the council is still determining how to improve the downtown campus now that the public-private partnership with developers Terra and Frisbie Group was torpedoed by voters on March 10.

The council on May 11 sidelined Thomson’s proposal to create a task force that would gather the ideas and preferences of residents on a new vision for the area.

Instead, the city will hire a consultant that will conduct wide-ranging efforts to find out what residents would prefer. The council will rank those that applied at a special meeting on June 30 and will award the contract on July 28.

The consultant would finalize its recommendations in January.

I am writing regarding the recent passage of Ordinance 405 by the town of Manalapan on May 12 and the growing trend of municipalities attempting to regulate shark fishing and other fishing activity, despite Florida’s longstanding state preemption over saltwater fisheries management.

This ordinance raises serious concerns not only for anglers, but for anyone concerned about constitutional limits on local government authority and the expansion of municipal power into areas already regulated by the state of Florida and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

FWC already maintains statewide regulations governing shore-based shark fishing, shark permits and education, handling and release requirements, gear restrictions, and beach chumming prohibitions.

Yet municipalities are increasingly attempting to bypass state authority by framing fishing restrictions under vague terms such as “hazardous fishing practices, public safety and shark-attracting activity.”

The issue is no longer simply about fishing. It is about whether local governments can indirectly regulate lawful, state-managed activities through broad and subjective language that may create constitutional, enforceability and preemption concerns.

This concern is not hypothetical. A similar proposal in Marco Island reportedly failed after substantial public opposition and concerns raised regarding legality and enforceability.

Meanwhile, Miami Beach’s recently adopted shark-fishing ordinance generated widespread controversy and legal scrutiny before ultimately being repealed amid growing concerns regarding municipal authority, state preemption, and the legality of local governments regulating fishing activity already governed by FWC.

The public deserves transparency regarding how these ordinances are being drafted, whether municipalities are coordinating regionally, what guidance FWC has provided, and whether local governments are advancing legally questionable ordinances despite acknowledged concerns.

Many anglers support responsible fishing practices, conservation, swimmer safety and proper enforcement of existing laws. However, creating a patchwork of local fishing restrictions across Florida risks confusion, selective enforcement and unnecessary conflict between municipalities and state authority.

I believe this issue deserves continued public scrutiny and further reporting, particularly regarding communications among municipalities, FWC’s position on local authority, and the statewide implications of these ordinances.

— Christopher Dilecce

Melbourne

In several articles, you have mistakenly reported that the termination of Old School Square Center for the Arts (OSSCFTA) was due to financial difficulties. This information is incorrect and does not reflect the actual circumstances.

You previously covered this issue in 2021 and 2022, so you are aware of the factual details. Despite this, the mistake continues to appear in your reporting.

We would like to remind you of the notification issued by the City of Delray Beach regarding OSSCFTA. The narrative suggesting financial difficulties as the reason for termination is inaccurate.

No matter how hard certain parties try to change the history, you should not participate in spreading misinformation. If OSSCFTA had been terminated with cause, we would have been given sufficient time to address and remedy the situation, which was not the plan of those involved.

We respectfully ask that you publish a correction; listing all of the articles that you misreported the wrong information and inform the public with accurate and factual events.

— The Board of Directors

Old School Square Center for the Arts

Editor’s note: The Delray Beach City Commission, desiring to end the Old School Square Center for the Arts contract, followed its attorney’s advice to do so “without cause.” However, the commissioners who took that action made clear their concerns about financial unaccountability as motivating their decision. 

I would like to comment on the May article “Saving lives: What more to do?”

I go to Gulfstream Park every Sunday for a beach walk and ocean swim, and I find the Palm Beach County lifeguards to be extremely on point and attentive. 

Any information that is not already written on the conditions board, the lifeguards are happy to answer. They are very knowledgeable and glad to share that information with locals and tourists alike.

I’ve lived in Palm Beach County for many years and Gulfstream Park is my favorite beach. One of the main reasons is how safe I feel on their watch.

Please interview some of the PBC lifeguards at Gulfstream, and let’s hear what they have to say.

— Char Conklin 

Boynton Beach

My dream began in 2019. I envisioned a small coffee place in and of Briny Breezes. 

Not just another business, but a welcoming, modest, coastal-style coffee shop that fit the spirit of Briny Breezes — a place for coffee, pastries and conversation, a warm gathering space for residents and visitors. 

Because I believed so strongly in that idea, I submitted a proposal in 2019 and another in 2025 — even while the beauty salon was still in operation — hoping that space might one day be available. 

When the beauty salon lease was not extended, I submitted a third proposal and continued to work seriously on the concept.

This was never just an idea or a wish. My husband and I worked hard to create a business concept for Briny Breezes Coffee Co. Our presentation showed a simple, community-style coffee place with pastries, light offerings and a relaxed coastal atmosphere. We worked on the business structure, planning, concept and presentation because we wanted to show that our vision was well-grounded. 

There was only one chance to present, and, due to unfortunate timing, I had to do it alone. I was nervous, but presenting something I believed in and had worked toward for years.

Another applicant, a younger businessman who already owns Deke’s Coffee, made a strong presentation and the board chose him — the more established operator — for what it described as business and sustainability reasons. 

I understand that experience is often seen as the safer choice, and I respect that a board must make the decision it believes is best.

But what was painful to me was this: We were not outsiders who suddenly appeared when the space opened. We were shareholders with a vision that had lived in our hearts since 2019.

What hurt most was the feeling that being a startup counted against us more than the depth of our commitment counted for us. Every established operator once needed a first chance. I had hoped that our years of belief in this location, our community connection, and our seriousness of purpose would matter.

I share this not to attack anyone or create conflict. I respect that the board made its decision. I simply believe there is a human side here that deserves to be seen. 

In small communities, decisions like these are not only business decisions. They also touch questions of belonging, fairness, local identity — and whether a resident’s long-held vision ever truly had a chance.

— Griselda and Dennis Gebhard

Briny Breezes 

Coffee roaster turns to Briny in opening his second shop

Deke’s in Delray owner Nico Manuel stands in what he plans to make another coffee shop come early July. The gutted building used to house the Briny Hair Salon. Photos by Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Patrick Sherry

When Nico Manuel, owner of Deke’s in Delray, drove along scenic State Road A1A, he saw an opportunity to create a new community hub in Briny Breezes. After starting his coffee-bean roasting business in his parents’ garage a few blocks away in Ocean Ridge, he is now working to create a one-stop shop for high-quality offerings in the barrier island community.

Deke’s in Briny Breezes is expected to have its grand opening on the Fourth of July weekend. The new coffee-and-more business will replace the Briny Hair Salon, 4800 N. Ocean Blvd., which closed its doors in April after 34 years in business. The new shop will serve customers specialty coffee, baked goods, and locally sourced grocery items. 

“I love that area; it’s one of my favorite stretches of A1A,” Manuel said. “I just thought Deke’s would be a perfect fit for that community.”

Before deciding to open Deke’s in Briny Breezes, Manuel had spent years of holidays and school breaks vacationing near the community. His parents owned a home in Ocean Ridge, which they later moved to full-time. He remembers visiting the now-closed Seaside Deli & Market, spending time at the so-called Dog Beach, and enjoying the “old Florida” atmosphere along A1A. These experiences inspired him to open a new space to re-create that type of community gathering place he felt had been lost. 

“I’ve been here for a while, and I knew what the deli was like,” Manuel said. “When I saw the vacancy here, for rent, I thought we could really expand the Deke’s brand here and fulfill the hole that I knew the community had lost.”

Nico and his family  — wife Danica and 8-month-old ‘Baby V’ — and staff at the downtown Delray Beach location of Deke’s. 

Manuel has operated Deke’s in Delray off East Atlantic Avenue in downtown Delray Beach since 2020. After moving to his parents’ Ocean Ridge home, he started roasting coffee beans in their garage, which led him to open the brick-and-mortar location. The coffee shop and espresso bar focus on roasted coffee and a high-quality cafe menu. The existing Delray Beach shop will be the flagship location, with the management team using some of its infrastructure to support the new shop. Deke’s plans to roast the coffee in Delray Beach and deliver it to Briny Breezes while using part of the new building for a bakery and grocery outlet. 

The team’s proposal beat out five other prospective tenants for the lease of the location after the town’s management company decided not to renew the hair salon’s lease. Town officials from Briny Breezes selected Manuel’s proposal based on its success at its flagship shop and familiarity with the area. 

“They will be very local, community-focused; Nico from Deke’s… is very well known in the community,” said Michael Gallacher, general manager of Briny Breezes Inc. “They are a family-oriented and community-oriented business. I look forward to seeing lots of community support for Deke’s in Briny Breezes.”

The team plans to start by serving beverages and some pastry items, then expand more into food production. One of the main goals is to eventually begin selling products from local vendors to support nearby businesses. 

“Introducing local food that is going to make you feel good and support the local economy, I think, is pertinent now more than ever,” Manuel said. “The ethos ultimately is with quality and secondarily with local support.” 

Since signing the lease in May, the shop’s team has been in Briny Breezes regularly and working with partners to get everything ready for July. The team is hoping to make the new shop a community center where residents can gather and socialize. 

He’s also paying homage to the past, keeping the “Briny” ­— from “Briny Hair Salon” — that was emblazoned on one of the store’s windows, and incorporating a pair of old hair dryer chairs from the salon in the new decor. 

“Overall, the community is excited to have a business there that more residents will patronize and enjoy. … This will be a nice opportunity for Briny residents and guests,” Gallacher said.

Manuel and his team started a GoFundMe to raise funds for the new location. Their goal is to raise $85,000, and patrons had donated $11,000 as of May 20. The money from the fundraiser will be used for general construction, equipment, and other business fees. 

To learn more about Deke’s or its fundraising campaign, visit dekesindelray.com.  

A 27-year-old woman stole this black Hyundai sedan at a gas station in Delray Beach and led police on a chase that ended on State Road A1A in Briny Breezes, according to Gulf Stream Police Chief Richard Jones. As Delray Beach police officers followed the driver northbound on A1A, Jones and other Gulf Stream officers moved to intercept her. The driver appeared to try to run over Jones after he had deployed stop sticks on A1A at the Gulf Stream Golf Course. The chase ended in Briny Breezes when two Gulf Stream officers, including Sgt. Michael Balak (center), used a Precision Immobilization Technique — called a PIT maneuver — to bump the car and force it off the road and to a stop. The driver was taken to the hospital. Delray Beach police were handling the report on the incident. Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

By Jeffrey Cassady

New croquet courts might be coming to Delray Beach, but city commissioners want to know more about the costs and impact of bringing the game to city recreational facilities before they decide if — and where — to build.

The commission directed city staff at its regular meeting on May 19 to develop a plan that includes costs, building timelines, site plans and potential funding sources for new croquet facilities — with Mayor Tom Carney urging they be built at Veterans Park. 

The discussion, which occasionally sparked heated exchanges among commissioners, comes after the commission asked city staff last year to begin researching the feasibility of bringing croquet to the city.

“We have an idea here, but we have no plans,” Deputy Vice Mayor Tom Markert said at the meeting. “You can’t possibly expect any of us up here to make a decision on this today. I mean, I gotta see a business plan.”

Croquet is a growing sport in South Florida, said David McCoy, chair emeritus of the West Palm Beach-based Croquet Foundation of America. At the meeting, McCoy gave a presentation about croquet’s appeal and its history in the area.

At least nine resorts and private clubs between Pompano Beach and West Palm Beach — including The Boca Raton resort — play host to croquet clubs, according to material in McCoy’s presentation. Even in Gulf Stream, where polo mallets once ruled the town’s social season, croquet mallets are now swung on courts at The Little Club and at St. Andrews Club.

McCoy said he estimates that about a thousand croquet players are associated with those various clubs.

Veterans Park and the city-owned Delray Beach Golf Club emerged last year as leading candidates to play host to Delray Beach’s proposed croquet facilities. 

“It’s consistent with your mission of providing recreation and a meeting place for the community,” McCoy said of croquet courts at Veterans Park. “I think you can expect a very high utilization.”

McCoy estimated that installing croquet courts would cost $200,000 each. He added that using artificial turf for the lawns could help keep ongoing maintenance costs down.

“I think putting in artificial turf is the way to go there,” McCoy said. “You have room for two beautiful courts.”

Carney said croquet could benefit both Veterans Park, a waterfront park at 802 NE First St., as well as the surrounding area by attracting more people.

“All the demographics suggest that this will be a great success,” Carney said. “It’s something that will bring people downtown.

“And when they’re downtown, (they’ll) stay downtown and go utilize the facilities around it,” Carney added. “And because it’s a low-impact sport, you can be 9 or 90” years old.

Veterans Park currently boasts shuffleboard and lawn bowling courts, either of which may be affected by the introduction of croquet.

Commissioner Juli Casale said parking poses a challenge at Veterans Park and that the city should consider putting croquet lawns at the golf club instead.

She also expressed concerns about how installation and maintenance of the croquet facilities would be funded and whether it made sense to have city staff continue to work on potential plans for croquet before funding sources could be identified.

“We don’t have the money,” Casale said. “I don’t understand where we’re going to find it. … Until we have the money, I don’t think we should have another meeting on this.”

Carney proposed using excess park-improvement bond funds as a way to pay for the croquet lawns without affecting the general budget.

However, City Attorney Lynn Gelin said installing croquet lawns at Veterans Park might not be an appropriate use of those funds.

Carney, also an attorney, disagreed, saying a plain-text reading of the bond’s language provides flexibility to fund additional projects. Gelin said she’d investigate the issue further.

Carney also raised concerns about how placing the croquet lawns at the Delray Beach Golf Club could affect bond issuance associated with that property.

The golf club is undergoing $28.5 million in renovations. It is expected to reopen in November, according to the golf club’s website.

Further, by installing the croquet lawns at the golf club west of Interstate 95, the downtown area would miss additional business that croquet players could bring there, Carney said. 

“If you put it at the golf course, you are not doing anything to help downtown,” Carney said. If croquet players “have to get into their cars to go to lunch, they’re not driving downtown.” 

Mayor, not liking discussion, ends meeting — Rather than allow Delray Beach city commissioners time at their June 2 meeting to decide whether to request the Palm Beach County Commission on Ethics investigate him, Mayor Tom Carney adjourned the meeting.

Commissioners Juli Casale and Tom Markert wanted the City Commission to request the investigation after a May 27 Sun-Sentinel editorial questioned the mayor’s decision to contact city Planning and Zoning Board members regarding a development before them that he previously represented and his brother now has a stake in.

Casale had given Vice Mayor Angela Burns, who said she had not heard about the editorial, a copy of it and was asking to see if she would agree to the request when Carney unilaterally ended the meeting without a motion to adjourn even being made.

— Larry Barszewski

Free off-street parking Wednesdays — The City Commission on May 19 unanimously approved free parking at city-owned garages and surface lots downtown every Wednesday this summer.

The promotion started June 3 and runs through Aug. 26. Parking at eligible lots will be free all day and night. On-street parking and private lots are not included. For maps and information about downtown parking, visit downtowndelraybeach.com/parking.

City worker raises coming — The City Commission voted unanimously at its regular meeting on May 19 to approve cost-of-living wage adjustments for city employees and retirees.

The 3.5% adjustment for current employees will go into effect Oct. 1. It will affect about 400 non-probationary general employees, who are employees not represented by a union. The city estimates the adjustment will cost about $1.2 million.

The commission also unanimously approved a 2.5% cost-of-living adjustment for general retirees.

— Jeffrey Cassady