By Rich Pollack

Loud, sometimes accusatory tirades from a former vice mayor have led Highland Beach town commissioners to adopt policies that some say make it more difficult for residents to speak before their elected officials.
Since losing his bid for re-election in March, former Vice Mayor Bill Weitz has been appearing at Town Commission meetings and using the allotted five minutes per person for public comment to lash out against commissioners. After speaking, Weitz immediately leaves the meeting.
Hoping to muzzle Weitz, commissioners last month voted 3-2 to reduce the time residents have to speak before the commission from five minutes to three minutes. In addition, commissioners moved the public comments from the beginning of the meeting toward the end and limited comments only to agenda items during workshop meetings.
Recent commission meetings have run as long as five hours, with few if any residents staying until the meetings are adjourned.
For his part, Weitz thinks moving public comment to the end of the meeting and reducing the time to speak is “clearly an attempt to limit free speech.”
“The mantra of four members of the commission has always been to emphasize open and public comment and to increase transparency with residents,” he said. “Since they have become the majority, the policies they’ve implemented have allowed them to conduct business without any public input or scrutiny.”
The decision to scale back public comments has drawn push-back from some residents, who say the commission is overreacting to one resident’s behavior.
“This is the only time we in the public have an opportunity to express to you, our governing body, our opinions, ideas and desires,” John Boden, who attends most meetings, told commissioners. “Short-term issues that may be occurring should not determine the long-term policy of this commission.”
Boden said he understands the commission’s frustration with Weitz’s outbursts but doesn’t think other residents should have their comments restricted because of the actions of one individual.
“A minor issue with a verbose citizen should not change the entire procedure,” Boden said.
Some commissioners, however, think it is Weitz’s behavior that is limiting the opportunity for people to speak before the commission.
“People won’t come to commission meetings because they’re afraid,” Commissioner Rhoda Zelniker said. “I have people asking me why we don’t have metal detectors.”
Commissioner Elyse Riesa, who along with Mayor Carl Feldman voted against the changes, said she thinks all residents should have the opportunity to share their views with their elected officials. Others say there is still an opportunity at all commission meetings for public comment.
“No one is taking away their right to speak,” said Vice Mayor Alysen Africano Nila.
Feldman countered, however, saying that moving comments to the end of long meetings will in essence have that effect.
“Public comment at the end of the meeting is going to eliminate any comment,” he said.
During discussions of bringing decorum back to commission meetings, commissioners said one reason changes were needed was to bring the town’s policies in line with those of other municipalities.
With the new time limit, Highland Beach joins most other communities in south Palm Beach County that have a three-minute cap on public comments. However, an informal check by The Coastal Star shows that five of eight local municipalities — including small towns and larger cities — allow public comment at the beginning of meetings.
Most of the communities, especially the small towns, also allow public comment during discussion of specific agenda items, something that Highland Beach does not do.
Both Boden and Weitz said they are concerned about the commission limiting public comment only to agenda items during workshop meetings.
Weitz says that would give residents only one opportunity a month — at regular commission meetings — to bring issues or comments to the public forum.
“Now they want to tell the public what they can and can’t talk about,” he said.
Commissioner Peggy Gossett-Seidman, who voted for the changes, said she is watching to see whether the changes result in a return to civility at the meetings.
“This is an attempt to better serve the public,” she said. “If it doesn’t, the issue could be revisited.”

How others handle public comment

Ocean Ridge: The public can speak during general public comment for three minutes at the beginning of the meeting and again on issues prior to a vote.
Briny Breezes: The public can speak during general public comment for three minutes at the end of the meeting and is allowed to comment before votes and on multiple agenda items.
Manalapan: The public can speak during general public comment for three minutes toward the end of the meeting, but will be allowed to speak at the beginning if there is a big turnout. The public is also allowed to comment on agenda items as they arise.
South Palm Beach: The public can speak during general public comment for three minutes at the end of the meeting, and public comment is always allowed before a vote.
Gulf Stream: The public can speak during general public comment for three minutes at the beginning of the meeting, and can comment during discussion of any issue.
Boca Raton: The public can speak during general public comment for five minutes toward the end of the meeting (but the vice mayor has asked to consider moving it closer to the beginning because people leave). The public is not allowed to comment during discussion of individual items except when public hearings open.
Delray Beach: The public can speak during general public comment at the beginning of the meeting for three minutes (or six minutes if representing a group with more than six members present). The public is not allowed to comment during discussion of individual items except when public hearings open.
Boynton Beach: The public can speak during general public comment for three minutes at the beginning of the meeting, and public comment of each agenda item is allowed prior to commission discussion.
— Rich Pollack

UPDATE: Judge finds corruption charges are 'sufficient'

By Mary Hladky

The Florida Commission on Ethics is investigating whether suspended Mayor Susan Haynie violated state ethics laws while she also is fighting criminal charges lodged by state prosecutors.
A state ethics probe was widely thought to be underway after Al Zucaro, a Haynie adversary, filed a complaint with the agency last year, alleging she failed to report income on financial disclosure forms required by the state, including payments from the city’s largest downtown commercial landowner who had matters coming before the Boca Raton City Council.
But the state ethics commission has not confirmed or denied the investigation under rules that don’t allow its officials to comment until a ruling is issued.
The investigation was confirmed by a confidential August letter from the commission to Zucaro, who was defeated in his second bid to become mayor by Scott Singer in the Aug. 28 special election.
Zucaro provided a copy of the letter to The Coastal Star.
The letter states that a private probable cause hearing will be held on Sept. 7 at the 1st District Court of Appeal in Tallahassee. No witnesses may be called and no new evidence introduced at the hearing, it states.
“The sole purpose of the probable cause hearing is to evaluate the results of the preliminary investigation,” the letter says. Zucaro, Haynie and their attorneys may attend the hearing.
Mark Herron, Haynie’s attorney on ethics matters, did not respond to a call and an email requesting comment.
“If [the hearing] actually takes place, my intention is to go,” Zucaro said in August.
A separate investigation by the Palm Beach County Commission on Ethics, which investigated Hayne for voting on matters that financially benefited downtown landowner James Batmasian, concluded with an April settlement. Haynie admitted to violating the county’s ethics code and agreed to pay a $500 fine for failing to disclose a conflict of interest. The commission dismissed a second allegation that Haynie misused her public office.
Zucaro, who was defeated by Haynie in his first Boca Raton mayoral bid last year, also filed a complaint with the county ethics commission. Mark Bannon, the ethics commission’s executive director, has said he did not act on the complaint because he received it after his office had launched an investigation.
The state ethics commission has the power to seek Haynie’s removal from office. Penalties it can impose range from a reprimand to a recommendation to the governor that an official be removed. The most common penalty is a fine of up to $10,000 per violation of ethics laws, said commission spokeswoman Kerrie Stillman. Gov. Rick Scott suspended Haynie from office three days after she was criminally charged, but she has not resigned.
Haynie was arrested on April 24 and released on bail. She is charged with four felonies and three misdemeanors, including official misconduct, perjury in an official proceeding, misuse of public office and failure to disclose voting conflict. She has pleaded not guilty and waived her right to a speedy trial.
Haynie, through her criminal defense attorney Bruce Zimet, has asked that the charges be dismissed. A hearing on the motion to dismiss is set to be heard on Sept. 11 before Circuit Judge Glenn Kelley.

ABOVE: Andy Thomson, here with his father, Tom, and wife, Joanna, called the close race for City Council ‘kind of hard to believe.’ BELOW: Kathy Cottrell (left) celebrates with council members Andrea O’Rourke and Monica Mayotte on election night. At the time she thought she won. Photos by Rachel S. O’Hara/The Coastal Star

By Steve Plunkett

A squeaker of a City Council race that could shape development decisions — and Boca Raton’s landscape — for years to come had supporters on both sides anxiously waiting to hear who won. Only 3 votes out of 17,875 ballots separated Seat A candidates Andy Thomson and Kathy Cottrell.
“The supervisor of elections is still counting provisional ballots, so we don’t have a final number yet,” city spokeswoman Chrissy Gibson said as City Clerk Susan Saxton conferred with the city attorney early Aug. 29 over what to do. “We’ll provide a statement with the details ASAP.”
Under state law, the city’s canvassing board must order a recount when unofficial results show a candidate losing by 0.5 percent or less. In Cottrell’s case, the margin is 0.2 percent.
Saxton, who lost a 2001 City Council race by 2 votes, heads the city’s canvassing board, which includes City Manager Leif Ahnell and Supervisor of Elections Susan Bucher.
Cottrell had a lead of about 200 votes after two-thirds of the ballots had been counted on election night, a tally that did not change on the supervisor of elections website for more than an hour.
The mood at Thomson’s election watch was somber. “It’s nerve-racking, as you might imagine,” he said as he waited.
By 10 p.m. Cottrell’s lead had shrunk to 35 votes. “It’ll be what it’ll be, but I’m confident it is what it is,” she said.
A little before midnight they were dead even, each with 7,872 votes and a third candidate, Tamara McKee, with 2,118.
“That’s kind of hard to believe,” said Thomson.
The last update at 12:31 a.m. put Thomson up by 3 votes: 7,879-7,876.
The Seat A winner will serve until March 2020 and then can run for two three-year terms.
Cottrell was endorsed by unsuccessful mayoral candidate Al Zucaro’s BocaWatch blog and introduced him at his first campaign fundraiser. City Council member Andrea O’Rourke, a former editor of BocaWatch, also endorsed her, and BocaBeautiful.org, which fights what it sees as overdevelopment downtown, urged voters to pick Cottrell “if you like the way Andrea O’Rourke and Monica Mayotte have conducted themselves as City Council members.”
Thomson, who campaigned as a “proven problem solver” and an “independent thinker with no ties to special interests,” lost a sometimes bitter 2017 council race to O’Rourke.
He raised $12,670 in the last 13 days of the campaign, including $1,000 checks from iPic chief executive Hamid Hashemi’s iPic Gold Class Entertainment, iPic Holdings LLC, Hashemi Holdings LLC and Premier Aviation of Boca Raton. That pushed Thomson’s total to $75,988 not counting a $20,000 self-loan. He reported campaign expenses of $73,213 through Aug. 23.
Thomson, an attorney who concentrates on resolving business disputes, had the same big endorsements as Mayor Scott Singer: the police and firefighter unions, the Chamber of Commerce’s PAC, Realtors, the Economic Council of Palm Beach County and the Business PAC of Palm Beach County.
Cottrell, a Boca Raton native and organizational psychologist, told voters her career included “large-scale problem solving and change management initiatives” for Fortune 500 companies.
Cottrell raised $2,800 in the Aug. 11-23 period, mostly sums between $50 and $250. Her total contributions were $23,638 and she loaned her campaign $30,000. Campaign expenses were $41,551.

Large turnout gives mayor mandate to serve until 2020

Scott Singer celebrates his victory for the mayor’s seat in Boca Raton with a crowd of supporters on election night. Singer received about 63 percent of the vote to about 34 percent for runner-up Al Zucaro. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

Related stories: Zucaro says he'll step away from politics, BocaWatch | Council race goes into overtime

By Steve Plunkett and Mary Hladky

Boca Raton voters handed Scott Singer a commanding mandate Aug. 28 to lead the city into the 2020s.
“I’m glad that a lot of our city spoke tonight,” Singer said. “I love serving this city, and I’m so grateful to get the opportunity to continue serving.”
Turnout was high, with 18,622 ballots cast in the three-way mayor’s race, compared with 11,783 two years ago. Unofficial results from the Supervisor of Elections Office had Singer with 63 percent of the vote, immigration lawyer Al Zucaro with 34 percent and real estate broker Bernard Korn at 3 percent.
“The strong support, the overwhelming support that the voters gave for our collaborative partnership with residents and a community message of positivity makes me feel proud to be a Boca Ratonian and makes me feel honored to be a public servant in Boca,” Singer said.
The race for City Council Seat A was a near tie with only three votes separating lawyer Andy Thomson, at 7,879, and organizational psychologist Kathy Cottrell, at 7,876 early on Aug. 29.
Both the mayor’s opening and the City Council race resulted from Mayor Susan Haynie’s suspension from office in April after she was charged with official misconduct and perjury.
Singer will serve until March 2020 and then be able to run for two full three-year terms. If Haynie wins her case before her 2020 term expires, she would return to office and Singer would vacate the seat.
The polls closed at 7 p.m., and Zucaro conceded the race at 8:32 after the vote tallies in 25 of 38 city precincts showed him falling well behind Singer.
“I don’t see a possibility of winning,” he told about 45 supporters who gathered at the Griddle restaurant.

Flanked by supporters on election night, Al Zucaro concedes that opponent Scott Singer would receive more votes and retain his seat as mayor of Boca Raton. Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

Singer, who urged voters to “keep Boca’s new mayor,” was elected to the City Council in 2014 and re-elected in 2017. An attorney, Singer reprised his council re-election mantra as “a leader who listens to residents” but added “and delivers results.” Most recently he was instrumental in negotiating a deal with the School Board to build a new elementary school on city-owned land by Don Estridge High Tech Middle School.
He was also the frontrunner in raising donations. Singer opened his campaign account in October when Haynie was expected to resign as mayor to run for the County Commission this November and create an opening for a March 2019 election.
Singer’s donations totaled $187,740, not counting $25,015 in self-loans, and equaled $39,508 in the final Aug. 11-23 filing period.
Singer was endorsed by the city’s police and firefighter unions, the Chamber of Commerce’s political action committee, the Realtors’ association, the Economic Council of Palm Beach County and the Business PAC of Palm Beach County. He also listed on his campaign website more than 500 “local residents and community leaders” who backed him, including County Commissioner Steven Abrams, state Rep. Bill Hager and U.S. Reps. Ted Deutch and Lois Frankel.
Zucaro, who publishes the BocaWatch website and lost to Haynie in March 2017, told voters that “we are at critical crossroads in our city’s history,” citing traffic, congestion and overdevelopment as top concerns.
BocaWatch contributing writers supported his candidacy on the blog. On election day, the blog ran a Zucaro “publisher’s comment” that said, “Today for the first time in decades, a ‘resident friendly’ supermajority can be elected to the city council. . . .”
Singer took aim at the website in July, complaining to the Florida Election Commission that the blog is an unregistered political action committee that violates election law because it promoted Zucaro’s candidacy. Zucaro denied operating a PAC and called the complaint a political attack.
The commission did not resolve the issue before the election.
Zucaro collected $44,133 in donations; he or his law firm also loaned or gave the campaign $15,500 more. Through Aug. 23 he spent $55,033.
Zucaro, a 10-year resident of the city who is a former West Palm Beach city commissioner, claimed victory in the face of defeat.
“I’ve accomplished what I set out to do,” he said. “I put the resident in the No. 1 position.”
Zucaro played a key role in events that led to the corruption charges against Haynie, filing complaints with the county and state ethics commissions about her financial relationship with the city’s largest downtown commercial landowner, and speaking to and providing documents to state prosecutors.

By Sallie James

A little more than a year after Boca Raton Regional Hospital celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2017, the medical facility once known as the “Miracle on Meadows Road” has announced it will enter discussions to merge with health care giant Baptist Health South Florida.
The hospital said in a statement that the decision culminates an initiative that began more than a year ago to elevate the hospital’s position as an academic referral center in South Florida. Baptist is headquartered in Coral Gables.
“We are pleased with the board’s decision to move forward with Baptist,” said Jerry Fedele, president and CEO of Boca Raton Regional Hospital. “While this was a most difficult choice, one that was between two of the finest health care providers in the country, our trustees believe Baptist is the best fit for Boca Regional.”
The proposed merger is a huge marker of change for a community-minded hospital born out of tragedy in 1967. The horrific poisoning deaths of two young children and the absence of a local medical center became the impetus for its construction. The town had about 10,000 residents and a group of volunteers with a mission.
“The goal always is to be better,” said Joan Wargo, 88, who has logged more than 35,000 volunteer hours there over the past 50 years. “We have an expansion planned we have been working on for over a year. We are planning on building a new tower. I just hope people will understand … how much more progressive it’s going to be for the residents of Boca Raton. I think it’s great.
“I would not say it’s an end of an era. I say it’s the beginning of another one. We are not ending Boca Raton Regional Hospital by any means.”
In a May 2017 interview, Fedele spoke of the hospital’s close link to the community and its residents.
“We are really the sweet spot of medicine. We are big enough to provide the best care but small enough to still have that community atmosphere,” Fedele told The Coastal Star.
Today, this hospital has grown into a regional treatment complex with about 2,800 employees, 1,200 volunteers and approximately 800 doctors on staff. The Debbie-Rand Memorial Service League has provided more than $31 million to the hospital since the League’s formation in 1962.
The proposed merger would place the 400-bed Boca Raton Regional Hospital in partnership with the neighboring 400-bed Bethesda Hospital East in Boynton Beach — once a rival of sorts. Bethesda Hospital, with medical centers in east and west Boynton Beach, merged with Baptist over a 24-month period after an agreement was signed in 2015.
Fedele, who had planned to retire in 2018, has agreed to stay on through August 2019 to assist with the transition. Fedele has served as CEO of Boca Regional for the past 10 years.
Baptist Health South Florida said in a statement that “Boca Raton Regional Hospital aligns strategically with our organization and our plans to improve access to quality health care in our region. We share not-for-profit values of exceptional quality and service for our patients, high physician and employee engagement and a commitment to the communities we serve. We look forward to continuing to work with Boca Raton Regional Hospital through this process.”
In May, Boca Regional officials, looking to form a partnership, narrowed down talks to two potential partners, Miami-based Baptist Health and Cleveland Clinic.
The hospital is growing, and a $260 million program will transform the main building and add a parking garage and power plants.
Wargo can’t wait to see the results. “I am anxious to get to work,” she said. “Let’s go!”
Officials hope to complete the merger by the end of the year.

Iguanas are a common sight along the Intracoastal seawalls from Manalapan to Boca Raton. ABOVE: One suns itself on River Drive in Ocean Ridge. BELOW: A pack of eight on Sabal Island Drive in Ocean Ridge. Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star and photo provided by Jimmy McAndrew

Ocean Ridge studies limited plan; some say fix is up to residents

By Dan Moffett

Jimmy McAndrew says he has been tormented enough by the iguanas surrounding his Ocean Ridge home.
They have defecated on his patio. They have torn up his landscaping. And, worst, “They have scared my 98-year-old mother-in-law out of her wits.”
McAndrew’s frustration boiled over after he hired an animal removal company to set a trap in his backyard. When he went to check it, he found a 4-foot iguana sunning himself atop the cage, as if enjoying the Intracoastal view.
“They are disgusting creatures,” McAndrew said. During an April meeting of the Town Commission, he pleaded for help.
“Very simply said, we need an efficient, effective and inexpensive way to eliminate this non-indigenous reptile,” he told commissioners. “There is an epidemic of iguanas in the town.”
McAndrew is one of dozens of residents who have pleaded with the town’s administration for anti-iguana assistance. Ocean Ridge commissioners are listening and are considering a plan to hire an iguana contractor. Only a few South Florida communities have dared to take on the reptiles directly, so expectations are measured.
“You can’t use the word ‘eradication’ because by all accounts they can’t be eradicated,” said Town Manager Jamie Titcomb. “But they can be controlled.”
Beyond Ocean Ridge, complaints about iguanas are rising with their population. The reptiles relieve themselves on Manalapan’s boat docks, stop traffic on A1A in Gulf Stream and startle power walkers in South Palm Beach.
According to the state Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the first known sighting of a feral iguana in Florida occurred in Miami-Dade County in 1966. But the species was flourishing throughout Central America and the Caribbean several centuries before.
Exactly when the critters migrated as far north as Palm Beach County is a matter of some dispute. Most wildlife officials believe it probably was the late 1990s.
Today, iguanas range at least as far north as Pasco County on the West Coast and St. Lucie County on the East. There is not even a guesstimate as to how many are here. The state has collected data on them but hasn’t tried to count them.
The collective opinion among the experts is that iguanas are here to stay and it’s up to the human population to adjust to them — like the other non-native invaders: lionfish, pythons and discourteous motorists from the Northeast.

Some killed by the cold
“Every species has its pros and cons,” says Carol Lyn Parrish, a public information coordinator with the state commission. “They’re fully established now. The only real predator is really another iguana, or a person.”
There is one other serious threat to iguana expansion: cold weather.
During the winter of 2009, an extended cold snap killed untold thousands, sending frozen lizards falling out of trees like autumn leaves. But temperatures have to fall into the 30s for days, and that hasn’t happened since.
Two decades ago, state officials and animal advocates were OK with disposing of iguanas by trapping and freezing them. But then research suggested that dying in a freezer was a painful death and animal ethicists protested.
Today, veterinary and wildlife organizations agree the accepted method for killing them is with blunt force trauma to the head. It could be a blow to the brain with a shovel, or a shot with pellet gun, or penetration with a captive bolt livestock pistol.
The preliminary plan in Ocean Ridge is to hire a contractor who will use pellet guns and trapping to at least put a dent in the population. Two contractors, Iguana Control Inc. of Fort Lauderdale and Wildlife Removal Services of Boca Raton, have submitted bids for the work.

A large orange-colored male is surrounded by a trio of younger iguanas near Lake Ida in Delray Beach. The iguanas likely are part of a colony. Females in a colony, usually at the same time, lay about 50 eggs once a year. Michelle Quigley/The Coastal Star

Debate on what to do

The rapid growth of iguana populations across the state is putting local leaders in a conflicted place, testing the boundary of how far government should be expected to go to solve constituents’ problems.
In Ocean Ridge, commissioners have debated whether iguana control should be the town’s responsibility or that of individual residents and homeowners.
Commissioner Steve Coz said during a June budget workshop that he worried the commission was becoming “a big HOA for the town.” Coz said the town didn’t spend any money to remove whiteflies from anyone’s property during infestations years ago. Why should it be different with iguanas?
He argued the town shouldn’t go forward with plans to hire contractors. Homeowners should step up.
“We’re like an HOA and taking personal responsibility away from everyone,” Coz said. “I find it peculiar because we’re such an independent community.”

As if taunting a resident’s attempts to eliminate it, this iguana perches on a trap. Photo provided by Jimmy McAndrew

Dozens of residents have petitioned the town to act, however — among them former Commissioner Zoanne Hennigan. She told the commission the problem is more than any one homeowner can handle.
“I have iguanas not only in my backyard but in two vacant houses on either side of me that are like iguana breeding grounds,” Hennigan said. “Even if I spend the money to trap them at my home, the two vacant houses next to me are not going to spend any money to do that.”
She said that, unlike whiteflies or no-see-ums, iguanas affect every property in town and raise public health concerns.
“It’s a townwide issue,” said Hennigan. “They bring salmonella bacteria when they poop. They poop all over your deck and your lawn. They’re more than just a nuisance. They’re a health hazard.”
(Wildlife officials dispute that assertion, saying it’s no worse than pet feces.)
Commissioner Kristine de Haseth said if the town does nothing it runs the risk of costing homeowners down the road: “Eventually it’s going to be a property value issue.”
Mayor James Bonfiglio has proposed setting aside $16,000 to hire a contractor for a six-month period to remove iguanas from the town’s public areas and then evaluate the progress or lack of it.
A majority of commissioners agreed — but with reservations.
“You’re not going to get rid of them overall,” Vice Mayor Don MaGruder said.
Titcomb drew a parallel between the iguanas of Ocean Ridge and the pythons of the Everglades.
“They weren’t anybody’s problem,” he said, “until they were a problem that had grown exponentially.”

Iguana facts and curiosities

• State wildlife officials insist that the feces of the green iguana (binomial name Iguana iguana) are grotesque and messy but not particularly disease-ridden and generally no worse than your dog’s waste.
• Confronted by humans, an iguana will nearly always choose flight over fight. Wildlife experts say they know of no reports of iguanas attacking humans or pets.
• Charges that they kill native lizards or other wildlife are unfounded. Iguanas are herbivores.
• Many animal experts claim iguanas have good memories. For example, if you scare one sufficiently with a blast from a water hose, it will remember the horror and is unlikely to return to your yard again.
• Is it legal to kill and eat iguanas? Yes, if they’re killed humanely. Properly prepared, iguana meat tastes something like a blend of chicken and gator. In Latin America, iguanas are known as gallinas de palo (tree chickens) and commonly enjoyed for dinner.
• Do manmade iguana repellents work? Hard to say. A range of products, from granules to liquid sprays, can be found online. Some reports suggest that hanging CDs or other shiny discs at strategic spots scares iguanas away because of the reflective surfaces.
SOURCES: Veterinary and wildlife organizations

Rich Mascolo watches activities at the YMCA in Boynton Beach. He raised money so children from the Caridad Center could continue to attend a Y camp free. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Rich Pollack

Lifting children who could use a helping hand is in Rich Mascolo’s DNA.
The son of two successful educators who recognized the potential in every child, and the nephew of an aunt and uncle who worked as teachers, Mascolo strayed from the “family business” and found success in advertising and marketing in New York.
Still, Mascolo, who lives in Ocean Ridge, couldn’t fully escape the calling that runs through the family bloodline.
Mascolo, who is on the board of the YMCA of South Palm Beach County, learned that a decade-long program that sends more than 80 children served by the Caridad Center — the largest free clinic in Florida — to the Y’s summer camp for free was in financial jeopardy. A major funder pulled out unexpectedly, leaving a gap of more than $25,000.
“Suddenly a significant number of kids were uncovered,” Mascolo said.
Determined to ensure all the children got to camp, Mascolo reached out to friends, family and associates to ask for contributions.
In the end, enough money was raised to avoid disrupting the 10-week Caridad YMCA camp at the Boynton branch.
“I just told the story,” Mascolo said.
An important part of that story is that a few years ago half of the children who had come to the camp had gone on to college.
“I was always taken with how successful the program was,” Mascolo said.
Children from the Caridad Center who attend the camp, many from families living below or near the federal poverty line, get the typical summer camp experience plus tips for healthy living and exposure to an academic element that includes math, science and the arts.
Mascolo, who says most of the contributions were in the $1,000 or $2,000 range, raised the bulk of the needed money in less than two months.
““It happened quickly because the cause is human, tangible and compelling ... and our pals have big hearts,” he said.
Mascolo’s devotion to the program for Caridad Center campers was the key to his success, says Barry Davis, executive director of the Y’s Boynton branch.
“You could see the passion and how much the program meant to him,” Davis said. “People just came up to him and said, ‘How can I help?’ ”
Mascolo, 63, and his wife, Bebe, became members of the YMCA in 2007, when they were still part-time residents, and saw firsthand the impact it had on the community.
“We got to know the Y,” he said. “We got a close-up look at what they were doing and we were knocked out.”
Mascolo said he and Bebe had no idea that the YMCA was a nonprofit organization and they didn’t know that it’s the Y’s policy never to turn anyone away who can’t afford to join.
“Once we understood that, we got involved,” he said.
First stop for Mascolo was the YMCA of South Palm Beach County’s marketing committee, where he set about trying to get the word out about all the YMCA does.
“What I wanted to do is help them uncover the obvious,” he said.
By 2015, Mascolo was drafted to serve on the Y’s board of trustees.
For Davis at the Boynton branch, Mascolo is a go-to guy, who is always looking for ways to help the organization.
“When you think of a cheerleader or an advocate, that’s Rich,” Davis said. “No matter what challenges we face, Rich is always a positive force.”
Mascolo points to a common denominator between what his parents and aunt and uncle dedicated their work to and what the Y sets out to achieve.
“They tried to build bridges for kids they thought would fall through the cracks and who don’t have advantages or access to resources,” he said. “The Y is about building bridges and filling gaps.”
His father became a superintendent of schools pioneering an alternative school program, while his uncle created an innovative program and was recognized as “Teacher of the Year” by Bill Clinton. His aunt was a reading specialist who developed creative techniques for her students, while his mother was an elementary school teacher, beloved by her students.
“All of them recognized the potential of every child,” he said.
Mascolo says the Y has a similar vision. “When I see the kids in the Caridad YMCA camp having the greatest day of their lives, I think about the kindness of all the people I reached out to,” he said.

NOMINATE SOMEONE TO BE A COASTAL STAR
Send a note to news@thecoastalstar.com or call 337-1553.

I’ve watched one tide turn since we started this newspaper almost 10 years ago: Where there once was a reluctance to utter the words “sea level rise” from the dais, the phrase now is part of the municipal vernacular during discussions on building regulations and comprehensive planning.
It’s about time.
Our larger cities have begun to hire sustainability officers, and most of our barrier island municipalities have identified at least one official to participate in regional groups looking for solutions to the rising waters in our backyards. It’s heartening to see this progress.
But planning for the inevitable will take time, so what we can do now? Simple: maintenance.
The first leaks in our current island drainage plans come when we don’t pay attention to our infrastructure. All municipalities between the ocean and the Intracoastal Waterway should build infrastructure maintenance into the budget plans they will discuss over the summer. Residents should demand it. Local Realtors should demand it. Coastal businesses should demand it — especially builders.
We all know the value of property in this area. If we don’t act soon, we stand to watch those very attractive values sink as the water rises. Taxpayers expect roads, sea walls, outflow valves, swales and drainage systems to be regularly checked and maintained.
The fact that they often haven’t been is deeply concerning. Discovering that a neighborhood has a problem only when the streets flood is unacceptable.
Now is the time to budget for maintenance and repairs. Fix the existing problems. Enforce the building codes that are already on the books. Make sure that new construction doesn’t have a negative effect on existing drainage systems. And plan for the future.
I don’t think you’ll hear any complaints from the taxpayers.

— Mary Kate Leming,
Editor

An article on the Streetwaves surfing program incorrectly stated that Streetwaves received support from the city of Deerfield Beach. Streetwaves is not affiliated with Deerfield Beach.

We read your column in the July issue of The Coastal Star (“With anger everywhere, violence not a surprise”) and were saddened, but not surprised, to learn of the challenges you and your staff face in the execution of your duties at the paper.
We are from the Annapolis area and we mourn the senseless loss of the five dedicated staff members at the Capital Gazette.
In the unfortunate era in which we now live, a free press is more vital than ever.
We wanted to let you and your team know how much we appreciate and value the work that you do. We support you without question.
Matt Gaffney and Ned Kesmodel
Delray Beach

LETTERS: The Coastal Star welcomes letters to the editor about issues of interest in the community. These are subject to editing and must include your name, address and phone number. Preferred length is 200-500 words. Send email to editor@thecoastalstar.com

By Jane Smith

The Delray Beach mayor measures the drop in overdoses by the sound of silence.
“We no longer hear the sirens blaring from rescue vehicles racing to the next overdose,” said Mayor Shelly Petrolia. “It used to happen several times a day. … I always worried whether that person would make it.”
She also sees fewer addicts wandering on city streets wheeling suitcases behind them, indicating they were kicked out of sober homes.
At the peak of the opioid epidemic in Delray Beach, police responded to 96 overdoses in October 2016. Eleven were fatal.
Since that time, South County coastal cities and the county have worked together to rid the area of rogue operators. The state attorney received state money in July 2016 to start a Sober Homes Task Force. More than 50 people have been arrested on patient brokering, marketing abuse and insurance fraud charges.
Delray Beach had eight fatal overdoses in the first six months of 2018 ­compared with 37 deaths in the same period in 2017. Boynton Beach recorded 20 deaths this year and 33 fatal overdoses in the same period last year.
Delray Beach also has a social worker on its police force. Ariana Ciancio visits overdose victims in the hospital and helps get them into treatment or tickets back to their home cities.
The city recorded no fatal overdoses in June, but seven people died from overdoses in July.
“On the streets, I see the numbers ebb and flow,” Ciancio told the Sober Homes Task Force in late July.
Meanwhile, Lantana saw its fatal overdoses increase from one in the first six months of 2017 to four during the same period in 2018. Police Chief Sean Scheller said the numbers don’t present “a huge problem. We have a collaborative effort with other police agencies to go after the drug dealers to stop the sale of drugs here,” Scheller said.
He also said that with drugstores selling Narcan, the name brand of naxolone, sober home operators might not call 911 for an overdose.
While Boca Raton does not track fatal overdoses, its Fire Rescue Department tracks naxolone it administers. Naxolone is given to overdose victims to counteract the symptoms. For the first six months of 2018, the medication was given to 62 patients at a cost of $3,113, down from 79 patients receiving the medication during the first six months of 2017. The cost was down 3.5 percent from $3,226.20.
“The numbers speak for themselves,” said Chrissy Gibson, Boca Raton spokeswoman.
In addition, Delray Beach and Boynton Beach have passed ordinances that cover sober homes. An operator has to apply annually for a reasonable accommodation that allows more than three unrelated people to live together in sobriety — needed to have protection under federal disability laws.
Boynton Beach Mayor Stephen Grant credits that ordinance for making “a huge difference.”
Sober homes will have to be certified by the Florida Association of Recovery Residences to open in both cities.
Delray Beach city commissioners will take up their first exception case on Aug. 21. The city has a distance requirement for group homes to prevent clustering.
At the July 16 Planning and Zoning Board meeting, Stepping Stones’ application to open was denied because the Osceola neighborhood the recovery residence is in already has three others within 660 feet.
Stepping Stones was operating when the distance ordinance was passed and only recently came to the city’s attention. City staff recommended approval, but the P&Z board denied it. Several neighbors spoke against it.
The commission has the ultimate say.

By Dan Moffett

When a Publix Super Market held its grand opening in Spotsylvania County, Va., last month, shoppers started lining up before 2:30 a.m. to be there when the electric doors parted at 7.
It’s unlikely Manalapan will match that level of consumer fervor. But make no mistake, in their own way, Manalapan residents are about as excited as those in Spotsylvania to get their new Publix.
After three years of polite yet persistent wrangling between town and corporation, Publix is set to open its supermarket at Manalapan’s Plaza del Mar on Aug. 16.
“We’re very, very happy with what’s going on here,” said Mayor Keith Waters. “They’ve done a remarkable job. They’ve been very cooperative with the community in addressing our needs.”
Those needs included architectural features not typically seen in nearly all the other 1,188 Publix stores.
It took the town and the company more than 10 months to agree on a sign design. There will be no iconic green and white Publix trademark atop the front doors — but rather, a tasteful, understated backlit marquee.
Dozens of 25-foot areca palm trees line the backside of the plaza to hide delivery trucks and a water tank needed to boost water pressure. The store’s exterior color palette is a tranquil, beiger shade of beige. The company’s proposal for a free-standing liquor store next to the supermarket was pronounced dead on arrival by town commissioners.
In floorspace, the new supermarket is about 28,000 square feet, roughly that of the Publix in downtown Lake Worth but 25 percent smaller than the one at CityPlace in West Palm Beach.
The doors of the new store will open at 7 a.m. Aug. 16, said Nicole Maristany Krauss, the company’s media and community relations manager. “Customers will receive an insulated Publix reusable goodie bag from the Publix Pharmacy and enjoy tastings in all departments,” she said.
The Publix is the centerpiece in a $10 million renovation of the 30-year-old Plaza del Mar.
Kitson & Partners, the plaza landlords, said the overhaul actually will shrink total retail space from about 103,000 square feet to 83,000 square feet. The sweeping overhaul includes new pavement, landscaping, signage and LED lighting.
The plaza has languished in recent years, town officials say, and the Great Recession that began in 2007 took a toll. Occupancy fell below 70 percent at times.
“It was tired,” said Vice Mayor Peter Isaac, who commended Kitson for giving the mall the makeover it needed.
Publix has chosen Wade Rinderknecht, who currently manages the CityPlace store, to take over as manager in Manalapan. He said employees would begin stocking the shelves the first week in August.
“I’ve always just loved being around people,” Rinderknecht said. “I’m looking forward to being part of the community here and serving the residents.”
Will the Manalapan store offer the town’s upscale consumers anything beyond the offerings of a typical Publix? Rinderknecht isn’t saying.
“We have some things in mind,” he said. “We’ll see.”
In other business, the Town Commission tentatively approved a substantial increase in the tax rate for the next fiscal year to cover the cost of expanding the Police Department.
During their meeting on July 14, commissioners unanimously signed off on raising the rate to $3.03 per $1,000 of taxable property value, up roughly 8 percent from the current $2.795.
With a 10 percent increase in property values during the past year, Manalapan expects to bring in enough revenue to help pay for a police and security expansion that could cost more than $500,000.
The town wants to add four uniformed officers to expand the force to 15, increase police salaries and benefits, and add to its network of surveillance and license plate recognition cameras.
Final hearings on the 2019 budget are scheduled for Sept. 18 and Sept. 25, both beginning at 5:01 p.m.

Slow progress on main angers residents

Work on South Atlantic Drive on Hypoluxo Island continued on July 24, past the Lantana Town Council’s July 23 deadline for the project’s completion. Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

By Mary Thurwachter

Lantana officials have put the squeeze on Intercounty Engineering Inc., the firm hired to install water main pipes on South Atlantic Drive on Hypoluxo Island. The contractor, they say, has fallen behind schedule and isn’t doing a satisfactory job of cleanup after work each day.
Payments to the contractor are being withheld by Lantana’s engineering company, Mathews Consulting Inc. The contract is worth a little more than $1 million, and $671,000 is left to be paid, according to Rebecca Travis of Mathews Consulting.
In December, the town hired Intercounty Engineering, the lowest of three bidders, to install new 6- and 8-inch water mains along South Atlantic Drive and Southeast Atlantic Drive for additional fire protection, according to Linda Brien, Lantana’s director of operations. The project, along the island’s main street, begins at East Ocean Boulevard and South Atlantic Drive heading south to Lands End Road, where it turns east to the end of Southeast Atlantic Drive.
The original final completion date was July 3. However, “due to rain and unforeseen conditions, the town extended the completion date to July 23,” Brien said. That goal hasn’t been met and those who live in the area aren’t happy about it — or about the quality of work.
The work continued into August. The Coastal Star reached out to Maurice Hynes, president of Intercounty Engineering, for comment, but he did not reply.
Dan Hiatt, who lives on the island and has 40 years’ experience in construction, appeared at the July 9 Town Council meeting. He said that when the workers were cutting a trench, they threw dirt all over the road and did not clean it up, as the contract required.
Hiatt said the work had created a giant mess that is a safety issue.
“We’ve got a coalition of people that see me every day when I walk my dog that have been consistently calling and complaining about this,” said Hiatt. “We just want to figure out a remedy to this situation. How can we force his [the contractor’s] hand? What can we do to make this guy comply with the contract?”
Another resident, Erica Wald, complained about flagmen who “are always eating something or looking at their phone” when she tried to drive through the construction site. The mess left by workers has resulted in three flat tires for her car, she said.
Manalapan commissioners who live on Point Manalapan and gain access to their community by driving past the construction site, also expressed concerns at last month’s meeting of their Town Council.
Lantana Town Manager Deborah Manzo said the town is keeping close tabs on the work and that either someone from Mathews Consulting or someone from the town is on site every day.
“We feel the contractor is lacking in his attention to the project, his cleanup of the project, and his provision of asphalt patching on the trench every night that he’s required to do,” Mathews engineering consultant Travis told the Lantana council on July 9.
She said that the engineering firm was holding a monthly meeting with the contractor to bring these issues to light and that the town has had additional meetings with the contractor, or his project manager.
“When he [contractor] was not responding in the manner he should have, we issued a notice of noncompliance letter on June 28 to rectify the situation, and this was specific to the asphalt patching at the end of every single day,” Travis said. “He says he’ll do better. He has done slightly better, still not to our standards.”
In order for the contractor to finish the water main work sometime this month, he needs to have a second crew, Travis said. “Because the contractor is not meeting his contract completion times, the town can charge him $500 a day for each day he is late.” Those fines are piling up.
Hiatt wanted to know why the town didn’t red tag the contractor and shut him down.
Town Attorney Max Lohman said to do that would be “asinine in the extreme.”
“Then you’re going to have months more of what you don’t like now, because then we have to go through a process,” Lohman said. “Not to mention that we can’t collect liquidated damages on a project that we red tag and prevent him from doing construction.”
Lohman said the town was pursuing its remedies under the contract as it is required to do.
“We’ve provided written notice of his breach of contract for his failures to meet the terms of his contract and we’re taking all the necessary legal steps to move forward,” Lohman said.
Hiatt said one resident was threatening a lawsuit. But Lohman said that wasn’t a good idea.
“If a man feels so inclined to bring a lawsuit, he can go waste his money and do that because there are no third-party beneficiaries to this contract,” Lohman said. Not “he, nor you, nor anybody else in this town has the ability to sue this contractor for breach of contract. Only the Town Council does.”
Hiatt questioned how sincerely the town was taking his concerns.
“We are taking it seriously, and just so you know, we’re trying to make sure we jump though all the legal hoops, which sometimes are slower and more laborious then we’d like them to be,” Lohman said. “Because the only thing worse than this project not getting completed in a timely fashion is to waste money not getting it done and have to spend more money.”
The town could go after the contractor’s bond.
“If he does not cure his breach then we can put a claim on his surety bond, which will hurt him more than a lawsuit because once a contractor gets a claim on their bond it becomes nearly impossible to get another one,” Lohman said.
“We do realize that it’s a problem for people who live there, and the town is not insensitive to it,” Lohman said. “But we have to follow the proper legal steps to solve the problem for you.”
When Hiatt persisted to question the town’s willingness to act, Lohman bristled.
“No one here is blowing you off,” Lohman said. “We’re addressing your concerns. You’re not satisfied with the answer and I understand that. But I take issue with the fact that you’re going to stand here and ridicule this council and lecture us as if we don’t have backbone or don’t have the ability to enforce our contractual obligations on our contractor.”
After the July 9 council meeting, Mathews Consulting sent a second notice of noncompliance for the asphalt trench repair. Recommendations included constructing an asphalt cap over the trench and cleaning the road at the end of each workday. 
Brien said the contractor responded that “they are taking steps to follow the contract patching requirements.”
In other news, the council:
• Set the first budget hearing for 5:30 p.m. Sept. 12 in the council chambers. The proposed tax rate is $3.50 per $1,000 of assessed property value, the same as last year.
• Recognized Officer Mathew Parks as the Police Department’s Officer of the 2nd Quarter for his investigation into a large-scale car theft operation in the county.

By Jane Smith

To meet growing traffic demands, the state will do a $5.2 million construction project at the Atlantic Avenue Interstate 95 interchange in Delray Beach.
The project will begin in September and is expected to last slightly longer than one year, according to the Florida Department of Transportation.
The improvements will take place mainly along a 1-mile stretch of Atlantic Avenue from the E-4 Canal, just west of Congress Avenue, to Northwest/Southwest 10th Avenue. FDOT owns Atlantic Avenue in this area.
FDOT predicts the average annual daily traffic to increase from 47,000 vehicles in 2016 to 59,800 in 2040, growing at an annual rate of 1.39 percent. The department will showcase its redesign to the public between 4 and 6 p.m. Aug. 30 at the city’s Environmental Services building, 434 S. Swinton Ave.
While the state talks about traffic capacity and safety of drivers, Delray Beach city commissioners are focused on a multimodal transportation plan that includes walkers and bicyclists.
FDOT representatives said they first met with Delray Beach residents in July 2014. They also heard from Human Powered Delray, a nonprofit group dedicated to bike and pedestrian safety.
The department listened to the group’s suggestions, but FDOT did not incorporate most of them into the redesign because of cost constraints and lack of space, said Guillermo Canedo, FDOT spokesman.
Bill Bathurst, a new commissioner who was designated as the FDOT point person at the July 10 commission meeting, said, “We are getting a little bit more of what we wanted. I’m still concerned that it’s dangerous for walkers and bike riders who live east of the interstate and walk west on Atlantic.”
When his son was in high school and wrestled on the Atlantic High School team, Bathurst picked up his son and teammates daily after practice to drive them home, east of I-95. The high school sits on Atlantic Avenue, west of Congress.
The Palm Beach County School District usually does not provide bus service to students living within 2 miles of the school. But for Atlantic High students who live east of I-95, the district makes an exception and provides bus transportation, according to Shane Searchwell, general manager of transportation services. Bathurst is trying to set up a meeting with FDOT representatives and various community leaders before the construction work starts.
FDOT will upgrade the Interstate 95 on-ramp lanes to be “segregated, exclusive safety lanes” from westbound Atlantic, Canedo said. The lanes, also called turbo lanes, will be separated from the other travel lanes by a 4-inch raised concrete barrier that has 5-foot plastic batons on top, he said, to prevent vehicles from crossing over at the last minute.
“The angle of the southbound on-ramp will be changed to improve pedestrian safety,” Canedo said.
East of the interstate on the north side of Atlantic, walkers will have a 6-foot-wide sidewalk and bike riders will get a dedicated 7-foot lane. West of the interstate, bike riders will share the lane with vehicles from the southbound I-95 off-ramp west to Congress Avenue.
Pedestrians and bike riders must cross over the turbo lanes twice when traveling westbound on Atlantic. Eastbound walkers and cyclists also must cross over the regular traffic getting onto the southbound on-ramp and on the other side of the interstate, traffic lanes for vehicles exiting the northbound interstate.

By Steve Plunkett

Gulf Stream will lower its property tax rate to just below the rollback rate for the second time in two years.
At their July 13 meeting, town commissioners set the tentative tax rate for the 2018-19 budget year at $4.05 per $1,000 of taxable value, down from $4.36 in the current year and 0.99 cents under the rollback rate — the rate that would produce the same revenue as the previous year, using current assessments.
The first public hearing on property taxes and the town’s budget will be at 5:01 p.m. Sept. 14.
Town Manager Greg Dunham’s proposed $5.58 million budget includes $531,383 for the first year of Gulf Stream’s 10-year capital improvement plan. The money will be spent on designing and getting permits for rebuilding roads and improving drainage in the worst part of town, the northern core area. Construction, which has an estimated price of $3.7 million, would follow in 2020.
The northern core includes Bermuda Lane from Sea Road to the south end, Gulf Stream Road from Sea Road to Banyan Road, Old School Road from Gulf Stream Road to the cul-de-sac, Oleander Way from Banyan to the north end, Polo Drive from Old School to Banyan, Wright Way from Old School to the cul-de-sac, Sea Road from Ocean Boulevard to Gulf Stream Road, North County Road from Ocean to Sea Road, and Banyan from Ocean to the cul-de-sac.
Projects in Place Au Soleil, the southern core, the water main on State Road A1A, and work in Hidden Harbour and Pelican Lane would come in later years.
Dunham also said he and town accountant Rebecca Tew expected to add at least $1 million to Gulf Stream’s reserves, pushing the total cushion to $4.8 million or more. The reserves dropped to $752,858 in the 2013 budget year as the town wrestled with requests and lawsuits over public records.
The tax rate topped out in fiscal 2016 at $5 per $1,000 as commissioners rebuilt the reserves.
Dunham also recommended that Gulf Stream pay 80 percent of health insurance premiums for the families of town employees. The Police Department recently lost a promising job applicant to Highland Beach, which pays the entire family premium, he said.
“Towns and cities really compete for the labor force,” Dunham said.
Gulf Stream pays all the health premiums for its 20 employees but nothing for family coverage. Only two employees pay extra to cover their dependents, Dunham said, an amount that in one case equals half of each paycheck.
The additional benefit would cost Gulf Stream $246,000 a year, Dunham said.
Commissioners noted that the town already gives employees a $3,000 flex benefit to offset health deductibles and co-pays and decided to discuss the idea further.
“I think there should be some give-and-take” between the flex benefit and family coverage, Commissioner Joan Orthwein said.
Dunham also said he will promote Tew from town accountant to chief finance officer. Tew started working for Gulf Stream in 2014. At the commission meeting the Government Finance Officers Association gave her its Distinguished Budget Presentation Award for her work on the 2017-2018 budget.

By Jane Smith

Delray Beach commissioners agreed to lower the tax rate slightly, keeping a promise to their residents to reduce the tax rate each year for 10 years.
The commission action July 10 capped the total tax rate at $6.97 per $1,000 of property value for the next financial year, which starts Oct. 1. It would be the sixth consecutive year that Delray Beach is lowering its tax rate.
“I want to keep the promise to our taxpayers,” said Mayor Shelly Petrolia. “I am challenging the city manager to find flexibility in the low-hanging fruit of outstanding parking tickets and from our reserves.”
Delray Beach has a lush reserve account of more than $34 million as of June. That amount represents about 28.9 percent of this year’s operating budget. The commission wants to set aside 25 percent, or $29.6 million, for hurricane-related expenses and other emergencies.
Florida does not have a law requiring municipalities to set aside a certain percentage for reserves, said Kurt Wenner, research vice president at Florida TaxWatch. “Most local governments have their own internal policies on reserves,” he said. Florida TaxWatch is a nonprofit organization that researches and analyzes state and local government taxation issues.
Nearby Boynton Beach has a lower reserve goal of 10 percent set aside for emergencies, according to information presented in mid-July at its budget workshop. Boca Raton also has a 10 percent goal. When the current financial year started, Boca Raton had about 34 percent of its operating budget, or $53 million, in reserves.
In Delray Beach, City Manager Mark Lauzier said the lower rate would not allow the city to continue to increase the size of its public safety staff, which was reduced during the Recession. Another five police officers and eight fire-rescue employees are needed, he said.
Deputy Vice Mayor Shirley Johnson was the lone no vote on the reduced tax rate. She wants to see more police on the streets.
Lauzier also said the city’s rollback rate is $6.55 per $1,000 property value. The rollback rate is the rate that would generate the same tax revenue as the prior year with allowances for new construction.
Even though the tax rate will be slightly lower, city property owners will pay about 3.2 percent more in property taxes.
In addition, Lauzier talked about the looming budget amendment, where voters statewide will be asked in November whether they want another $25,000 reduction on top of their homestead exemption of $25,000 in property value.
If that passes, the city’s property tax collection would be reduced by $1.3 million, he said.
Lauzier gave each commissioner a thick budget book to read before the Aug. 14 meeting when they will hear presentations by departments.
He also planned to hold three budget town halls in August for residents. The dates and places were: Veterans Park on Aug. 2, Delray Beach Municipal Golf Course on Aug. 6 and Pompey Park Community Center on Aug. 8, all at 6 p.m.
The city’s proposed tax rate has two components. The operating tax rate is $6.76 per $1,000 value and the debt service rate is 21 cents per $1,000 value. The total tax rate for the current year is $7.09 per $1,000 value with an operating rate of $6.86 per $1,000 value and debt service rate of 23 cents per $1,000 value.
Lauzier had wanted to keep the next budget year’s operating tax rate the same as this year’s.
The tax rates had to be set by the end of July in order for the county property appraiser to mail notices in mid-August to every property owner. The notices cover assessed values and proposed tax rates.
The rates can be lowered but not raised during the city’s budget hearings in September.

By Steve Plunkett

Four of the five candidates hoping to become the next District 89 state representative in November will first duke it out in the Aug. 28 Democratic and Republican primaries.
On the GOP side, barrier island resident and Delray Beach accountant Mike Caruso faces Boca Raton lawyer Matt Spritz.
Registered Democrats in District 89, which leans Republican and stretches along the coast from Boca Raton to Singer Island, will choose either Ocean Ridge Mayor Jim Bonfiglio, a lawyer, or Boca Raton real estate agent Ryan Rossi, a former high school teacher.
Bonfiglio, 64, who promises to make life on the barrier island “easier, safer and better,” has been on the Ocean Ridge Town Commission since 2014 after 14 years on the town’s Planning and Zoning Commission.
He had $29,497 in campaign contributions through July 20, the latest report available. He also lent his campaign $65,000. Contributors include the law firm of former Ocean Ridge Mayor Ken Kaleel ($1,000), numerous other lawyers and law firms and the Palm Beach Classroom Teachers Association political action committee ($500).
Rossi, 33, a Florida Atlantic University graduate who taught government and economics at Pope John Paul II High School in Boca Raton, offers himself as part of a “new generation” of Democratic leaders.
Campaign finance reports show him with $16,287 in donations and $1,100 in self-loans. His donors include county Property Appraiser Dorothy Jacks ($100), Florida College Democrats ($100), Gulf Stream resident George Elmore ($150), the Economic Council of Palm Beach County PAC ($1,000) and Boca Raton activist Judith Kaye ($1,000).
Republicans also have a choice between generations.
Caruso, 59, a forensic CPA who qualified to run for the Florida House by collecting 1,241 petition signatures, says he will bring “real, experienced, community-based leadership” to Tallahassee. He has been a member of the Delray Beach Police Advisory Board and the West Atlantic Redevelopment Coalition Board and also president of the Villas of Ocean Crest homeowners association and Atlantic Grove condominium association.
As of July 20 he had $66,770 in contributions and loaned his campaign $210,000. Among the contributors are Caffe Luna Rosa restaurant owner Francis Marincola ($2,000), Palm Beach Kennel Club ($1,000), the nonprofit Florida Limousine Association ($1,000) and west Delray farmers Richard Bowman ($1,000) and Theresa Bowman ($1,000) and their Beefy Tree Farm ($1,000).
Spritz, 35, is no stranger to state politics, according to his LinkedIn biography. He was a campaign manager for Naples Republican Matt Hudson’s unsuccessful 2016 Florida Senate primary run, then managed the successful Florida House campaign of Sarasota businesswoman Alex Miller. After Miller was elected, Spritz became legislative aide to Naples businessman and state Rep. Bob Rommel for the 2017 legislative session. Rommel, Miller and Hudson all have endorsed Spritz’s candidacy.
Spritz gained brief media attention in 2012 in the New York Daily News — he graduated from New York University School of Law — when he and a friend sued celebrity fitness trainer Harley Pasternak after a squabble about a basketball court.
He has $135,485 in campaign contributions and gave himself a $40,000 loan. His supporters include JM Family Enterprises ($1,000), Palm Beach Kennel Club ($1,000), Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association ($1,000), Sunshine State Conservatives ($1,000), former Manalapan Mayor David Cheifetz ($1,000), Florida Bankers Association ($1,000) and Gulf Stream resident George Elmore ($250).
State Rep. Bill Hager, who first won the District 89 seat in 2012, cannot run because of term limits. The primary winners will also face Delray Beach business owner Deborah Wesson Gibson, who is not affiliated with a party, in November.

How to vote
When: Early voting is Aug. 13-26 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Voting on Election Day, Aug. 28, is 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Where: Early voting sites include the Downtown Boca Raton Library, 400 NW Second Ave., and the Boynton Beach Civic Center, 128 E. Ocean Ave. For other sites across Palm Beach County or to look up your precinct place, go to pbcelections.org

Gulf Stream resident Kevin Anderson acknowledges the crowd after he outlasted John Isner 26-24 in the fifth set of a Wimbledon semifinal that was the second-longest match in tournament history. Anderson went on to his second runner-up finish in the past four Grand Slam events. Thomas Lovelock/AELTC

By Steve Pike

Kevin Anderson has been on the doorstep of winning two of the past four professional tennis Grand Slam events — the 2017 U.S. Open and the 2018 Wimbledon Championships. But each time the door slammed shut.
Anderson, a 32-year-old resident of Gulf Stream, finished second to Rafael Nadal in New York and to Novak Djokovic last month at Wimbledon.
Back in Gulf Stream with his wife, Kelsey, following his Wimbledon run, Anderson discussed his plans to finally knock down the door.
He beat top seed Roger Federer in a five-set quarterfinal and outlasted John Isner in a historic six-hour, 36-minute semifinal, which ended 26-24 in the fifth set.
“I think my game is definitely there,’’ said Anderson, who planned to return to the court for the summer hard-court season at the Rogers Cup starting Aug. 3 in Toronto. “I’m on the right path and as I keep learning how to handle these big moments, I think I will become more comfortable as well. I am going to keep looking forward — winning one of the Slams is a huge goal of mine.’’

Kevin Anderson (right) holds the plate awarded to the Wimbledon runner-up as he stands with champion Novak Djokovic during the trophy ceremony. The result gave Anderson a career-high No. 5 world ranking as he prepares for the U.S. Open. Joe Toth/AELTC

Anderson’s Wimbledon run moved him to No. 5 in the ATP world rankings — the highest of his 11-year pro career and the highest of any South African-born player since Kevin Curren rose to No. 5 in 1985. Eric Sturgess and Cliff Drysdale were ranked No. 4 during their careers, but that was before the official ATP world rankings. 
“Achieving a top-five ranking has been a big milestone for me,” said Anderson, who has dual U.S. and South African citizenship. “It makes me the highest ranked South African man in the open era of tennis, which means a great deal. I have a huge amount of respect and have always looked up to Wayne Ferreira, Johan Kriek and Kevin Curren, who were some of the best players in South African history. I’m honored to be in such great company in terms of my ranking and tennis achievements.’’
Anderson’s defeat of Federer, in which Anderson was down two sets and faced a match point before winning 13-11 in the fifth, set up the semifinal vs. Isner. Each man was near exhaustion before Anderson became the first South African to reach a Wimbledon men’s final in 97 years.
Following the match, the second-longest in Wimbledon history, Anderson, Isner and three-time Wimbledon champion John McEnroe were among those who called for a change in the rules to prevent such long final sets. Isner also played the longest match, a 70-68 victory over Nicolas Mahut in 2010 in 11 hours, five minutes over three days.
Does Anderson believe Wimbledon will seriously consider their remarks?
“I think in some aspects, yes, because it happened in the semifinals as opposed to the first round,’’ Anderson said. “On the other hand, John’s previous marathon match lasted almost twice as long as this one and they didn’t consider a rule change.
“Obviously it’s been spoken about, but at the end of the day there’s a lot of history with playing the long fifth set. On the plus side, my match was something that will definitely go down in the history books.’’
With the U.S. Open set to start Aug. 27, Anderson is primed for more history.
“My results at Wimbledon this year were further confirmation that my game is good enough to compete at the best level,’’ Anderson said. “I’ve had that belief already, but now it has come down to believing and performing against the best players on the biggest stages in the world.’’

Chris Warren practices with dance partner Loreta Kriksciukaityte, owner of Fred Astaire Dance Studio in Boca Raton. Warren will be one of eight contestants in the annual fundraising event benefiting the George Snow Scholarship Fund. Photo provided

By Amy Woods

One of the eight contestants in Boca’s Ballroom Battle has two daughters enrolled at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. Rachel is 20, and Grace is 19. The contestant’s 14-year-old son, Christopher, attends St. Andrew’s School.
Higher education comes at a high price, and that is one of the reasons Chris Warren, dad to all three, agreed to participate in the George Snow Scholarship Fund benefit.
“It’s a great cause,” said Warren, a founding partner of Lawless, Edwards & Warren Wealth Management. “I’m able to provide an education for my children, my parents provided an education for me, and if I can help some other kids get to school, wow, that’s awesome.”
Warren, a graduate of Michigan State University, does not like the spotlight. He would rather let his actions speak to who he is and what he is about — a financial planner helping clients reach their goals and discovering what is important to them.
“I said no last year, and Tim came back,” said Warren, referring to the nonprofit’s president, Tim Snow. “Saying no again would be me just chickening out.”
So in the spotlight he will be during the Dancing With the Stars-style fundraiser, set for Sept. 14 at the Boca Raton Resort and Club.
He will cut the rug with seven other contestants — Samir Changela, Nancy Dockerty, Matthew Maschler, Cristina Mata, Jamie Rosemurgy, Tracy Tilson and Joseph Veccia — in the quest for the coveted Mirror Ball trophy.
“I do like to dance, but it’s not like I’ve done anything like this before,” Warren said. “I feel like I have two left feet.”
What is the 55-year-old’s game plan?
“I’m going to try to have my routine down cold, but you know, prayer — practice and prayer,” said Warren, who bikes, runs, swims and practices yoga. “The physical part of this is not the issue — it’s more the repetition of learning my routine and then making it look good.”

Q. Where did you grow up and go to school? How do you think that has influenced you?
A. I grew up in Grosse Pointe Farms, Mich. Went to Michigan State University. Great education. Great place to grow up.

Q. In what professions have you worked, and which ones make you the proudest?
A. Started a landscape business in high school. Grew it to 80 clients. Started my career as an auditor for Domino’s Pizza, then assistant controller in Pompano Beach. Wanted to start my own business, so I got into the wealth-management space 29 years ago. Along with my partners, I have built a successful business providing great service and value to our clients/friends.

Q. What advice do you have for young adults selecting a career today?
A. Where you start is not where you will finish. Take a chance. Don’t be afraid of failing, and work to find your passion.

Q. How did you choose to make your home in Royal Palm Yacht & Country Club?
A. We had a growing family and needed a bigger home. Royal Palm is a great quality neighborhood.

Q. What is your favorite part about living in Royal Palm Yacht & Country Club?
A. My office is just across Federal Highway. I love being east — easy access to the beach. So many reasons.

Q. What books are you reading now?
A. Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future. He’s a very impressive / driven guy. The One Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results. A great book about the importance of focus. Also He’s Not Lazy: Empowering Your Son to Believe in Himself.

Q. What music do you listen to when you need inspiration or want to relax?
A. I like all types of music. Classical helps me relax. Also I like rock ’n’ roll, blues, bluegrass, etc.

Q. Do you have a favorite quote that inspires you?
A. Two: Never give up. The Lord is my shepherd.

Q. Have you had mentors in your life — individuals who have inspired your decisions?
A. My mom and dad.

Q. If your life story were made into a movie, whom would you want to play you?
A. Matt Damon. Mark Wahlberg is pretty cool, too. Clint Eastwood?

If You Go
What: Boca’s Ballroom Battle
When: 6-10 p.m. Sept. 14
Where: Boca Raton Resort and Club, 501 E. Camino Real
Cost: $185
Information: 347-6799 or scholarship.org.

By Dan Moffett

Despite opposition from southern neighbors and second thoughts among some residents, South Palm Beach is setting aside more money to pay for a controversial groin project that would stabilize the town’s eroding beaches.
In fact, South Palm Beach recently sent a check for $66,500 to Palm Beach County, its partner in the project, to cover some of the administrative costs of obtaining permits.
Town Manager Mo Thornton estimates the town will need roughly $2.1 million in construction costs over the next 10 years to pay its share of the project. This does not include costs of periodic replenishment with sand.
Thornton, during a budget workshop July 23, said about half the $2.1 million could come from the penny sales-tax increase county voters passed in 2016. The town could take in between $80,000 and $90,000 a year from the tax, which is restricted by law to infrastructure spending only.
Installing the concrete groins on the beach is one obvious place to use the penny tax revenue for a town that has no roads, schools or parks.
This won’t play well in Manalapan, however, where officials have threatened to sue to stop the groin project. Ocean Ridge also objected. The towns fear the groins will disrupt the sand flow to the south and damage their beaches.
Because of the opposition, South Palm Beach Mayor Bonnie Fischer and other Town Council members have considered looking at other possible solutions to stem the town’s beach erosion. But as that debate goes on, so does the county’s effort to get federal and state construction permits for the groins. And the project, 12 years in the making, continues to stagger forward.
Fischer says South Palm Beach, which has no public access to the ocean, became part of the county’s groin plan because its southern boundary borders Lantana Municipal Beach.
“Bottom line, the only reason this project was ever initiated was because of Lantana beach,” the mayor said. “The county is very concerned about redoing that beach. We’re lucky that we can tandem onto it.”
Thornton’s proposed budget, her first since taking over as manager in January, calls for dropping the millage from $4 per $1,000 of taxable value to the rollback rate of $3.79. The rollback rate keeps tax revenue flat from last year. South Palm Beach property values are up about 5 percent, according to the Palm Beach County Property Appraiser’s Office.
“My recommendation is full rollback,” Thornton said. “We’ll still have excess revenue of $80,000 with the full rollback. I feel very comfortable with that.”
The 3550 S. Ocean Blvd. luxury condo project, on the site of the old Hawaiian Inn, doesn’t come onto the tax roll for two years but has already been a significant revenue source. Last year, due to the project’s construction costs, revenues from building and permit fees nearly tripled to $524,000.