October 2018 Blog Posts (150)

The pool at Wellington Arms, a gathering point for residents, looks out over the lagoon and mangroves to the west. The lagoon is home to manatees, manta rays and a variety of birds. Jerry Lower/ The Coastal Star

By Dan Moffett

Judy Hollnagel had a long and successful business career…

With the outer structure complete on the 3550 condo in South Palm Beach, the Town Council’s only recourse may be to fine the developer if the town determines that the building violates rules on height. Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

By Dan Moffett

South Palm Beach council members want…

Retired Lt. Col. Mel Pollack at home in Boca Raton with a replica of the F-4 Phantom he flew in Vietnam. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Mary Hladky

Although retired Air Force Lt. Col. Mel Pollack’s military service ended decades ago, his commitment to service and veterans has endured.…

By Mary Thurwachter



The Florida Commission on Ethics has found probable cause that Lantana Mayor David Stewart misused his position to attempt to obtain a sexual benefit for himself. Probable cause also was found to believe he solicited sex from a constituent based on an understanding his vote, official action, or judgment would be influenced.…

For health and safety and money for the Town of Ocean Ridge, the county and the state, and as an owner at Ocean Park Manor, adjacent to the proposed Swain project, I would like to lodge my strongest objection to this permit.

Among the factors that the Army Corps of Engineers must consider when reviewing the permit application are safety, economics, aesthetics, recreation, the needs and welfare of the people and general environmental concerns. It would be right for the Corps to deny…

A story in the October issue incorrectly reported the number of people attending meetings at Delray Beach’s Crossroads Club. An estimated 750 people attend a meeting every day.

More than 35 firefighters with 14 trucks from Delray Beach and elsewhere in the county responded to a fire at the Gulf Stream estate of Anthony Pugliese on Oct. 29. They contained the fire to the multi-car garage and guest quarters, preserving the main home that was once the Phipps Estate. The Phippses were the founders of Gulf Stream Polo.…

By Mary Kate Leming

Ten years. Who’d a thunk it? Not me, that’s for sure. I was convinced print would be so crippled by digital that we’d get only five years out of our startup publication at most.

Wow, was I wrong.

I knew there was a serious risk of this coastal area becoming a local news desert, but I didn’t know whether anyone cared. You, dear readers, have shown us that you do care about local news. And…

Arthur Remillard funded the $3 million facility that enabled Boca Helping Hands to expand its food services. Photo provided

By Rich Pollack

Arthur Remillard is a generous man.

At 87, Remillard cringes when he sees…

By Steve Plunkett



Gulf Stream’s new CodeRED emergency alert system is up and running.

“It is fully activated and ready to go,” Town Manager Greg Dunham told town commissioners at their Oct. 12 meeting.

The system allows town officials to send residents warnings via phone calls, email and cellphone text messages. CodeRED also has a smartphone app. But residents have to sign up to participate. “It’s not an automatic thing,” Dunham said.

The town is…

By Steve Plunkett

Palm Beach County Commissioner Steven Abrams, who leaves office Nov. 20, will spend only a few weeks unemployed before tackling his next job — as executive director of the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority.

His former colleagues on the SFRTA governing board hired him on a 9-1 vote to lead the agency that runs…

Residents along the coast had to deal with the effects of red tide for more than a week. ABOVE: Dead reef fish lie south of the Boynton Inlet…

Like its predecessor, the year-old 100-foot tree dominates the Delray Beach skyline. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Jane Smith



The 100-foot Christmas tree went up before Halloween this year, but it’s the same time as last year, said Stephanie Immelman of Grapevine Communications,…

By Dan Moffett

Confronted with threats posed by rising seas and overly aggressive builders, Ocean Ridge commissioners are grappling with tough decisions about how much to tighten the town’s building rules.

At their Nov. 5 meeting, the commissioners will have to decide between two competing ordinance proposals that would set minimum drainage standards for lots under development.

One proposal requires developers to set aside 35 percent of their lots for…

By Mary Thurwachter

A zoning request that would allow the offices of the Old Key Lime House on Ocean Avenue to be moved next door to a historic home at 110 S. Lake Drive failed to win over the Lantana Town Council.

The home’s owner, Wayne Cordero, also owns the popular waterside restaurant.

Cordero, who appeared at the Oct. 22 council meeting, said business was so good at the restaurant that more space is needed for offices and parking.

“I live in the…

Marine Way resident Jerry Spivey tiptoes through rising water Oct. 9 to reach his vehicle during the annual king tides. Many residents along the coast were relieved that the effects of the seasonal high tides were not as bad as in some previous years. Municipalities along the beach continue to look for ways to mitigate the flooding.…

By Mary Thurwachter

A year after Hurricane Irma left the trail at the Nature Preserve in shambles, the Lantana Town Council is still grappling with the best way to restore it. Only the front portion of the path is accessible.

In May, the council talked about constructing a concrete path, a $66,000 project that would be built over two years. But council members said they weren’t thrilled with the idea of a concrete walkway in a nature preserve, and some thought…

Incentive program planned to retain building heights

By Jane Smith

Some rule changes are coming to downtown Delray Beach after city commissioners finished a required review of the central business district’s land development regulations.

The rules regarding height, architectural styles and open spaces, passed in February 2015, mandated a three-year review to make…

By Steve Plunkett



Municipal leaders are taking a cautious approach to the possibility that constitutional Amendment 1 will be approved on Election Day.

“If it passes then local governments, which are the ones that tax by property taxes, will see a decrease in revenue. We’re already estimating that if it passes it will be $1.8 million,” Boca Raton Mayor Scott Singer said.

“And yes, a tax cut sounds like a wonderful thing. As the League of Cities has been…

By Dan Moffett

For the third time, Publix tried to persuade the Manalapan Town Commission to allow a free-standing wine and liquor store near the company’s new supermarket in Plaza del Mar.

And for a third time, commissioners politely said thank you for your service, but no.

“You’re offering a convenience, but the community is telling us they don’t want that convenience,” Mayor Keith Waters said during the commission meeting on Oct. 23. “The feedback has not…