Combining properties puts owner in a fix — The Palm Beach County Property Appraiser’s Office combined residential properties at 316 Andrews Ave. and 1137 Vista del Mar Drive North at their owner’s request, but Delray Beach regulations don’t allow for more than one principal residence per property in that residential zoning district.
The property owner has been seeking a certificate of occupancy for a newly built home on the southern portion of the combined property and said the other home would be used as a guest cottage and art studio. But the 1,432-square-foot cottage is more than double the size the city allows.
On a 3-2 vote, the commission agreed at its Dec. 17 meeting to a waiver. Mayor Tom Carney and Commissioners Rob Long and Angela Burns voted for the waiver, with Vice Mayor Juli Casale and Commissioner Tom Markert opposed, citing concern about setting a precedent.
— Larry Barszewski
Mayor gives update on public safety — Mayor Tom Carney recently updated the Beach Property Owners Association on its request for an increased police presence on the barrier island.
The request came after recent “crime trends, issues and concerns,” Carney wrote in a Dec. 14 email to BPOA President Hal Stern. The most notable incident occurred on June 21 near the Delray Beach Pavilion, where four dozen gunshots were fired at a popup party.
Carney, in the email to Stern, identified several steps being taken:
• Police have increased their visibility and have upped enforcement of traffic measures, such as cracking down on cars with loud mufflers, playing loud music and speeding.
• There is an ongoing conversation with the Community Redevelopment Agency to redirect the downtown Clean and Safe officer east of the Intracoastal Waterway. “This initiative will increase our police presence on the barrier island, specifically related to the Atlantic Avenue corridor up to A1A,” Carney wrote.
The CRA funding of the Clean and Safe police officer program includes safety ambassadors who patrol on foot, golf carts and bikes and interact with the homeless population.
They respond to calls from police when homeless people are trespassing, panhandling or drinking in public.
Carney said the city’s community outreach team has also conducted beach sweeps where transient individuals have been identified.
$3 million from bond targeted for three facilities — About $3 million from the 2023 voter-approved $100 million public safety general obligation bond will be spent to make repairs to two city firehouses and its Ocean Rescue facility.
Fire Chief Ronald Martin says improvements are needed for the following facilities:
• Fire Station 112 at 35 Andrews Ave.; work includes concrete restoration, fire alarm system upgrades and weatherproofing.
• Fire Station 111, the department’s headquarters at 501 W. Atlantic Ave.; work includes painting, roof repairs and an interior design study.
• Ocean Rescue, 340 S. Ocean Blvd.; work includes exterior repair and possible storage and interior remodel.
City Manager Terrence Moore said the Public Works Department is working with Martin on the improvements while the Finance Department is working to get the money.
New city clerk is no surprise — Alexis Givings will be the new city clerk, City Manager Terrence Moore announced in his Dec. 13 newsletter.
Givings has served as interim clerk since September after serving as deputy city clerk. She replaces Katerri Johnson.
Givings’ work history includes administrative roles with Lauderdale Lakes and the Broward County Clerk of Court.
The duties of the clerk include maintaining official documents of the city, administrating municipal elections, and preparing and distributing agendas and minutes of city meetings.
Advocate criticizes DARE funding decision — Cat Kelly, a well-known advocate for addiction care, told the City Commission at its Dec. 10 meeting that city officials made a mistake in allocating their $239,000 share of opioid settlement money.
She was particularly critical of using settlement money for the police program DARE — Drug Abuse Resistance Education.
“Multiple studies over the past few decades have shown that DARE has failed to reduce drug use among participants. Some evidence suggests that it may have inadvertently normalized the behavior it aims to prevent,” said Kelly, an Ocean Ridge resident who is on the board of the Crossroads Club, a safe space for 12-step meetings.
The city is expected to get irregular installments of the settlement money from the $50 million deal struck by the states with opioid manufacturers and distributors for fueling a pill epidemic that continues to take lives.
The City Commission and staff struggled for months to come up with a plan to allocate the money, deciding that $130,000 would go to DARE and that some of the money would be used to purchase the anti-overdose drug Narcan.
“As it goes for Narcan, we are able to get Narcan for free,” Kelly said. “Approving this allocation is not just an oversight, but it is a missed opportunity.” The commission did not address her remarks.
— John Pacenti
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