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 in early October. RIGHT: Lifeguard Lange Jacobs put up traffic cones and double red flags to war
along the coast (221)
By Mary Hladky
Palm Beach County Tax Collector Anne Gannon has prevailed in her long battle to ensure vacation rental hosts pay the 6 percent tourist development tax to the county.
The Palm Beach County Commission on Oct. 16 unanimously passed an ordi
A no-swimming flag flies at the public beach in Lantana on Sept. 30 to warn people of an irritant blowing in on the wind and waves that caused respiratory issues and eye irritation. As a precaution, officials closed Palm Beach County beaches from th
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 g
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 provide
Sargassum clogs a harbor along the shore of Guadeloupe. The windward sides of the islands are much harder hit than the leeward sides. French America Climate Talks
By Cheryl Blackerby
A natural disaster has hit the Caribbean. Barbados has declared a n
Mounds of sargassum, in places more than 30 feet wide and more than a foot deep, pile up on the beach in Ocean Ridge in mid-June. Since then some of the seaweed decomposed but then more arrived on the tide. Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star
Sargassum spec
Manalapan leads South County with 10.51% increase
By Mary Hladky
For the seventh year in a row, the taxable value of Palm Beach County properties has surged to a new high.
After making up the losses last year from the Great Recession, countywide t
The law may affect local beaches in decades to come, if rising sea levels change the line between wet sand, which is public access, and dry sand. The latter is not open to the public along areas of private property. Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star
Amid
Winter storms in the Northeast that produced lots of snow and intense wind meant high surf for Palm Beach County in early March.
ABOVE: John Shipley of Delray Beach surfs down the line after being pulled into the wave by a jet ski at the Boynton Inle
TOP: Caterpillar on lily by Jo Ann Ricchiuti.
ABOVE LEFT: Curious raccoon by Ricchiuti.
ABOVE RIGHT: Barnacle-covered flip flop by Connie Wagner.
LEFT: Ricchiuti at Wakodahatchee Wetlands. Photos provided
By Mary Thurwachter
Nature pho
By Mary Hladky
Steve Homrich watched with growing unease over three nights as young people arriving for parties at his neighbor’s home left rubber on the road while doing doughnuts on his street.
Then Friday night rolled around.
“My wife said, ‘Oh m
County officials hail ninth straight year of record numbers
Visitors fill the lobby of the 200-room Hyatt Place in downtown Boca Raton in February. The hotel reported a strong first year; it opened in December 2016. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star
By A
By Henry Fitzgerald
Municipal elections will take place March 13. Here are the cities and towns in The Coastal Star’s coverage area with seats up for grabs and their respective qualifying periods.
Boca Raton
The city’s qualifying period, when
For a family-style Thanksgiving dinner, Ellie’s 50’s Diner offers the whole-turkey meal with all the fixings to make the holiday food prep and cooking more manageable. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star
Avoid the kitchen fuss,
but still enjoy Thanksgiving
By Steve Plunkett
The barrier island-based Florida Coalition for Preservation wants Gulf Stream and its neighbors to budget money this summer to determine where to locate a new fire-rescue station and how much it would cost.
“It’s important for
Related story: Two municipalities strengthen group-homes ordinances
By Mary Hladky
New laws and funding are in place to crack down on the addiction treatment industry and fight the opioid crisis in Florida.
Gov. Rick Scott on June 26 signed
Two south county coastal cities are reining in rogue sober homes by strengthening their group homes ordinances.
Boynton Beach will hold a public hearing July 18 on these proposed changes:
• Have at least 300 feet between group homes. In June, c
By Mary Hladky
Boca Raton was the fastest-growing city in Palm Beach County last year, adding 2,570 residents.
Boynton Beach and Delray Beach also showed strong population increases from 2015 to 2016, according to U.S. Census Bureau statisti
An adult least tern offers food to a young juvenile on the beach in Boca Raton near the south edge
of Spanish River Park in mid-June. Based on the size and color of feathers, a Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
biologist estimated the youngst
