News

By Tim O’Meilia
    
BRINY BREEZES — Jerome F. Skrandel, who guided the mobile home town of Briny Breezes as its town attorney for nearly four decades, died unexpectedly Sept. 19 in Palm Beach Gardens, with his beloved family at his side. He was 84.
Jerry, as he was called, signed on as the town’s attorney in 1975 after he had previously represented the corporation that owns the town. His first major case was to successfully defend the town against a lawsuit by a biker bar that threatened to disrupt the low-key, seaside lifestyle of the park.
    “He was our rock. We could go to him for anything,” said Mayor Roger Bennett, who sat next to Mr. Skrandel at monthly council meetings where they needled one another. “He was such a resource.”
    In a town of snowbirds with little familiarity with the nuances of Florida municipal law, the council depended on Mr. Skrandel’s guidance.
    “He always had our interest at heart,” said Town Clerk Nancy Boczon, whose only advice from the previous town clerk was “Make sure Jerry’s at every meeting.”
    In recent years, instead of hiring an expensive outside planning firm to rewrite the town’s comprehensive land use plan, the council gave the job to Mr. Skrandel, not only saving money but getting someone intimate with the town’s needs.
    Mr. Skrandel was also town attorney for Jupiter for 17 years, city attorney in Boca Raton and worked for the city of West Palm Beach. He also ran a private law practice.
    Mr. Skrandel was born Sept. 30, 1928, in Chicago. He attended high school on Staten Island at the Augustinian Seminary and continued his college education at Loyola, where he obtained his law degree at DePaul University.
    He is survived by his wife, Pat, and their four children.