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ABOVE: Delray Beach residents Jennifer Magi, Sue Magi and Jimmy Magi stop along A1A to watch the Easter sunrise. Easter Sunday usually draws hundreds of people on A1A just south of Atlantic Avenue for a nondenominational service, but not during the c

This view of Lake Boca Raton on April 19 gives a small sense of the crowds that usually attend the annual Boca Bash on the state-controlled lake. BELOW: But a week later, FWC and Boca officers found no bash to police. Boaters heeded advice from an or

ABOVE: Recovered COVID-19 patient Alan Levy, right, with his wife, Lynne, and son Joshua Levy cheer from the balcony of their home in Royal Palm Yacht and Country Club during the Lag BaOmer parade on the May 12 holiday.
BELOW: Jeff Wasserman, front,

Jessika Harvey and Rush Rashidi show the 103-inch broadbill swordfish they boated March 23 after a 24-hour fight. They hooked the swordfish off Palm Beach County on the evening of March 22 and drifted north in the current. The fight ended off Vero Be

Barricades block off metered parking on State Road A1A in Delray Beach, reinforcing the countywide public beach closure. Beaches are scheduled to reopen on May 18 with metered parking along A1A. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

Delray Beach will reopen

By Mary Hladky

Palm Beach County commissioners voted 5-2 on May 15 to reopen county beaches on Monday, May 18.

But in a significant change from a May 8 preliminary commission decision, beach use will not be restricted to county residents.

The county

By Jane Smith

Delray Beach officials clarified their position on wearing face masks at a special City Commission meeting on May 9.

City Manager George Gretsas had sent information the previous day saying Delray Beach was lifting both its curfew and i

A Palm Beach County sheriff's deputy tells beach-goers in South Palm Beach of restricted beach access on March 21. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Mary Hladky

Palm Beach County commissioners, by a 4-3 margin, voted to reopen the county's beaches to

City contractors check the reclaimed water connection at the corner of A1A and Rhodes Villa Avenue on March 2. Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

 Related: Timeline of troubles | Standard safeguards usually stop mix of drinking, recycled water | City prov

The fishing piers at the Boynton Inlet remain empty even as other Palm Beach County parks and recreation areas open on April 29. The fishing areas may be accessible before beaches in the county open. Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

By Rich Pollack

Whil

COVID-19 Press Briefing Summary #12, April 27, 2020

During an afternoon news conference at the Palm Beach County Emergency Operations Center on April 27, County Mayor Dave Kerner announced a coordinated plan to reopen limited recreational facilitie

Officers from Boca Raton police and fire departments and the state's Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission gathered at Silver Palm Park on April 26 to monitor boaters who never showed up to party in Lake Boca. Photo by Tim Stepien/The Coastal St

Only a few vessels were in Lake Boca on April 26, the final day of an emergency ban on anchoring there. Normally the lake is jammed with boats on the weekend, especially for Boca Bash on the last Sunday in April. Photo provided by lakebocacam.com

By

A screenshot from www.cruisemapper.com shows cruise ships off the South Florida coast on the afternoon of April 23. Map provided

By Mary Thurwachter

Coastal observers who gaze out into the ocean after dark have seen large cruise ships lighting up th

The boat ramp at Boca Raton's Silver Palm Park had been closed to commercial and recreational boaters alike since March 22. It is still off-limits to non-commercial fishermen. Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

By Mary Hladky

The Silver Palm Park public

By Mary Hladky

While protests against stay-at-home COVID-19 restrictions have taken place across the country and in Palm Beach County, Boca Raton Mayor Scott Singer is urging a coordinated approach by four South Florida counties to determine when bea

Sandi Savia, the EMS liaison at Boca Raton Regional Hospital, part of Baptist Health South Florida, blows a kiss through her mask to a Boca Raton Fire Rescue crew as they and more than 20 other first responder vehicles parade past the Emergency Room