FOUR SEEKING PORT SEATS IN PRIMARY SEE STORY, PAGE 3
THREE COURT RACES ON THE BALLOT SEE STORIES, PAGES 4 & 7
THE
TOWN-CRIER WELLINGTON • ROYAL PALM BEACH • LOXAHATCHEE • THE ACREAGE
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County Gears Up To Confront First Big Storm In COVID-19 Era
Volume 41, Number 19 July 31 - August 13, 2020
Serving Palms West Since 1980
REPTICON AT THE FAIRGROUNDS
During briefings on emergency preparedness Tuesday, July 28, Palm Beach County Emergency Management Director Bill Johnson told the Palm Beach County Commission that county staff is planning for a potential hurricane/COVID-19 crisis in light of heavy tropical activity in the Atlantic Ocean. Page 3
Lox Council Reduces 2020-21 Budget, Holds Tax Rate Steady
In a workshop meeting Tuesday, July 21, the Loxahatchee Groves Town Council looked at a mostly unchanged fiscal year 2020-21 budget proposal of $5.5 million, excluding borrowing and capital spending, compared to $5.8 million in the current year. Page 7
Repticon returned to the South Florida Fairgrounds Expo Center on July 18 and July 19, featuring snakes, tarantulas, bearded dragons and more for sale. Vendors were selling all necessary items to house and care for reptiles, including food items. Breeders and vendors were available to ask questions and offer advice. Shown above, Mike, Johnny, Mason and Rachael Gleber hold a Burmese python from Jurassic Exotics. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 5 PHOTO BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER
Local Rotarians Team Up With Back To Basics On School Uniforms
Wellington Rotary Club members gathered at the Back to Basics warehouse in Wellington on Monday, July 20 to help the local nonprofit distribute new school uniforms to students in need. Representatives from different schools dropped by to pick up the uniforms. Page 10
RPB Council Rejects Request To Use Shingle Roofs At BellaSera
The Royal Palm Beach Village Council on Thursday, July 16 unanimously denied the use of shingle roofs for new models at Lennar’s BellaSera development at the north end of Crestwood Blvd. after hearing 49 letters from current homeowners there objecting to the shingle roofs. Page 15
College-Bound Baseball Champs Have Come A Long Way In Five Years
Johns Hopkins University, Vanderbilt University, Stanford University, Ohio State University, Carson-Newman University, Fairleigh Dickinson University, Loyola University New Orleans and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Those are the eight universities where nine former members of the Wellington Colts Little League travel baseball team are headed this fall to pursue a college degree and to continue playing ball at the next level. Page 22 DEPARTMENT INDEX NEWS...............................3 - 18 NEWS BRIEFS......................... 7 PEOPLE................................... 8 SCHOOLS................................ 9 COLUMNS............................. 16 BUSINESS............................. 19 CLASSIFIEDS................. 20, 23 SPORTS................................. 22 Visit Us On The Web At WWW.GOTOWNCRIER.COM
Palm Beach County Seeks Faster COVID-19 Test Results
By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report The Palm Beach County Commission on Tuesday, July 28 reviewed steps being taken to control COVID-19, centering on expediting delayed testing results that health officials explained are hampering their effectiveness. Commissioners were concerned that test results were taking seven to 11 days to process, during which time a person who has been tested could have been in contact with many other people. Commissioner Melissa McKinlay asked Florida Department of Health-Palm Beach County Director Dr. Alina Alonso if college laboratories could be converted to testing labs to expedite the process, and Alonso said they are not equipped or licensed to run the tests, adding that it is their prerogative to make that decision. McKinlay asked if there is a
way that the licensing and supplying of equipment to labs could be expedited in order to speed up the test results. “[Florida Atlantic University] has a medical school, so I’m sure that there is some capability there,” she said. “We’ve got Scripps here; we’ve got Max Planck. What kind of costs are we looking at?” Alonso explained that the university labs are set up for research, not disease testing. “We’d have to talk to each one about making that investment,” she said. Palm Beach County Emergency Management Director Bill Johnson said that he has been in contact with the state’s Emergency Operations Center, which has had conversations with state university labs since February about setting up testing labs. “The complications that there are in terms of converting a scien-
tific lab into a medical laboratory are enormous,” Johnson said, adding that emphasis has been put on upscaling private testing facilities, which are approved by most insurance companies. McKinlay said the process must be sped up somehow. “The experience I’ve had with my own family members, and waiting 11 days for results, somebody who has been tested is not going to sit home on unpaid sick leave from their hourly wage job for two weeks while they wait for results,” she said. “If it’s positive, they’ve been out in the community for two weeks.” Palm Beach County Administrator Verdenia Baker said that private companies have proven to be faster in getting results than public labs. “We are encouraging our employees to use our insurance. See TESTING, page 18
Wellington OKs Planning Study For SR 7 Corridor
By M. Dennis Taylor Town-Crier Staff Report The Wellington Village Council recently approved $119,000 for a study designed to examine the State Road 7 corridor to determine the direction and future use for the area surrounding and including the Mall at Wellington Green. The item was pulled from the Tuesday, July 14 consent agenda and discussed separately after Mayor Anne Gerwig recused herself. Village Manager Paul Schofield explained that the need for the study came about when the mall’s owner, Starwood Retail Partners, submitted significant changes to the mall for village consideration. However, Schofield said, there was no specific objective included, nor concrete data to back up the viability of the suggested changes. The study will be conducted by the Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council, a public agency involved in regional planning issues. Gerwig is a member of the TCRPC board, which is why she recused herself. “They have significant experience in South Florida,” Schofield said. “We have worked with them in the past. They are a strong partner… they know Wellington… and they have an in-house urban design team.” Planning, Zoning & Building Director Tim Stillings said that the study will look at the SR 7 corridor, the mall property, Wellington’s nearby K-Park property, as well as surrounding areas to help the council better understand the village’s position in relation to the physical and market conditions. Councilman John McGovern
said that K-Park should definitely be part of the study. “K-Park is too big to ignore, and anything we do with it is going to affect the mall,” he said. The other council members supported the study. “This is a wise use of funds, and I’m glad we are moving forward,” Councilman Michael Napoleone said. Councilman Michael Drahos agreed. “We need to see how KPark and the mall fit together as we move into the future,” he said. “I think the timing is right.” Vice Mayor Tanya Siskind said that the new data can be put together with previous studies. “The information we have from a study five years ago is valuable. I am interested to see what data is learned,” she said. The item passed 4-0, and the Town-Crier spoke after the meeting with Stillings, as well as Assistant Planning, Zoning & Building Director Mike O’Dell and Dana Little of the TCRPC to learn more about the upcoming study. Stillings said that when the village received the proposed redevelopment of the mall property, it was evident that more information was needed about possible different uses and the market for office, medical, retail, entertainment and educational uses. “This allows the village to make appropriate adjustments to our codes,” he said. Little said that the village began talking with the TCRPC in January after the owners of the Mall at Wellington Green proposed building a Crystal Lagoon outdoor entertainment area, as well as residential units and a hotel at the location of See SR 7 STUDY, page 18
OUTSIDERS DRILL TEAM
Candidates For Sheriff Spar At Election Forum
By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report The League of Women Voters of Palm Beach County, in cooperation with the American Civil Liberties Union, held a virtual candidates forum on Monday, July 27 featuring the candidates for Sheriff of Palm Beach County. Incumbent Sheriff Ric Bradshaw faces a challenge from retired Riviera Beach Police Major Alex Freeman in the Democratic primary on Aug. 18. The winner of the primary will face Republican candidate former PBSO Capt. Lauro Diaz in November’s general election. The event was moderated by Mark Schneider of the ACLU of Palm Beach County. Mail-in voting is already underway in the primary election, with early voting set to begin Monday, Aug. 3. Palm Beach County’s top law enforcement officer for the past 16 years, Bradshaw pointed out that he has 50 years of law enforcement
experience with 25 years of that time running law enforcement organizations, including the PBSO, and previously as chief of the West Palm Beach Police Department. “I am the person who has been keeping you and your family safe for the last 16 years, and that’s what’s important to remember in this election,” Bradshaw said. “Who do you trust to make decisions? Do you trust somebody who’s never done this job before?” He added that during his tenure in office, the PBSO has helped reduce crime 25 percent. Freeman, now retired from the Riviera Beach Police Department, ran unsuccessfully for sheriff against Bradshaw in 2016. He noted several of Bradshaw’s failings, including the controversial legal process under Bradshaw’s leadership that Freeman said allowed deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein privileges that would not have been afforded others in a similar situation.
“When you talk about crime being down 25 percent, he has been sheriff for 16 years and in the law for 50 years. I question that,” he said. “That means crime has went down 1.5 percent in his 16 years as sheriff. That is nothing to be happy about.” The candidates were asked to comment on the recent deaths of George Floyd in Minnesota and Breonna Taylor in Kentucky at the hands of law enforcement, which have resulted in ongoing nationwide protests that have also occurred here in Palm Beach County. Freeman said that there is a state of emergency with law enforcement and the communities they serve. “There needs to be a change, and this is the time,” he said. “I believe that with my experience and honesty, and my connection with the communities, that we can bridge that gap between the communities and the sheriff’s office. See SHERIFF, page 18
Outsiders Drill Team members held a practice on Monday, July 27 at Old Cypress in Loxahatchee Groves. Riders practiced several choregraphed maneuvers to music. The local drill team is getting ready for an upcoming competition at the Okeechobee County Agri-Civic Center & Fairgrounds. Shown above, Kylie O’Connor and Jaylynn Richards ride with the flag. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 17 PHOTO BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER
Buddy Love: Reports Of A Dog’s Day Cheer Up Kids And Seniors
Mary Cay Martin and Buddy tell the stories of Buddy’s adventures through monthly cards.
By M. Dennis Taylor Town-Crier Staff Report Cheering up a child in need of a laugh was the spark that helped create greeting cards purported to come from Mary Cay Martin’s celebrated dog, Buddy. Distributed by mail monthly detailing the adventures of Buddy in hand-made cards with pictures of the photogenic pooch, Buddy Love cards are brightening the day of children and adults across the nation. The first cards were invented by 30-year Royal Palm Beach resident Martin to send to a young relative. “My grandniece, Olivia, had heart surgery in 2019, and you can’t send a regular get well or
sympathy card to a child,” remembered Martin, who said that the little girl enjoyed hearing stories about Buddy. “He is a total nut.” So, she thought a card from Buddy would be something Olivia would like, and boy did she. A retired teacher who worked with the deaf, Martin started making the cards recounting the adventures of Buddy. Soon she had volunteers to help with the hand-made cards. “They never see a computer or a printer, except the wallet-sized photographs that are attached,” Martin explained. Each card is cut out, decorated and lettered by hand, and is a unique work of art in itself.
Other children in the hospital wanted to see the cards, and then Martin realized that seniors loved receiving the humorous messages as well. “It really clicked. So many people enjoyed receiving something simple that provides a little silliness in their day,” Martin said. This month, the sixth issue, some 300 cards went out, and the next installment will be nearly double that. “Locally, they go to Palms West Hospital, Ronald McDonald House, the Quantum House, assisted living facilities and nursing homes, as well as individual children getting well at their own See BUDDY, page 18