NEW ARRIVAL KAI AT PANTHER RIDGE SEE STORY, PAGE 3
LOX GROVES HONORS TOWN’S VETERANS SEE PHOTOS, PAGE 16
THE
TOWN-CRIER WELLINGTON • ROYAL PALM BEACH • LOXAHATCHEE • THE ACREAGE
Your Community Newspaper
INSIDE
ITID Plans To Keep Closer Watch On Annexation Maneuvers
Volume 44, Number 23 November 17 - November 30, 2023
Serving Palms West Since 1980
‘A SALUTE TO OUR HEROES’ EVENT
The Indian Trail Improvement District is reshuffling responsibilities of several board members to keep a closer eye on neighboring governments that may be looking to annex parts of the district. Page 3
B&G Club Holds Western-Themed Wellington Event
The 36th annual Wellington Dinner Dance to benefit the Neil S. Hirsch Family Boys & Girls Club took place at the National Polo Center on Saturday, Nov. 4. The fundraiser included both live and silent auctions, dinner, dancing and live entertainment. With the Western theme of “Under the Big Sky,” more than 300 guests enjoyed twostepping tutorials for beginners and a performance by Boys & Girls Club children. Page 5
Wellington Veterans Day Parade, Ceremony
The Village of Wellington and American Legion Post 390 hosted their annual Veterans Day Parade & Ceremony on Saturday, Nov. 11. The parade route went from the Wellington Municipal Complex to the Wellington Veterans Memorial. Several hundred people turned out to either walk in the parade or watch the observances to honor local veterans. Page 18
Lacrosse Clinic Aimed To Get Local Youth Involved In The Sport
On the morning of Sunday, Nov. 12, Palm Beach Lacrosse hosted a complimentary instructional lacrosse clinic at Okeeheelee Park for any interested area youth, ages 10 to 14. The clinic was sponsored by USA Lacrosse. The turnout included 22 boys and four girls. Page 21 DEPARTMENT INDEX NEWS...............................3 - 18 NEWS BRIEFS......................... 7 SPORTS......................... 21 - 23 PEOPLE..........................24 - 25 SCHOOLS.............................. 26 BUSINESS............................. 27 COLUMNS............................. 28 CLASSIFIEDS................ 29 - 30 Visit Us On The Web At WWW.GOTOWNCRIER.COM
The Wellington Community Foundation held its eighth annual Red, White & Blue Jeans “A Salute To Our Heroes” event on Friday, Nov. 10 at the Wellington National Golf Club with 200 attendees there to support Wellington’s veterans, seniors and children in need. The foundation dedicated the evening to the late Tom Wenham, founding member of the foundation and its chair up until his passing last year. In his honor, the foundation unveiled the new “Thomas M. Wenham Salute To Our Veterans Scholarship.” Shown above are: (L-R) Jim Sackett, Herta Suess, Bob Margolis, Terri Kane, Donald Gross, Mickey and Lizz Smith, Hope Barron, Maggie Zeller, James Seder, Pam Tahan, Michael Gauger, Dr. Gordon Johnson and Barry Manning. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 6
RPB Mayor Draws Challenger, Two On Council Get New Terms
By Joshua Manning Town-Crier Staff Report When Royal Palm Beach’s qualification deadline closed Nov. 9 for the upcoming municipal election, Councilman Jeff Hmara and Councilwoman Selena Samios secured new, two-year terms without opposition. However, Royal Palm Beach voters will head to the polls in March to choose between incumbent Mayor Fred Pinto and challenger Steve Avila. The election will be held Tuesday, March 19, concurrently with Florida’s presidential primary. Hmara, first elected to the Group 1 seat in 2012, said he was honored to be granted another term serving village residents. “I want to see through the things we are working on,” he said. “We have so many opportunities to continue to shape the future of Royal Palm Beach.” Hmara said he will spend the next two years working to help Royal Palm Beach deal with the growth going on in areas just
outside the community, with a particular focus on managing traffic. “We are going to be challenged to keep pace with that growth and not lose sight of who we are,” he said. “How do we deal with that without losing sight of the fact that we are a classic, all-American community?” Samios, first elected to the Group 3 seat in 2016, said she is honored to be able to represent the residents of Royal Palm Beach for another two years. “I am proud of the work that we have been able to accomplish over the past two years,” she said. “For instance, our expanded senior programs, the addition to the recreation center and the design of Crestwood North Park, as well as our new village web site, just to name a few. I look forward to the next two years. What will Tuttle Royale look like? The possibility of a new school, and increased opportunities for residents and business owners.”
Pinto, who was elected mayor in 2016 after serving more than a decade on the council, has not been challenged for the post since 2018. The incumbent said that he was surprised by Avila’s decision to run for mayor. “I am interested in finding out what he thinks is wrong and needs to be fixed,” Pinto said. “Royal Palm Beach is in excellent shape, and I hear only positive feedback from residents all the time.” Pinto said that he has been one of the key people in making sure the village has been moving in the right direction. “The challenge for us is to continue the standard of excellence that we have maintained and continue to focus on good governance,” he said. “We are making plans and implementing strategies that will continue to make Royal Palm Beach a great place to live.” As for the upcoming campaign, Pinto said that he will be running See RPB ELECTION, page 14
Wellington Council Opens Hearing On Controversial Development Proposals
By Charles Elmore Town-Crier Staff Report A critical phase for a controversial equestrian development plan in Wellington kicked off this week with a flurry of deal-making diplomacy and the surprise offer of a new 50-acre public park. On Tuesday, Nov. 14, the Wellington Village Council set the stage for multiple meetings during the week and prospective further action in December and January on what happens with a hugely consequential proposal by Wellington Lifestyle Partners. The council returned to continue its hearing on Wednesday and was scheduled to conclude its deliberations Thursday. The outcome of that meeting was not available as the Town-Crier went to press. The group’s plan would build more than 200 homes, pave the way for an expanded horse show-
grounds and construct a commercial “main street” in the middle of the saddled-up part of the village that gives it a world-famous brand and identity. To get there, four of five council members will have to agree to do something Wellington has never done. They will have to remove 96 acres from the village’s Equestrian Preserve Area, which severely limits what can be built there. The overall plan had already retreated from 447 homes to 210. Then came mention of a 50-acre public park north of Forest Hill Blvd. near its intersection with South Shore Blvd., offered by the team working with equestrian businessman Mark Bellissimo. OK, but who pays for turning it into a park? Doug McMahon, CEO and managing partner of Wellington Lifestyle Partners, said his group would “remain open”
to contributions toward getting the park going, as opposed to just turning over land that has been arranged for purchase. Then again, details on more than one proposal did not initially meet with complete mutual harmony and understanding. Take an evolving understanding with village staff that Wellington Lifestyle Partners would not build homes in the part of the project known as Wellington North until the showgrounds expansion was operational by Dec. 21, 2028. Council members asked: Did that mean no houses on just the dressage showgrounds that would eventually be incorporated into a larger complex to the south, or did it refer to all territory in Wellington North? On Nov. 14, McMahon at first answered that 48 homes of a See WLP, page 4
Changes Approved For Lotis Plan, But Delays A Concern
By Charles Elmore Town-Crier Staff Report More than one member of the Wellington Village Council gave vent to frustration about slow progress and pivoting plans at one of the village’s biggest development initiatives of the past decade, the 120-acre Lotis Wellington project. “We’ve been waiting three years, and we haven’t seen a thing happen here,” Councilman John McGovern said at the council’s Tuesday, Nov. 7 meeting. A day later, a team working with developers at the Lotis Group told the village’s Planning, Zoning & Adjustment Board that they want to drop approved plans for assisted-living and other senior accommodations and roughly double the number of multi-family residential units to 378 on a portion of the project known as Lotis 1. These would include two-story apartments, some with private garages.
To make the revised plans happen, developers sought changes to village rules. On first reading Nov. 7, the council voted 5-0 to allow up to 60 percent of a mixed-use project to be devoted to a one use kind of use, regardless of acreage. The change was requested by the developer. Village revisions in recent years have limited a single use in some cases to 30 percent, depending on project size. That would put a crimp in plans to devote nearly 60 percent of a proposal to housing. Such uses can include singlefamily homes, multi-family residences, retail, restaurant, assisted living, medical services and more. Conservation, involving creating or preserving bodies of water and green space, would be clarified under the change as one of those recognized uses. A second reading is set for December, though some irritation emerged for a project on prime See LOTIS, page 7
VETERANS DAY IN RPB
The Village of Royal Palm Beach, in conjunction with American Legion Post 367, presented a Veterans Day observance “Honoring All Who Served” on Saturday, Nov. 11 at the Royal Palm Beach Cultural Center. The program featured guest speakers, such as (shown above) Pastor Chris Edmonds, who spoke of the many World War II heroic deeds and awards of his father, Master Sgt. Roddie Edmonds. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 8 PHOTO BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER
2023 Westlake City Revenues Fell $1 Million Short Of Estimates
By Louis Hillary Park Town-Crier Staff Report Documents shared during the Tuesday, Nov. 7 meeting of the Westlake City Council show that revenue estimates for fiscal year 2023, which ended Sept. 30, were off by more than $1 million — and not for the better. Going into the 2023 fiscal year, the city planned for $2,770,900 of revenue coming on from building permits, engineering permits, and planning and zoning permits. However, those and related revenues fell short by $1,049,170, according to documentation provided with the agenda back up. Reductions in several Special Revenue/Enterprise Fund expenditures — such as $22,000 in consulting fees — resulted in a savings
of more than $100,000, reducing the overall shortfall to $939,453. The discrepancy required council members to pass the resolution, which they did 5-0, to move $255,000 from the city’s General Fund into the Special Revenue/ Enterprise Fund. Mayor JohnPaul O’Connor said that the shortfall did not put the municipality in the red; that it was a matter of shifting money from one account to another to balance the final 2023 books. “I’m still very confident that we’re doing well,” O’Connor said Tuesday. “It’s not like we’re in trouble, or even close to it.” City Manager Kenneth Cassel said the drop in permitting revenue is not an indication that the red-hot See WESTLAKE, page 4
Wellington Tightens Rules On Vacation Rentals
By Charles Elmore Town-Crier Staff Report The Village of Wellington took a big step this month toward tougher rules for short-term vacation rentals as the industry deals with complaints, backlash from cities and attempts to tighten regulations across the country. Residents in one Wellington neighborhood, Sugar Pond Manor, “were in here literally crying over the impact these vacation rentals have had on their life, and pleading with us to do something,” Councilman Michael Drahos said in a meeting Tuesday, Nov. 7. The Wellington Village Council voted 5-0 for a slate of revised
regulations meant to strengthen the village’s ability to respond to complaints about noise, parking, and even cases involving a shooting and renters knocking on neighbors’ doors to ask about parking in their driveways. “We have to try something that is firmer, stronger,” Councilman John McGovern agreed. He suggested, and the council adopted, a further change to allow faster action to suspend or revoke permits in cases involving underage drinking. Wellington’s actions this month fit into a bigger national picture. In September, New York City enacted rules that say short-term
rental owners must register with the city, limit guests to two and accept other restrictions designed to keep residences from becoming de facto hotels. Some see the shortterm rental trend as worsening a shortage of affordable housing for those who want to be full-time residents. Home-sharing companies often challenge such curbs, but some executives also recognize a growing pile of gripes and pushback, not only from governments, but also users of vacation rental services. Beefs range from a perceived lack of transparency about rising “cleaning fees” and other stealth costs for renters, to calls for better
vetting and safeguards to enforce company policies against rentals becoming party houses. “We need to get our house in order,” Airbnb co-founder and CEO Brian Chesky told Bloomberg News in early October. In Florida, there are limits on what municipalities can do. Under state law, local governments cannot prohibit vacation rentals, or regulate their frequency and duration. However, governments are exploring what they can do within those boundaries. Wellington has about 250 shortterm vacation rentals within its borders, typically meaning rentals of 30 days or fewer at a time. The
new rules are not aimed at monthslong seasonal rentals associated with the equestrian industry, officials said. While many short-term rentals pose no problem, a handful of repeat offenders have pushed the village to consider more ways to take action, staff members said. One point of emphasis has been making clear that the village holds the homeowner responsible for what renters do. For example, a new amendment requires owners to post a notice, provided by Wellington, of the applicable regulations. Discussion included questions See NEW RULES, page 4