CITY NEWS & PEOPLE

the addition of pickleball courts, landscaping and more. Players and visitors to the 18hole course can also now enjoy dinner with a view overlooking the greens at SW Grill, which offers up light bites, entrees and all the amenities you’d expect from a premium golf club.

The Palm Beach County Commission gave preliminary approval to a proposal by GL Homes that would allow the company to build nearly 1,300 homes in the Agricultural Reserve Area that current rules don’t allow. Five of the seven commissioners voted yes. Marci Woodward, who represents Boca Raton and Delray Beach, voted no. So did Maria Sachs, who represents the reserve, which is west of Boca Raton, Delray Beach and Boynton Beach. Conservation groups opposed the swap of land outside the reserve for the right to build within it.

They believe that the precedent will allow similar swaps that will eventually undermine the public vote in 1999 to preserve farming. Public comment since the vote has been irate, and the general view is that this marks the end of the Ag Reserve— against the wishes of Palm Beach

County voters. This is a dark day for the region, for the community and for the concept of elected officials listening to their constituents. Shame on them.

The transformation of the private Boca Country Club to the public Boca Raton

Golf and Racquet Club may have been a controversial change two years ago, but this year, Boca’s golf course has never looked better. The city continues to invest more than $7 million on improvements including course upgrades, clubhouse and cart barn remodeling,

The former Mizner Park Cultural Center entered its second life this past winter, complete with a new name— The Studio at

Mizner Park—new leadership, new street-side signage, a redesigned interior and a fresh approach to programming. Dance and art classes, children’s activities, live music and standup comedy now occupy the space, which had often been dormant in the past; even Tony-winning musical-theatre titan Alan Cumming performed a solo show in its intimate space. The Studio’s tagline—“Broadway Lights, Boca Nights”—speaks to its renewed ambitions.

Kate Cotner, the new External Affairs Manager for Florida Power & Light Company, has worked for FPL for about five years, and credits her background as an attorney as the key to making her an “effective community partner.”“I am focused on exploring new and exciting ways for Florida Power & Light Company and its parent company, NextEra Energy, to partner with the community to make this area the best place to live, work, and raise a family.”

Zack Bihr, Municipal Services Director, has made a meteoric rise through the ranks of the city from an engineering position to a department head responsible for transportation management, coastal management, capital projects, engineering and more. A colleague says,“He’s running the department with an eye to the future, truly implementing technology to improve the way the city operates in a resilient and sustainable manner.” Bihr says a job highlight so far is the chance to build “a great diverse team in the municipal services department to serve the public.”

• Golden Bell Battle of the Bands: Watch the biggest names in Boca’s business scene lose the suits and pick up the guitars for the annual Golden Bell Battle of the Bands. Created by the Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce, the Golden Bell Education Foundation is a nonprofit dedicated to supporting Boca schools.

• Boca Helping Hands MONOPOLY® Event & Casino Night: It was 17 years ago that Boca

Helping Hands had the ingenious idea to merge board games with cocktails at a luxury venue, and every year since, the MONOPOLY® Event & Casino Night has been one of Boca’s most entertaining events. Guests enjoy live music, casino gaming, dinner and, of course, the ultimate tournament to crown the champion of the classic capitalistic board game.

In Royal Palm Place, Strikes has amassed a cult following of cigar aficionados and those with a taste for elevated craft cocktail offerings. The walk-in humidor is stocked with more than 500 cigars from dozens of luxury brands, and the bar’s selection of whiskeys is enough to make any connoisseur swoon. Whether you enjoy your stogie on the patio or indoors, there are TVs lined up for the big game and live music to entertain on weekends. Strike a match and kick back—this is one man cave you won’t want to crawl out of.

Karly Parsons, Development Director, Baptist Health Foundation at Bethesda Hospital, is a member of Impact 100 Palm Beach County, a volunteer with Spirit of Giving network, a member of the Boca Chamber’s PULSE and was in Leadership Boca, Class of 2023.“I am so fortunate to be able to give back and serve a community that has given me so much,” she says.

Zoe Lanham, vice president of The Addison, has been very involved in the community, serving on the boards of Boca Helping Hands as well as the Boca Raton Historical Society. Other groups she serves include Tri-County Animal Rescue, Ambassador for ResearcHERS (American Cancer Society), Great Plains Conservation and the George Snow Scholarship Fund.“As far back as I can remember, serving my community fueled my heartbeat,”she says.

Carly Sumner founded Flamingo Flea, a pop-up market that alternates between Fort Lauderdale and Boca Raton. Vendors range from handmade soaps and candles to jewelry and clothes, all with a “Support Local” edge.

“I love that The Flamingo Flea connects community and small business in a really obtainable way with pop-up shops and live music in a brunchy atmosphere; people can really feel the vibe,” she says.