Serving Highland Beach and Coastal Boca Raton
November 2020
Along the Coast
Volume 13 Issue 8
Highland Beach
Scale back Milani, leaders say Town plans aerial photo to show how crowded beach would be By Rich Pollack
Beachgoers rinse their feet near the sea grapes that form a canopy along the shore in Delray Beach. Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star
The great sea grape debate
Consensus emerges that trims are better for dunes By Larry Barszewski When it comes to managing sea grapes at the beach, what’s an environmentalist to do? Should the growing trees and shrubs be left alone to provide a friendly habitat for birds and small animals and shield the beach from man-made light that can disorient sea turtle hatchlings?
Or should the sea grapes be trimmed to stop them from crowding out other plants and allow for a far more diverse beach ecosystem? In September, Delray Beach commissioners voted 3-2 to cut away, approving a plan to slash some remaining untouched sea grapes — five arbors up to 20 feet tall — to a height of 4 feet. These sea grapes were spared this summer during an extensive trimming at the beach, where they form canopies that create green tunnel pathways for beachgoers.
Nearby residents, whose views of the ocean have been blocked by the tall sea grapes, complained the tunnels are dangerous, house homeless people and should be cut back. Others see the beach’s sea grape archways as iconic, creating a more natural look that should be preserved. Leaving the conflicting aesthetics debate aside, many coastal experts say the city is moving in the right direction from an environmental viewpoint. See SEA GRAPES on page 22
Veterans Day
Meals on Wheels goes extra mile to serve WWII vet By Ron Hayes On June 6, 1944, a U.S. Army paratrooper named Ed Manley jumped into Nazioccupied France on a D-Day mission to blow up the cannons overlooking Omaha Beach. He was 22. On Sept. 11, 1944, he jumped
into Holland during Operation Market Garden, on a mission to capture roads and bridges in the vital communications city of Eindhoven. On Dec. 17, 1944, he was in Bastogne, Belgium, helping to hold off Hitler’s Fifth Panzer Army in the Battle of the Bulge. See MEALS on page 23
PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID WEST PALM BCH FL PERMIT NO 4595
Army veteran Ed Manley, 98, receives two ready-made meals, a loaf of bread and container of juice from John Sallee at his home in Briny Breezes. Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star Delivery of this month’s edition is sponsored by our friends at
Small businesses struggle Some close after years. Page 10 Boca Raton: Drucker tapped for council Page 31
A potential compromise in plans for the initial development of the county’s long-disputed Milani Park is gaining traction, while a proposed second phase concerns Highland Beach leaders who say it would bring the beach more visitors than the park can adequately handle. To prove their point, town commissioners are planning to stage a beach sit-in of sorts, bringing 100 people to the area during high tide for an aerial photograph that they hope will show just how tightly packed beachgoers would be. The county parks department sent a conceptual drawing to the town in October showing 42 parking spaces in phase one of the park’s development. It showed an additional 58 parking spaces in the second phase, which would take place when additional demand is demonstrated. While Highland Beach commissioners are willing to accept phase one’s 42 spots, which was a compromise hammered out during September meetings between town and county leaders, they believe the beach portion of the planned park is often too narrow and too short for a large number of beachgoers. By bringing 100 people to the beach at high tide for the photo, Mayor Doug Hillman — using a calculation of 2.5 people per car — is hoping to demonstrate just how crowded the beach could be See PARK on page 24
Season Preview Cultural groups plan for a season like no other. Page AT1