June 2022
Volume 15 Issue 6
Serving Hypoluxo Island, South Palm Beach, Manalapan, Ocean Ridge, Briny Breezes, Gulf Stream and Coastal Delray Beach
Along the Coast
Delray Beach
Condo reserve rules, inspections become law By Joel Engelhardt and Mary Hladky
the safety of the city’s water. The water, which is tested daily, meets or exceeds all government standards, they say. The only real solution to significantly reduce the yellow and green tints that cloud Delray’s water, say people in neighboring cities who are responsible for having clear water come out of taps, is for Delray to replace its obsolete 70-yearold water treatment plant with one using more up-to-date methods. That’s on the drawing board but it will come at a high cost, one that residents will initially start to see in their water bills as early as July — while a new plant won’t be up and running for at least four years.
Florida condominiums will be required to retain reserves to pay for structural defects under a bill passed May 24 during the special legislative session in response to the Surfside building collapse that killed 98. The bill, added without notice in the session devoted to insurance reform and signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis Advantages to on May 26, new insurance also requires rules may condos to be hard for undergo homeowners structural to see. inspections Page 8 as they age. But the reserve requirement appeared to be the sticking point in March, when legislators failed to pass a bill during the regular session. While cities and counties could have required inspections, as Boca Raton and Highland Beach did in the fallout from Surfside, they can’t order condominiums to keep enough money on hand to pay for them — or for subsequent repairs.
See WATER on page 23
See CONDO on page 11
Water samples taken between May 14 and 18 show those from (l-r) a Delray Beach home on Delray Lakes Drive, a Delray Beach condo on Dotterel Road, a Boca Raton home on Southwest Fifth Street, and two samples from a Delray Beach home on Sandoway Lane that still has old galvanized pipes on one side of the house and PVC on the other. Photos by Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star
NOT CLEAR FOR ALL TO SEE Yellow tap water may be safe to drink, but Delray residents are still concerned By Rich Pollack
The video posted on Facebook by the city of Delray Beach on April 21 appeared simple enough. For what seemed like the umpteenth time, Delray leaders set out to explain why the city’s water is often discolored, and to once again assure residents that the water is safe to drink.
Instead of quieting down critics, however, the video unleashed a firestorm of negative comments, many taking on a political undertone and pointing fingers at current city leaders. “Water is supposed to be clear and that’s the bottom line,” says Tracy Caruso, a former mayoral candidate and an outspoken critic of how the city is dealing with water that at times comes out of the faucet with a green or yellow tint. “I’ve never been told to drink a glass of yellow water and been told it’s OK.” City leaders want to be clear, even if the water isn’t. They agree that there’s a problem with water color, but say they are disheartened by the steady drumbeat from people who are fostering distrust in
Along the Coast
Hunters work to reduce iguana populations By Joe Capozzi
Air rifle in hand, the hunter spotted his target on a tree branch over the shoreline some 30 yards south of the Briny Breezes marina. It’s the kind of shot Joshua Smith has made countless times in his four years as an iguana trapper with Nexus Nuisance Animal Services. But on this sunny May afternoon, his crafty target sensed danger. As Smith approached, the bright green lizard slithered up the branch and out of the trapper’s jurisdiction.
“He’s no longer on (Briny Breezes) property,’’ Smith said, conceding momentary defeat. His disappointment wouldn’t last long. By the end of the week, he would bag a dozen iguanas in the common public areas at Briny Breezes. It was a modest haul compared with the 100 he dispatched from a community west of Boca Raton, but they’re all part of a seemingly endless bounty for hunters. Across South Florida, suburban areas have been under siege from the invasive green iguanas, creatures native to the Caribbean and first reported in Florida PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID WEST PALM BCH FL PERMIT NO 4595
along the southeast coast in the 1960s. The lizards, which have no known domestic predator, are free to multiply and grow from finger-length hatchlings to bulls the size of small alligators. Their appetite for foliage, flowers and vegetables has turned residential walkways, swimming pools and golf courses into iguana-size Jurassic Parks. Beyond what’s visible, Ocean Ridge Town Manager Tracey Stevens said, “iguanas pose a threat to the
RomaDrama Live! Convention brings together stars of made-for-TV movies. Page AT7
See IGUANAS on page 14
Joshua Smith trapped this 6-foot-long iguana west of Lake Worth Beach. Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star
St. Joseph’s gets another year on lease Episcopal church OKs deal with school. AT11
Ukrainians find refuge on Hypoluxo Island. Page AT1