Serving Highland Beach and Coastal Boca Raton
November 2013
Volume 6 Issue 11
Boca Raton
A COASTAL STAR SPECIAL REPORT
Majhess to give up council seat in bid for mayor By Steve Plunkett
RISING
WATER
Dozens of concerned neighbors meet Oct. 19 along Marine Way in Delray Beach to see the effects of high tides along the Intracoastal Waterway. Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star
New signs of rising sea levels cause concern
INSIDE
Getting ready
Building codes, flood insurance to get stricter and more expensive. Page 14
Tough choices
Disaster scenarios will pit neighbors vs. neighbors vs. the government. Page 15
Changing times
Facing the truth will force everyone to adjust expectations. Page 16
He told us so
Author’s book predicted New York City postSuperstorm Sandy. Page 16
By Cheryl Blackerby It was a home tour no homeowner wants to be on. The lovely two-story, 1920s-era homes along Marine Way in Delray Beach could have been the highlights on a holiday tour, but on this sunny Saturday morning in October the houses served as cautionary tales. During an autumnal high tide, seawater lapped over the edge of the lane on the other side of the houses. Sand bags were stacked next to a house. C.J. Johnson stood barefoot on his thick green lawn — the grass and dirt as watersaturated as a sponge. “This is salt water. My grass will die,” he said matter-of-factly.
He and his wife, Margery, have lived in their home for 21 years. The house was built by Addison Mizner in 1922 at the Boca Raton Resort and Club for the construction manager and floated to its present site in 1928. The high tides have gotten higher in recent years, often flooding their dining room, which faces the Intracoastal. Last year, the air conditioning compressor was underwater and they had to raise it 2½ feet. When asked about the future of the house, Margery Johnson laughed uneasily. “We’re not too worried about selling it. We’re going to die here.” Meanwhile, their flood insurance has risen to $4,000 a year and is sure to See TIDES on page 13
Delray Beach residents wade through floodwaters after Hurricane Sandy. 2012 file photo/Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star
Anthony Majhess will cut his second City Council term a year short to run for mayor of Boca Raton. Majhess said the fact he would be term-limited out of office in March 2015 and have to wait two more years for the next mayor’s Majhess race helped him decide to campaign now. “I don’t want to sit on the sidelines,” he said. “To me it’s worth the risk.” The ballot is quickly filling up with candidates. Majhess filed paperwork for the mayor’s seat Oct. 8 and announced his candidacy to friends via Facebook. The next day Robert Weinroth, a small-business owner and lawyer, opened a campaign for Majhess’ spot on the council. A week before, retiree Rosetta Bailey filed a statement of candidacy without specifying which council seat she is targeting. Council member Michael Mullaugh filed his paperwork Oct. 3. State “resign-to-run” rules say elected officials must give up their seats when running for another office, except when seeking reelection. The Attorney General’s Office says the law serves two purposes: To stop an official from using the power and prestige of one office to seek another, and to spare See MAJHESS on page 19
Eyewitness to History
Scrappy youth won place in American Camelot By Ron Hayes John F. Kennedy and Carmelo “Mel” Cottone did not have much in common when they met. Jack Kennedy was the son of a multimillionaire businessman and former U.S. ambassador to the
Court of St. James’s. Mel Cottone’s father was a coal miner. Kennedy was raised on family estates in Hyannisport, Mass., and Palm Beach. Cottone was born in a two-room frame house without electricity or
indoor plumbing. Kennedy went to Harvard. Cottone was a 1958 graduate of Marshall University in Huntington, W.Va. Kennedy was a U.S. senator.
Inside Green markets
Local vendors sell fresh, locally produced fare. Here’s a guide. Page H1
See JFK on page 21
No room at the library
Friends of the Highland Beach Library are raising money to convert two porches into meeting rooms to accommodate demand. Page 10
Mel Cottone was on JFK’s staff. Photo was signed by President Kennedy.
Gumbo Limbo growth
Nature center draws up a fiveyear plan for services, needs. Page 12
Women of Grace
Bethesda Hospital Foundation honors the area’s top volunteers. Page AT1
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